The Great Resistance Has Begun Officials Unite Against Trump Policies

It has been a little over a week since Donald Trump was declared the winner in the U.S. presidential election. But Trump is wasting no time naming members of his new cabinet. Likewise, Democrats and some Republicans are preparing for the Great Resistance. Democratic Governors in California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, Washington State and Massachusetts are among officials vying to protect constituents against Trumpian policies.
Abortion, environmental laws, and immigration are among the biggest issues.
On Wednesday, Colorado Governor Jared Polls told Reuters he is the co-chair of a coalition of mostly Democratic-led states that will fight back against the Republican President-Elect.
“We founded (the group) because we know that simple hope alone won’t save our democracy,” Polis said on a conference call announcing the group. “We need to work together, especially at the state level, to protect and strengthen it.” Polls formed Governors Safeguarding Democracy, a non-partisan group, with Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker. Neither Pritzger nor Polls said which Republican governors have joined them.
Democratic state attorney generals are also working together like Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell, who said they are “on the front lines to protect fundamental rights and freedoms” against Trump policies.
Last week, California Governor Gavin Newsom led a call with thousands of people, including some outside the state, to unify Democratic supporters and issue a call to action.
He warned that Trump’s second presidential term will be worse than his first. Alluding to Project 2025—a 900-plus page document outlining Trump’s right wing extremist ideology—Newsom said, “We are not going to shrink and are not going to fall prey. We know their playbook. We know what they are going to do.”
The governor said, during the roughly 30-minute call, that through his political action committee, Campaign for Democracy, supporters could find help for the fight. “We are going to have your back, even if you do not live in the state of California, we are going to have your back. We are going to assert ourselves,” Newsom said.
During Trump’s first term in office, California led the resistance with suing the administration 120 times. One notable win took place when the Golden State prevailed in regulating tail pipe emissions and other environmental policies that Trump tried to stop.
“This is a moment where you have got to focus on what you can control, and what we can control is our response to this moment,” Newsom said.
The Governor also told Democratic voters not to fear the future and not to regret the past.
Locally, the City of Los Angeles is gearing up for resistance as well. Newly appointed Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said on Friday he would not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE.
The Trump Administration has promised mass deportation of millions of undocumented immigrants. Additionally, immigrants who moved to America illegally, and were granted amnesty under President Ronald Reagan, could face deportation as well.
“I want to be clear to all people of Los Angeles, especially our immigrant community, which is feeling uncertainty and fear: This is a city of immigrants, and my job is to serve you,” he said during a council meeting last month, where the City Council appointed him the new chief by a vote of 11-2.
Council members Eunisses Hernandez and Hugo Soto-Martinez voted to oppose McDonnell’s appointment. Both expressed concern about his previous cooperation with ICE. Community activists expressed concern about McDonnell’s record as L.A. County Sheriff, particularly his handing over unauthorized immigrants in jail to federal agents.
“What we hope for is balance,” McDonnell said Friday. “The bar for accountability is very high.”