Jimmy has friends everywhere

We beat the Trump Regime. Here’s how.

Thanks so much to my paid subscribers. Your contributions keep the newsletter free for everyone and ensure I have the capacity to write bonus posts like this one.

We won. Tonight, Jimmy Kimmel returns to our screens. I’m a big believer in celebrating the wins. Rarely do we get a win this decisive. Savor it.

It’s nice to see everyone from news reports to Kimmel’s late-night colleagues credit the groundswell of grassroots action for the victory. That’s what actually happened, but grassroots protests don’t always get the credit they deserve. My hope is that it’s a lesson we all take to heart: when we fight, we can win.

Here’s what we did right:

We pressured the capitulators. By now, it’s clear just how many institutions are either feeling the pressure to bow to the Trump Regime or even embrace it. That’s why pressuring Trump alone won’t be enough. It’s essential that we make sure people and institutions with power and influence understand that capitulation isn’t acceptable. We expect them to show backbone and stand up to the Trump Regime.

We were a bigger threat than the Trump Regime. Early on, it was clear to me that we were a bigger headache to Disney than Trump, Sinclair, and Nextar. The volume of Disney+ and Hulu cancellations, before anyone could organize a formal boycott, was staggering. As was the outpouring online. Consumers caused Disney’s shareholders more pain than the Trump Regime. Disney had to respond to our pressure as it was affecting their bottom line.

We operated at the speed and scale necessary to win. I know some of you get aggravated at me for constantly saying that we still don’t have the numbers in the streets we need to stop Trump. (Admittedly, it’s a bit like a professor yelling at the students to come to class on time because he’s mad at the students who are late.) However, this particular win came so quickly because of the large number of people who took immediate action. It’s a perfect example of why we need more people to take action, with more frequency than we currently see. And why it’s vital that we encourage our less political friends to join us.

Let’s build on this momentum and apply the lessons learned to the next fights. We have a shutdown showdown coming up, and we’ll need to pressure Democratic leadership in Congress to stand up to the Trump Regime and force a shutdown. The next No Kings nationwide protest is on October 18, and we need far bigger numbers than the last one. In the meantime, we can continue to pressure Sinclair and Nexstar, as well as their advertisers, to follow Disney’s lead and resume broadcasting Kimmel’s show. As I pointed out on Sunday, there are numerous ways to get involved and bring your friends and neighbors along.

Winning feels good. Let’s go out and get some more wins!