The Rising Tide

Americans show their mettle; politicians will follow

“This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning” – Winston Churchill, 1942

Inauguration was the high point for acting president Elon Musk and President-in-Name-Only Donald Trump. Since then, it has been all downhill. Since then, Trump, and even more so Musk, have experienced a polling collapse, a remarkably quick decline from what were already historically low polling numbers for the opening weeks of a presidential term.

Although no one should minimize the extent of the threat Musk and Trump still pose not only to democracy at home but peace and stability around the world, the American public is rejecting them and their noxious agenda. Trump’s approval is underwater in multiple polls (45-53% in Post/Ipsos; 47-52% in CNN; 45-49% in Quinnipiac). Musk is even less popular (34-49% in the Post/Ipsos). And large percentages oppose the Musk-Trump onslaught, saying Trump has given Musk too much power (55 percent in Quinnipiac, 57 percent in Post/Ipsos).

The Post/Ipsos poll found that “Americans disapprove by a 2-to-1 margin of Musk shutting down federal agencies that he decides are unnecessary, and most (63 percent) are concerned that his team is gaining access to sensitive personal data of individuals.” Unsurprisingly, “More than 8 in 10 oppose the pardons for those who were convicted of violent crimes, and 55 percent oppose the pardons for those convicted of nonviolent crimes.”

The CNN poll confirms that voters are concerned that Trump is not doing what they elected him to do: “A broad majority feel the president isn’t doing enough to address the high prices of everyday goods. And 52% say he’s gone too far in using his presidential power, with similar majorities wary of his push to shutter federal agencies and elevate Elon Musk to a prominent role in his efforts to reshape the government.”

What to make of this? For weeks, pundits and ordinary Democrats have pleaded with elected Democrats to do something. Surely, House and Senate leaders could have been more forceful, better coordinated. But Democrats are in the minority; their votes against nominees do not carry the day in the Senate. Their ability to move legislation over the objections of Republicans is nonexistent.

Critics of Democratic lawmakers may have gotten it backward or may be focusing their attention on the wrong group of democracy-enforcers. Rather than sit back and wait for politicians to act, Americans have taken the initiative to push back. They are telling Republicans just how displeased they are. They are supporting the victims of Musk-Trump’s bulldozing of the federal government. They are forcing Republicans into a defensive crouch.

Americans around the country are turning out to protest, speaking up at townhalls, and registering their opposition to Trump’s authoritarian, cruel, and senseless onslaught. (You can see images of the cresting opposition, which we will continue to update, at The Contrarian’s Citizens’ Offense.)

Republican are getting an earful. “Town halls this week for congressional Republicans from Georgia to Wisconsin to Oregon grew testy as voters showed up to vent, outraged at the firing of workers and the Department of Government Efficiency’s access to sensitive data. Protesters showed up around the country at lawmakers’ offices,” the Washington Post reported. “The backlash extends far beyond federal workers in the Beltway, reaching purple districts that will decide control of Congress in 2026 and swing states like Georgia that helped return Trump to the White House. Layoffs just hit the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Funding freezes have halted clean-energy projects championed by President Joe Biden.”

Ordinary Americans have been facing off against Republicans, who seem utterly unprepared for the blowback. What did they expect? Voters did not cast their ballots for higher food prices, more layoffs, greater health and safety risks, or less privacy. But that is precisely what they are getting. (Trump has arguably created more economic anxiety, as evidenced by plummeting markets, home sales , and consumer sentiment.)

A few Republicans are beginning to flinch. Rep. Troy Balderson (R-Ohio) let on that Trump’s executive orders were “getting out of hand.” A batch of GOP senators and even rightwing media outlets deplored Trump’s lies about Russia and willingness to throw Ukraine under the bus.

More Republicans should be worried. Going along—or worse, cheering—hugely unpopular moves may well come back to bite them. It is one thing for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries or Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to holler at colleagues across the aisle; it is quite another for those Republicans to hear from irate voters, business interests, and donors back home—and then watch a series of federal court judges cast doubt on the legality of Trump’s power grabs. (Federal courts have temporarily enjoined Musk-Trump antics, including their attempts to freeze federal grants and aid, ban DEI, revoke birthright citizenship, and dismantle USAID.)

A few superstar communicators—e.g., Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.), Senators Brian Schatz of Hawaii and Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker—have stood head and shoulders above rest to denounce Trump’s authoritarian assault. But for any political movement to succeed, the spirit, fortitude, and common sense of millions of Americans (buoyed by independent courts) must push politicians to act. That is how to stiffen Democrats’ spines and shake Republicans from their Trump-Musk-stupor.

Trump might proclaim himself king, but there is plenty of fight left in Americans and judicial determination in federal courts to repudiate the Mad King Donald. If recent events are any indication, Americans are just getting started.