What can I actually DO about Trump?

[FusionChefGeoff]

I feel as if I am living in a parallel universe. My incredibly naieve hopes that it was all campaign hyperbole and his excesses would be curbed by advisors / the senate have been trashed and here seems to be no limit to what he can / will do next.

With 2 young kids and a freelance job which bills on hours worked, I'm time poor but desperate to do something rather than sit back, shaking my head sadly whilst the free world slowly goes down the toilet.

But I am clueless (see above) about the machinations of politics and what is a good route to effective protest seeing as it's not my country.

Any point writing to my MP? Any petition signing likely to do anything?? Any particular action / campaign groups I could get in touch / involved with?

[Cakingbad]

You can model good behaviour in your daily life. If you're a non moslem, you can be courteous and friendly to moslems on the school run. You can remind your kids to be the same. You can write to your MP asking them to speak out against Trump.

[throwingpebbles]

Following. These thoughts are going round in my head constantly at the moment - what can I do?

[ExitPursuedBySpartacus]

With the best will in the world, he is not really our problem to deal with. There are lots of leaders of countries of whom I disapprove, although granted none have as much power as Trump.

Watch and wait.

[JerryFerry]

The Gandhi thing, be the change that you wish to see in the world.

Be generous, kind, conciliatory, patient, tolerant. And keep talking. Peace would be more widely spread if tolerant people were as organised as haters.

[throwingpebbles]

with all the respect in the world spartacus - he is.

I have lots of close family living there who are from an ethnic minority. This is not a distant problem to me.

And even if it were; to be silent is to be complicit.

Plus when our PM goes straight over there to meet him, it is very much our problem

[MakingMerry]

Take a minute to look at how your MP usually votes on at they work for you.com Mines's already making anti-trump statements anyway so I'm tweeting him in support of that.

Trump has managed to piss off so many people that people who would normally ignore criticism might feel obliged to respond. Hardened Tory? Mention the Tory MP included in the ban. Fully committed to UK military action? Mention the iraqi interpreter included, and how this is likely to hinder UK military effort. Copy and paste emails get copy and paste responses, so it's best to write something yourself - and ask them to set out what they are doing - not a vague expression of 'concerns are noted' but what they personally, as your elected representative, will be doing.

[user1485703469]

He has been elected on a democratic vote in a different country. Whilst it may bother some people here, we need to give some respect to the US political system and accept that Trump is president. How do you feel about other world leaders? Are you going to do something about them as well? Do you disagree with democracy? You would rather have the US run by a dictatorship?

[MakingMerry]

Admittedly we didn't elect him, and can't unelect him Spartacus he is our problem, because the UK, apparently determined to exit the single market, is desperate to make trade deals with the US, and the standards set in trade deals will specify a lot of the standards which apply to every day life (will we be obliged to import food containing GMO being one obvious example) which then don't have to go through full Parliamentary oversight.

I'm also concerned generally that the Conservatives are becoming more right wing in a bid to appease UKIP voters.There's a great deal of potential for this to be handwaved away with a 'well it's not as bad a Trump: we're not waterboarding people, so it's all okay'.

If people are concerned, it is best to act now, not wait until Trump appeasement becomes an entrenched political reality.

[MakingMerry]

I'm fully prepared to respect the US political process user1485703469 What I am not prepared to accept is my country's politics following blindly in the US wake.

Those are two separate issues and I don't see the advantage of conflating them.

[VikingVolva]

There isn't much you can do directly 'about' him.

Living according to your beliefs is important, whoever is occupying any particular public office.

You could consider using your purchasing power - each person is only a drop in the ocean, but you don't have to buy US goods or use US services.

[EngTech]

What if the situation was reversed?

A GE had taken place, the new PM had moved into Downing Street and the USA were saying they did not like the incumbent.

UK would ignore the USA? or put someone they liked in?

Democracy is a right pain at times but the people of the USA voted for him, with their system and he was elected.

By all means write to your MP or boycott American goods, services etc but until proven otherwise he is the democratically elected President of the USA, like it or not unfortunately

[user1485703469]

Our countries politics is entirely within our remit to work with. However, the U.K. will need to maintain a diplomatic relationship with Trump in order to negotiate what we need from trade deals etc. Marching around with pink hats on and trying to ban the president from visiting is not a great start to this process.

[TisapityshesaGeordie]

I have decided I'm not buying any American goods while that despicable man is President. It's easier said than done though! I can think of the obvious ones but I'm going to have purchase much more carefully and thoughtfully in future.

I know it won't make much difference - but it would if we all did it. Hitting them in their wallets is actually the only real power we have, because it's the only thing they care about. Money and power.

