If you’ve been on social media at all, you have probably seen the outcry from confused, scared, angry people unhappy with the response to Trump and Elon’s coup from Democratic leadership. This is understandable, given the general lack of information provided to the public.

However, we are starting to see signs of activity, as outlined in a recent article by Jay Kuo of the Human Rights Campaign and an Instagram Live by Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez.

Why has Democratic leadership been so quiet?

Both Kuo and AOC cite the timing of Trump and Elon’s assault on the federal government. Elon and his team of teenagers began rifling through government systems on a Friday night when there were fewer employees to get in their way. Additionally, they carried it out while Congress was in recess, with most members being back in their own districts, rather than in Washington.

If you’ve ever worked the weekend shift at an office job, you probably know how hard it is to get things done because everyone you need to work with, in this case, congressional offices, courthouses, and law offices are closed. Trump and Elon used this to their advantage to reduce media attention and pushback from courts and congressional officials. Musk even bragged about it, calling working on the weekend a “superpower.”

This tactic had two benefits for Musk and Trump, first, it allowed them to start breaking things without much resistance. Second, it helped create this atmosphere of panic we are seeing on social media.

What are our officials doing now?

As the people in charge returned to work on Monday, Kuo claims that efforts to slow down the coup got underway. He breaks down the response into four categories:

Personal responses

Kuo calls the civil servants, many of whom are losing their jobs, our front-line defenders. As such, people wonder why they don’t seem to be doing more to fight back.

Kuo cites three examples of civil servants who have taken actions to resist the coup at great personal risk. The first is James Dennehy of the FBI.

When acting Attorney General Emil Bove commanded the FBI to collect the names of those who investigated the January 6th insurrection, Dennehy sent an email to his staff telling them to “dig in.”

The second is David Lebryk at the Treasury Department. He cites Lebryk as the first person to say no to one of Musk’s illegal requests. Lebryk, who was acting Treasury Secretary, before Trump toadey Scott Bessent took over, refused to grant access to Musk’s team. Musk placed him on administrative leave as punishment for this defiance. Lebryk then retired, assuring that Musk could not tap into his 35 years of knowledge in aid of his attempt to raid the Treasury.

Finally, Kuo talks about the Director and Dep. Director for Security at USAID, John Vorhees and Brian McGill. These two refused to grant DOGE access to restricted and classified materials. Musk’s team placed both on leave.

Political responses

Kuo begins this section by asserting that the party that is out of power, in this case, the Democratic party, doesn’t have much power to do anything. He says that the Democratic party’s job is to convince the public they should be returned to power by pointing out the mistakes and malfeasance of the Republican party.

As such, Kuo advises the public to stop responding with scorn to activities such as writing stern letters to Trump officials. He goes on to say that astute politicians don’t waste political capital on performative stunts that accomplish nothing.

According to Kuo, letters and statements from elected officials establish the public record and are a vital resource for lawsuits, where they can serve as evidence of the administration’s illegal actions. The first example he cites is Senator Wyden who wrote a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about the takeover by Musk’s team.

Wyden raised the alarm about the risk of severe harm to the United States and its economy, as well as the financial strain Musk’s actions is placing on the federal government. Wyden also raised the specter of potential Chinese cyberattacks, given that Musk has substantial business dealings in China.

Next, he talks about Senators Coons and Murphy. Senator Coons provided early warning, via interviews, that it appeared that Musk intended to shut down USAID, a fear that has already come to pass. Senator Murphy took to social media to warn the public that Trump planned to eliminate the entire agency, which is illegal, given that the President doesn’t have the legal authority to close a federal agency.

Meanwhile, Senator Richard Blumenthal released an official statement about the firing of top FBI officials. Blumenthal’s statement called the firings “surreal and sickening.” He also called it retaliation, which could come into play in future lawsuits, given that retaliation against civil servants for performing their jobs is illegal. He also warned on social media that punishing FBI agents for merely doing the work the agency assigned them is damaging to morale, discipline, and recruiting.

Senator Andy Kim stood outside the doors of the USAID office to draw press attention to the employees having been locked out of the building, which he called a “blatant illegal action.” Brian Schatz announced he would place a blanket hold on all of Trump’s State Department nominees until USAID was up and running again. He admonished Trump for attempting to dissolve agencies by force or through Executive Order, rather than passing legislation.

Lawsuits

State Attorneys General and other organizations have brought multiple lawsuits against DOGE, alleging violations of federal laws. A federal judge blocked Trump’s attempt to freeze funds.

Multiple FBI agents affected by the retaliation against those who investigated January 6, have retained legal counsel and their attorneys have sent a letter to Acting Director Bove, warning him that they will take legal action if he proceeds with terminations and public exposure of agents. Additionally, it is likely that government employees whose privacy rights DOGE has violated will also sue. Whistleblowers have filed a suit alleging Musk’s team failed to conduct a required privacy impact assessment before using a new server to mass email federal workers.

Popular response

Grassroots organizations, such as Indivisible and MoveOn are organizing campaigns to pressure the Senate to act. Additionally, they have been organizing protests outside of federal buildings taken over by Musk.

Thousands of everyday Americans took to the streets of Los Angeles, Dallas, and other cities over the weekend to protest ICE and more protests occurred across the nation on February 5. Kuo suggests that in addition to protesting, the public can resist Trump by amplifying the stories of those who have stood up to illegal orders, supporting Democratic leaders, and urging them to engage in stronger action. We can also financially support nonprofits who are fighting for our rights through donations.