Here's the tactical advice missing from every protest guide: how to stay strategic when Trump's goal is to break your humanity.
Marines patrolling American streets. A U.S. Senator detained. My stomach churns reading the headlines.
If you are going to No Kings Day protests - or if you're staying home (possibly feeling guilty about it) - this one's for you.
Trump's Setting a Trap
Those Marines aren't there for security. They're bait. Trump wants footage of confrontations because chaos serves his narrative. Every time protesters get reactive, Fox News gets its money shot: "Violent extremists threaten peaceful America."
But here's what's killing me: most protest advice ignores the psychological warfare happening to all of us right now.
What’s Missing From Most Protest Advice
Your anxiety about tomorrow? That pit in your stomach scrolling the news? The way you're snapping at people you love? That's not weakness. That's your nervous system responding to sustained assault.
I've been tracking this pattern since Trump returned - how authoritarian chaos specifically targets our mental health, our clarity, our ability to stay strategic. Because broken people don't organize well.
So tomorrow, whether you're marching or not, you need more than a protest sign. You need tools to protect your humanity when they're actively trying to break it.
Before you leave your house: Write down what you're fighting FOR (not just against). Put it in your pocket. When the crowd energy gets overwhelming or the provocateurs show up, you'll need that anchor.
If things escalate: Ask yourself - am I responding from my values or reacting to their bait? The difference determines whether we build power or feed their narrative.
If you're not going: Don't let anyone shame you. Support networks, legal observers, documentation - all essential. Resistance has many lanes.
The Real Fight
Tomorrow's protest matters. But surviving the next few years requires something deeper - frameworks for staying human, strategic, and shaping tomorrow when everything's designed to break us and isolate us.
What's keeping you grounded right now? What tools are working for you under this pressure?
