• Funding legal challenges to policies that violate the law and/or constitution
• Funding and/or volunteering for organizations that do what I think needs doing, especially those things under threat by the administration
• Organizing political opposition

I don't get it, either.  I have read through the interesting discussion on this thread today, and, like Beanie, I have read columns like those of Clive Crook and have had numerous discussions on the same subject, in person and on the Internet, with both Trump supporters and those who are becoming more and more distressed by the Trump presidency. I have friends and relatives who voted for Trump, and I have had discussions with them. A few points I wish to make:

What I do not get is that a Trump voter/supporter is doubling down on his or her support of Trump because of his or her perception that he or she —and those like him or her — is being disrespected by (1) the "liberal media"; (2) liberal "elites," especially the "coastal elites;" and, generally, (3) those in the "establishment." There is irony here in that it appears that these kind of Trump supporters are frustrated by their belief that their views are being reduced to a monolith, yet they view those so reducing them as being part of monoliths.  I get that no one wants his or her views, or his or her vote, to be summarily dismissed and assailed in personal terms.  No one wants to be labeled as "racist" or "stupid" because of his or her views, or how he or she votes. That I get. But the charge here is that the liberal media and the elites are uniformly doing just that instead of engaging these Trump supporters in dialogue to try to understand their views and positions.  That they are not listening to the Trump supporters; that they are being condescending, purporting to know better. I certainly see some of that. But I see more attempts at engaging. This listening thing is a 2-way street.  I do not see that many Trump supporters willing to engage in dialogue – in person or on the Internet.  Instead, criticisms of Trump and his policies are more and more being dismissed as part of a monolithic response:  they are just opposed to anything Trump does.  The media is engaging in “fake news” to try to discredit Trump and impose its own agenda.  So are the “elites” and the “establishment.”  In sum, there is no point in listening to their criticisms.  So who is not engaging?  Frankly, that long has been a problem in this country, the lack of engagement on issues of importance.  We simply are not very good at it, and it has gnawed at our democracy for a long time now.  But to charge that this is the province of one faction, or one side of the political spectrum?  Please.  Who were the ones chanting “lock her up, lock her up” at Trump rallies?  Were they implying that those who voted for Hillary were stupidly voting for a criminal who long has had perpetrating evil on her mind and on her agenda? 

What I also am hearing is that for a good chunk of these Trump supporters Trump himself is irrelevant.  My support/defense of him is increasing because I’ll be damned if I am going to let them tell me what I should think and do.  I’ll show them!  But show them what, exactly? This smacks of cutting off my nose to spite my face. Think about it – the President is irrelevant to my support of him.  I am supporting something larger than him.  I am sending a message to those who refuse to engage me, refuse to listen to me, summarily dismiss me and my views. Under those circumstances – assuming them to be widely present — how will that message be received?         

One thing is abundantly clear to me in all of this:  Trump engages in propaganda on a daily basis; it is his stock in trade. He has thrown gas on the fire that has us questioning each other and all of our institutions.  I fear the consequences down the road, well past the time Trump has left office. He is not irrelevant.  Yes, we have checks and balances wisely built into our constitutional system, but that does not render any President irrelevant.  The bully pulpit alone is an immense power.  It can be used to pit us against one another or to draw us together – or anything in between.