It's time for a plan, because this is not going to fix itself.

If America is to be saved from itself, it's time for a political ice bath, because there is no magic bullet. It's time for the audacity of hope to fuel bold ambition for transformative change.

This is the first of a two-part piece.

The day after an estimated 8 million Americans took to the streets in protest, the question is, what has changed? Let’s begin with the positive: millions of people got together face to face rather than on a social media platform to express themselves in solidarity against the tyranny of this regime. People went home from events across the country, I’m sure, feeling motivated, having filled up their activism tanks for the fight ahead. I’m confident there will be more events to build on the 8 million figure as we move towards the most consequential elections in modern American history.

To be clear, yesterday WAS A GOOD THING, it sent the right message, and hopefully spoke to the 90 million Americans that sat it out in the 2024 election.

To bring a sense of reality to the euphoria, 8 million people represent just 2.33% of the population. Data suggests that 3.5% of a population actively participating in SUSTAINED, nonviolent protest is generally the threshold required to "move the needle". For context, this relates to research that led to an important finding known as the 3.5% rule. It’s a rule developed by Harvard professor Erica Chenoweth and Maria Stephan based on data from hundreds of campaigns between 1900 and 2006. The research found that no nonviolent campaign with an active participation rate of 3.5% or higher failed to achieve its goal.

Of course, there is nuance, and the 3.5% refers to ‘peak particitation’, so at approaching 2.5%, current protests fall somewhat short of the rule, but not only that, there is one vital element missing: ‘SUSTAINED PARTICIPATION’. For street protests to work, this has to happen day in and day out, disrupting a government’s ability to function properly. There is no question that yesterday was a success. I am also encouraged by the fact that this was not just about protesting, but also signing up new voters, so the strategy was sound.

I hope all those who attended went home happy, because they should. People took the time to voice their objection to this regime in a very public way, and that is absolutely to be applauded. I would also note that the demographics of the protesters appeared more diverse than the last event, so the far-right assertion that a few paid old hippies were on a day out holds no water, I’m afraid.

As the sun came up today, it was reminiscent of the morning after an enjoyable, heavy night on the town. Yesterday was an exercise in escapism. After taking the headache tablets and looking at pictures taken with friends and new acquaintances, reality dawns. The world remains turned upside down and on fire. The guy driving the bus remains the president who has taken America to war with no exit strategy. He’s a man who has alienated America’s allies and faces the decision of whether to commit US troops on the ground in a conflict in which he’s unlikely to prevail. This is before we focus on the crises he’s facing at home with gas prices and an out-of-control affordability crisis.

The brutal truth is that 8 million people, once every three months, on the weekend, chanting ‘No more kings’ to 70 million people reluctant to listen, will sadly not move the dial, and there is no evidence to suggest it will any time soon. That leaves us grappling with the truth. On the upside, while Trump remains in control of the narrative, circumstances are making it clear that his grip is slipping. The Iran War is NOT helping him, it’s hurting him, and if hundreds of body bags containing US service men and women begin returning, things could go downhill quickly. That’s why I believe he has truly lost his mind if he presses the button to deploy troops on the ground.

All the evidence is pointing to the fact that Republicans are facing a political extinction event in November, and Trump is very aware of this danger. We are in a strange moment where, if the Iran War goes horribly wrong, this government could fall even before the election. While that might be a long shot, I certainly would not dismiss the possibility. Regardless, Trump faces a major dilemma because if he loses big in November, his agenda for the next two years is dead in the water, and he faces the real possibility of impeachment and removal from office, a point long acknowledged by figures like Steve Bannon.

So, what we have established is that this regime is vulnerable, so maybe it’s time to grab a coffee, sit down and have a serious chat, but before that, can I suggest you pop to the nearest cold water tap, cup your hands, collect some cold water and splash it on your face. I would have suggested an ice bath, but not many have that facility. Once you're ready, take a deep breath and listen.

Let me begin by stating a simple, irrefutable FACT: the American people have the power to stop this government NOW. Forget about elections; you can do it within a month to six weeks. The only obstacle to achieving it is YOU; it’s as brutally simple as that. You’ve had the power to do this since the day Trump took office, but it seems many who want an end to this require it to be painless and that makes them their own worst enemies. Before I talk about the solution, I want to cover some kitchen-table basics. To be clear, this is not a lecture; it’s a public service statement, and you will be pleased to note that I am also creating a short film to help spell this out.

First and foremost, you have to stop listening to the lie that the economic pain you are now feeling is a temporary bump in the road. It’s nonsense, don’t take it from me. Simply look at your bank statements from when Trump was handed the keys to your future prosperity. It’s time to believe what Trump would have you assume are your lying eyes. It’s not a case of ‘the truth is out there’, the truth is on your receipt from the supermarket and the gas station. The proof is in your salary slip and how much is left after paying the bills. Your account balance doesn’t lie.

Aside from many other things, Trump promised to reduce the cost of living and lower prices. It really is a simple question. Has he done that? The answer is NO. Tariffs have imposed an estimated average 18% addidional sales tax on goods from outside the US. What’s more, this tax is regressive; it’s not based on your ability to afford essentials, because rich or poor, that tax is on you and it’s identical. If you add the rising cost of energy and healthcare, along with increasing job insecurity and inflation, Trump has delivered on nothing, and that’s before the Iran War, which will simply accelerate costs, which will further fuel the affordability crisis.

