The dawn of the second Trump age has been marked by corporate fawning. Tech executives and obsequious media companies are making lavish donations to Trump’s inauguration; concluding horseshit lawsuits with settlements that look suspiciously like protection money; placing MAGA cronies on their corporate boards; or even shelling out tens of millions on a creative deal for the First Lady.
In this moment of preemptive submission by corporations that trade on Wall Street, will the incoming Trump administration see a true popular resistance in the street-streets?
No one is expecting a full repeat of the capital-R “Resistance” of the first Trump term, following his upset victory over Hillary Clinton. Recall that in Jan. 2017, on the day after Trump’s inauguration, the Women’s March was a worldwide happening. Nearly half a million demonstrators marched in Washington, D.C. — and millions more, outfitted in hand-crocheted pink “pussy hats,” marched in cities across America and around the globe.
In 2025, that same protest has been recast as the “People’s March” and is seeking to shape the Trump opposition, protesting under the slogan: “We are not going backward.” The People’s March branding is meant to be inclusive, however the event still touts itself as “feminist-led.”
The national march itself will be in Washington on Jan 18, two days before Trump’s inauguration, running from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The national march currently has 40,000 RSVPs, and expects turnout far beyond that. There will be as many as 300 local marches in cities across the country, including New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Antonio, Denver, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Hilo, Hawaii.
The People’s March is organized by a broad coalition, whose partners include large progressive groups like Planned Parenthood, the National Organization for Women, Abortion Access Now, the Sierra Club, the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL), and Democratic Socialists of America.
Tamika Middleton is Managing Director of the Women’s March, which organized the original 2017 anti-Trump march and is playing a key coordinating role in the upcoming protests. She tells Rolling Stone that calling the event the “People’s March” reflects an effort to create a Big Tent for activists whose struggles are connected. She describes how “attacks on abortion, but also attacks on LGBTQ issues, attacks on voter rights and democracy, attacks on the right to protest, attacks on education” are all coming from the same reactionary politicians and funders. And she highlights the need to build a “mass, multi-racial movement that will really be able to contend for power over the next few years.”
Middleton tempers expectations that the 2025 march will look like the 2017 version, noting that the newness of the Trump threat and the surprise of his victory created a unique updraft for that action. She also recognizes that many activists are entering the new Trump era with feelings of “exhaustion” and even “despair.”
The logic of marching in the streets is threefold, Middleton insists. First, is to publicly reject the notion that Trump’s narrow electoral and popular victory equates to broad support for his extreme agenda. “There is not a broad mandate,” she says. “We want to stand in opposition to that visibly.” Second, is to bring newcomers into the activist fold. “Every time we mobilize, 80 percent of the folks who come who participate are new to the movement,” Middleton says. “There’s no easier way to enter in mobilizations.” Third, is to take a stand for others who are feeling isolated or vulnerable. “Our targets are not always politicians,” she insists. “Part of the power of ‘visible-izing’ the dissent, is to help people recognize that there are other people fighting for them.”
As the would-be authoritarian Trump administration kicks into gear, experts in facism underscore the importance of physical protests. Timothy Snyder is a Yale professor and the author of On Tyranny. He told Rolling Stone that “corporeal politics” — that is “getting your body out where there are other bodies” — is vital. The objective is to “deflate the confidence” of the new administration. “You do that by by showing that you’re not afraid,” he says. Snyder insists that street protest is also an effective way to build and demonstrate solidarity — and to protect your own rights by standing up for folks that may not “look like you, or may be less privileged than you.”
Mass mobilizations are not the only activist actions on offer over inaugural weekend. The grassroots group Indivisible is calling on its thousands of local chapters to launch service events in their communities to honor Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy over Trump’s inauguration in an effort branded “Hope Over Hate.”
The idea is to promote positive local action and solidarity — strengthening bonds in communities that are likely to be targeted by the incoming administration. Indivisible chapters are autonomous and self-organizing, but proposed events include “immigrant support” (including organizing a “legal aid clinic”); “LGBTQ+ support,” like holding a fundraiser for a local queer advocacy group; or action around reproductive health care, like starting a local abortion fund or creating a community resource to distribute free over the counter meds, like Plan-B or Opill contraception.
The national leadership is offering not only a “toolkit” for engagement and promotion of these events, but also a $200 stipend to cover out of pocket costs. The group states: “This is our moment to stand in stark contrast to MAGA’s hate-filled Project 2025 agenda,” and adds: “Each act of service, no matter how small, is a declaration of hope and a commitment to the fight ahead of us.”
