Donald Trump’s next presidency promises to be more frightening and damaging than the first given his threats against immigrants, democracy and religious liberty, said Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union.
“As outlined in Project 2025, under a second Trump administration, our federal government will deport immigrants in dragnet raids, target his political adversaries, spy on private citizens, promote discrimination against marginalized communities, and control what we can and can’t do with our bodies,” Romero said. “This dystopian view of American life threatens our fundamental freedoms. We know from prior experience that our fear is real.”
Anthony Romero
But losing hope or panicking about another four years under Trump will only make matters worse, he advised. “We also know that despair and resignation are not a strategy. At ACLU, we’re choosing to channel our fear into action. Together, we are powerful enough to change the course of our nation’s history and defend our most fundamental rights and freedoms.”
The ACLU is among other civil and religious liberties groups publicly urging Americans not to wallow in despair but instead to partner with like-minded organizations and community members in resisting assaults on faith and social freedoms.
Romero said ACLU has developed a solid and proven plan to “fight back” against Project 2025, the Christian nationalist blueprint for replacing democracy with a white supremacist theocracy.
“During Trump’s first term, the ACLU filed 434 legal challenges against his administration, successfully blocking some of Trump’s most egregious policies, like the Muslim ban and separating immigrant families,” he explained. “When Trump once again set his sights on the White House, the ACLU’s legal and advocacy experts drafted a roadmap to combat his administration head-on.”
Beginning on Trump’s first day in office, the organization will launch coordinated actions at all levels of government to oppose the threatened mass deportation of millions of undocumented immigrants.
“We’ll also work with states and localities to protect residents to the full extent possible and ensure a Trump administration can’t hijack state resources to carry out its draconian policies,” Romero said.
“We’ll work with states and localities to … ensure a Trump administration can’t hijack state resources to carry out its draconian policies.”
ACLU will provide legal defense for whistleblowers and other critics who stand against the administration and will initiate legal actions to ensure LGBTQ people are shielded from discrimination, he added. “We’ll fight to invalidate Trump administration policies that permit discrimination across the federal government, and to shut down the administration’s efforts to require discrimination at the state and local levels.”
Attacks on reproductive freedoms also will be countered, including any attempt to use the Comstock Act to ban abortion nationwide or to deny medication abortion to those in need. The act, an 1873 law originally intended to prevent the mailing of obscene materials, is being promoted by conservatives as a tool for prohibiting the mailing of abortion medications.
“As soon as the 119th Congress is sworn in, we will urge members to use their constitutional powers to provide oversight, investigate wrongdoing and reject restrictive executive branch policies,” he added. “At the state level, we’ll work with lawmakers to build a firewall for freedom and enact laws that protect people from government abuse. In our communities, we’re working to educate people on what is at risk, what happens next and how we can fight for our freedoms together.”
Skye Perryman
Democracy Forward President Skye Perryman said her organization is ready to engage in any and all work necessary to defend the Constitution, the American people and the nation’s democratic principles from the anticipated onslaught of Trump’s presidency.
The nonprofit legal group was founded in 2017 to defend democracy against attacks by then-president Trump, taking his first administration to court more than 100 times with outcomes benefitting millions, she said.
“Make no mistake: When the Trump-Vance administration breaks the law or violates the Constitution to the detriment of people and communities, Democracy Forward and our partners in the legal community are prepared to take the Trump-Vance administration to court.”
The legal group also is prepared to defend the nation’s civil service program, which Project 2025 proposes to dismantle and replace with a workforce loyal to Trump.
“While the results of the election are disappointing to many, our nation finds its strength in its people. We, the people,” Perryman said. “There is nothing the American people cannot do. With courage and resolve, we will continue the generational work to fight for communities across our nation and we are grateful to all who join with us in this work.”
Americans United for Separation of Church and State vowed it also is ready to oppose any effort by the Trump administration and his Christian nationalist allies to erode the separation of church and state.
“Trump’s first term was marked by regular attacks on church-state separation, an artifact of his close ties to Christian nationalist groups,” AU said in a statement. “We’re sure to see more of that next year when Trump takes office. But it’s important to remember that despite his victory, he has no mandate to undermine America’s first freedom.”
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