[throwingpebbles]

I think when people say "do about" they don't mean they think we should step in and get rid of him! They just want to do what they can to fight against the things he is attacking

My suggestions: donate for/volunteer for organisations that fight for human rights/environment /women's rights; do what you can for Syrian refugees etc; get involved in events promoting multi-culturalism and diversity; read widely and travel;

Am sure there are lots more things we can do, along those lines ...

[throwingpebbles]

Rather than boycott all American goods - boycott goods from companies that have supported trump?

[TisapityshesaGeordie]

No, sorry, I want nothing to do with America right now. I have no way of knowing who voted for Trump and who didn't. I won't risk another penny of mine going into the pocket of someone who did.

[BackforGood]

With the best will in the world, he is not really our problem to deal with. There are lots of leaders of countries of whom I disapprove, although granted none have as much power as Trump.

Watch and wait.

It was so many people 'turning away', and thinking 'well it doesn't really affect us' etc. that allowed the Nazis to rise up and have such power in the 1930s though.
Surely for the sake of humanity, people the world over need to show support to the protesters in the States and to the minority of their politicians who are doing what they can to stand up to him / voice their utter disgust / mount legal challenges / etc.
This latest example - In his campaigning, he said he was going to make immigration more difficult, and to vet people applying to live in the States. I agree that - whatever you think of this as a plicy, it was part of his campaign and the way the system works in USA means the people voted in the president who was saying that. However, he did NOT say I'm not going to let people who are already legally living in the States but happen to be overseas this weekend, back into the country. To me there is a massive difference.

What I'm stunned about is that he can just put such a ruling into place, without there having to be any kind of 'process' that allows debate and a chance for people to know what is happening before it is done.

[MakingMerry]

That's missing the point EngTech. No one is suggesting, the UK assassinate Trump and put in its preferred candidate - even if it had the power to do so, which it doesn't. The issue is, given Trump's policies in the last week have been anti-science, anti-environment and bigoted, how can we best make it clear to our leaders that this is not a path we want the UK to follow blindly?

[throwingpebbles]

exactly makingmerry
And how can we support those causes both here and, if we choose,
in the U.S.

[RoseDeGambrinus]

"the U.K. will need to maintain a diplomatic relationship with Trump in order to negotiate what we need from trade deals etc."

Yes, if we hadn't decided to break off from the EU, Theresa May would not have to crawl humiliatingly to Trump. "Take back control" my arse.

Writing to your MP is a good start. Especially if they are a Tory. Donating if you can to organisations supporting human rights, refugees, against climate change, providing safe abortion and contraception for women etc.

He was democratically elected, but in the absence of massive national and international opposition to him, will there be a meaningful democratic unrigged election in four years time? He has no respect for the rule of law or democracy.

If you don't believe me, have a look at this article (which also explains that Trump deliberately bypassed 'process' and the agencies that could have opposed him medium.com/@yonatanzunger/trial-balloon-for-a-coup-e024990891d5#.p9kixgyj4 Federal judges put a temporary block on the 'Muslim ban' but border officials, part of the Department of Homeland Security have been reported as deliberately ignoring orders from the federal judges. So a precedent here of the Department of Homeland Security answering to Trump, not to the rule of law.

[EdithWeston]

Yes, the EU TTIP was such a popular and welcome trade deal!

Even aside from trade, there's all sorts of things to do with the military, the UN, TWAT etc that we need to deal with the US on. We can't disengage.

But he said the US people should buy American and hire American - and we can counter the first of those in our own spending habits.

I discovered New World wines in the aftermath of the Rainbow Warrior. I'll have to have a think about what I buy regularly and where it comes from and who ultimately owns the company.

[MakingMerry]

In a world of global capital, our country's policies will always be constrained by the need to make trade deals user1485703469

The whole TTIP regulatory convergence’ agenda was about lowering EU standards in food, environmental safety, reducing privacy protection, allowing companies to sue governments if policies cause loss of profits. TTIP is off the table now, but the UK bargaining position will not be stronger when it is not part of the EU negotiating bloc. If we want to make a trade deal with the US, we will have to align our standards to their lower standards. That has never been in question. The issue is how low we go, and again if people are concerned about that, the time to contact their representatives is now, not once the deal is done.

[2cats2many]

Do what you can. Sign the petitions, go on the marches, take part in email campaigns, retweet, 'like' and repost. Stay angry. Stay outraged. Stay disgusted. Whatever you do, don't accept is as the new normal.

All of these little things DO add up to a lot when they are joined up with everyone else's little things, and they are noticed.

The worst thing you can do is to do nothing because you think that what you can do is too small or insignificant.

[BackforGood]

Well said 2cats

[ChardonnayKnickertonSmythe]

It's very much a boiling frog situation.

Things are getting worse, politically, financially, our environment is becoming poisonous and seems we're sitting in the water saying "oh it's not too bad, we need this for our economy" and we 're slowly but surely going the way of the frog.