Let’s forget about the lies on the campaign trail for a moment and focus purely on the facts. If you are a member of the bottom 90% of earners in the US, what follows is for you, and you can take comfort that each of these facts has been checked and checked again, but please feel free to look them up for yourself.

Stocks held by Americans outside of 401(k)s and mutual funds account for just 30%. Participation in stock ownership. This is dictated, as you would expect, by income, and as a result, 67% of those earning above $100,000 own stocks outside of their pension arrangements. The bottom line is that just 30% of U.S. households directly own individual stocks outside of funds. This is important because stock holdings have been one of the few drivers of individual wealth growth in recent years. This is where the term ‘Wall Street is not High Street comes from’.

When Trump falsely claims that America is ‘on fire’, what he really means is he’s set fire to the future of those not breathing the rarified air of the top 10%. You need to listen to his words through an important filter. He is speaking to the top 10% because they are the ones fueling his fantasy-roaring economy, which is being propped up by 7 tech giants. It’s then being aided and abetted by the top 10% who are spending like drunken sailors on their new fortune, resulting from the transfer of wealth from the middle and the bottom to the top. They currently account for 49% of all US consumer spending. Just for some context, Trump is governing for just 13.4 million of an estimated 134.7 million households in the US. In reality, he’s just tolerating nine of the top ten per cent, because he’s really only interested in serving the top 1%.

It’s all about understanding that you know your place in Trump’s America. It’s also important to view this in the context of 37 million Americans living below the poverty line. As you would expect, within that demographic, minority groups are disproportionately represented, including Black Americans (21%), Hispanic Americans (18%), and people with disabilities (25%).

If we assume the Federal Reserve data is correct, 120 million households are in the bottom 90% of this wealth distribution, while 26 million households earn less than $35,000, with almost 10 million earning less than $15,000. The bottom line is that one in five workers in the US earns less than $35,000 in 2026. If ever there was an indictment of the alleged richest country in the world, this is it, but this regime simply doesn’t care. Social mobility has been executed, and the American dream has become a nightmare where those at the bottom having been left by their government to rot. What’s truly mind-blowing is that a not-insignificant number of those abandoned, voted for Trump.

Regardless of who voted for whom, we are where we are, and the harsh reality is that 90% of US households are being left behind while the top 10% benefit from the diminishing prosperity of the rest. I could write a whole other post about the deregulated private lending market and the buy now pay later sector, which simply serve to shift even more money from the middle and the bottom to the top. In short, the bottom 50% of earners are now an indentured economic slave class in a kingdom with an overblown ambition of empire.

If we assume the top 10% account for 49% of consumer spending, that leaves 51% of $5.4 trillion in spending in 2025. This provides the bottom 90% with an economic weapon of mass destruction worth around $2.75 trillion to the US GDP. If you don’t believe you have the power to bring the government to its knees, you need to consult a shrink. In 2008, a 3% drop in consumer spending, though it did not cause the housing crash, led to a painful and prolonged economic recovery.

Let me begin by saying that consumer spending is already slowing down, and, as a result of rising oil prices and inflation, consumer sentiment will likely tank further in the month ahead, depending on the economic damage caused by the conflict with Iran. This hands even more power to the American people to demand change. There is no question that a deliberate, sustained campaign of economic disengagement is the nuclear option. But I absolutely guarantee that in an economy which is 70% dependent on consumer spending, it is a piece of organised activism that no government could ignore.

There is much talk about what Democrats can do to save America. The answer, sadly, is NOTHING. Yes, they can oppose and engage as they are in performative political posturing. Unfortunately, over the decades, they have become part of the problem and not the solution. Having said that, there is some phenomenal political talent within the Democratic Party that, if unleashed, could unquestionably deliver transformative change. Tragically, they are kept on a short leash by establishment Democrats who have already sold their souls to the same actors that have helped to fund the tyranny America is being forced to endure. There is certainly truth in the statement that you get the leaders you deserve, because without your vote, they would not be in a position of power.

Tomorrow, we’ll dive into a proposal that puts America's future in the hands of the American people. I believe that the future is no longer in the hands of a tired, same old, same old Democratic Party bombarding people every day with begging emails. The same party that has accepted no responsibility for their failure in 2024. A party who have deliberately suppressed an autopsy of what led to that failure, despite the very people they are begging for money from having paid for it. MAGA, don’t fear the Democratic Party, as they have so ably demonstrated, they simply toy with them.

What Trump and his MAGA allies should fear is the power of grassroots democracy loving activists and the 90 million Americans who chose not to vote in 2024 because they have come to despise ALL politicians. I believe there has never been a better opportunity to reshape America for the future than exists in this moment. Republicans have proved time and time again in special elections in the last 6 months that they are prepared to lend Democrats their protest vote to send a message that this is no longer their America. The burning question is, can Democrats be trusted to use these votes to deliver ‘people-first’, focused, transformative change? It’s the job of every grassroots activist to ensure that the answer to that is YES.

Buckle up, because my proposition is not for the faint-hearted, but half measures can never fix the kind of damage caused by the monsters of this regime and their obscenely wealthy friends. This is not a dream; it’s an achievable, well-considered ‘people-first’ proposition designed to motivate and inspire the audacity of hope with bold ambition.

To read part two, click here

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