Hey folks,

What’s a distraction? I’ve often heard some version of “Trump is just doing X to distract from Y.” This is a smart political take in certain political circles. The strategic gist of it is: “Don’t fall for Trump’s trap! Keep your eye on the prize.”

But taken too far, this anti-distraction impulse… distracts us from the real, live fight for our democracy.

Is everything distracting from Epstein? In recent weeks, the argument has been that, whatever Trump is doing, he is doing it to distract from the Epstein Files. I think there’s some truth to this.

Trump has an insatiable appetite for attention, but he wants that attention focused on his strength and power. He’s OK being portrayed as cruel or unreasonable, but he’s not OK being portrayed as weak, ridiculous, or weird.

So, yes, the Epstein Files are damaging to Trump, and Democrats should not let them go. But unfortunately, scheming to hide the Epstein Files isn’t the only, or even the worst, thing Trump and his MAGA footsoldiers are doing.

Epstein is bad. So is our descent into authoritarianism. In just the last week, we’ve seen Trump occupy DC, terrorizing local residents as MAGA governors pledge to send even more troops and James Comer, the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee, promises they’ll do the same thing to other cities.

Meanwhile, as backlash to Trump's agenda grows and we near the midterm campaign season, Republicans across the country are rigging the maps to steal seats in 2026. And unsatisfied by gerrymandering alone, Trump just let loose a tirade against our voting system and issued a meaningless, but threatening, executive order.

Fighting for our democracy is not a distraction. The occupation of our capital city is not “a distraction.” It’s part of the dictator’s playbook. The attempt to rig the rules of the next election is not “a distraction.” It’s a direct threat to the will of the voters.

Some will argue that we should only focus on the issues where we have an advantage, but that ignores the role of conflict in shaping how the public understands an issue. There were people arguing that we should ignore Kilmar Abrego Garcia and the deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles for exactly the same reasons. Does that logic look better now?

Can you imagine if we said:

• “Residents of DC, don’t organize to fight back against your city’s occupation -- you’ll only distract from the Epstein Files.”
• “Texas Dems, don’t break quorum to fight back against the gerrymander -- you’ll only distract from the Epstein Files.” 
• “Pro-democracy advocates, don’t indulge Trump’s bombast about mail voting and voting machines -- you’ll only distract from the Epstein Files.”

We must learn to walk, chew gum, fight for democracy, and talk about the Epstein Files all at the same time. Our descent into authoritarianism demands a response.

So I celebrate Indivisible Danville, in Kentucky, rallying outside of James Comer’s office demanding this proponent of DC occupation face his own constituents. I celebrate the more than 300 rapid response events this weekend in support of the Texas Dems who broke quorum to resist the GOP gerrymander. I celebrate every Indivisible who’s called into their federal representatives’ offices to demand that they support DC. And I celebrate every Indivisible group leader who’s preparing for the next big mobilization (stay tuned)!

Trump is weak on Epstein. But he’s also weak on militarizing American cities, corrupting our voting systems, Ukraine, his blind support for Netanyahu, the economy, jobs, inflation, Medicaid, and healthcare.

By all means, we should keep our eyes on the prize, but that prize is a democracy where we’re all safe and we all have a voice. When we fight back against federal encroachment of our rights, that’s not a distraction -- it’s necessary, strategic, patriotic action.

And if you’re looking for those kinds of actions, read on to this week’s to-dos.

In solidarity,
Ezra Levin
Co-Executive Director, Indivisible

Your weekly to-dos

1. Fight the Trump-MAGA Redistricting Coup from any state with our new toolkit. Trump’s trying to steal the midterms by making his red-state minions rig the House maps. We all have a role to play in the fight for fair 2026 elections; visit our toolkit or scroll down for more info.
2. Join a mass call with AG Keith Ellison about ways states and cities can defend the rule of law. We're joining AG Ellison, a coalition of partner organizations, and brave officials from across the US to lay out how state/local leaders can fight Trump’s takeover -- touching on redistricting, unmasking ICE, and more.
3. Watch tonight’s Solidarity in Action session (7pm ET / 4pm PT) for an expert’s guide to building coalitions. Cristina Jimenez co-founded United We Dream and wrote a bestselling memoir on her experiences as an immigrant and organizer. She’ll share what she’s learned along the way -- and how you can build powerful coalitions.
4. Join our campaign to make Avelo Airlines’ deportation flights too costly to continue. Avelo Airlines profits off Trump’s terror tactics by running secretive (often illegal) deportation flights. We’re organizing to ground “ICE Air” by undermining the pillars that prop up Avelo’s business.
5. Sign up for Thursday’s What’s the Plan? call to ask Leah and Ezra your questions on the news and upcoming work. Every Thursday at 3pm ET, our co-founders go live to break down our key initiatives and answer your questions directly! Be part of an interactive chat about what’s next in our fight for democracy.

P.S. As too many institutions kiss the ring, Indivisible’s leading the fight to ensure Trump’s enablers pay a price. We’re training one million people in strategic non-cooperation and rolling out campaigns to weaken Trump’s power at its foundations. Please consider donating to fund Indivisibles' nationwide disruption and defiance of the Trump regime.

Slow down ICE with Signs of Solidarity

On our last One Million Rising training, we introduced Signs of Solidarity -- a new campaign that anyone can join to oppose authoritarian ICE raids and stand in solidarity with immigrant workers and communities.

We’re asking Indivisibles to engage in visible non-cooperation with ICE’s raids on businesses and workplaces. Participants will disrupt Trump’s terror raids by visiting local businesses, speaking to the owners/managers, and distributing signs that achieve two key things:

1. Clearly mark "Staff Only" areas to create safe zones ICE can’t legally enter without a signed judicial warrant
2. Unequivocally show they stand WITH immigrant workers and clientele and AGAINST Trump’s secret police tactics

Once you’ve signed on below, we’ll give you everything you need to succeed, like guidelines for speaking to businesses, tools to track progress/success, and the signs you’ll help businesses post.

Protect your community from fascist ICE raids by signing up to complete a Signs of Solidarity canvass!

Fight against Trump’s map-rigging coup

Trump’s seat-stealing scheme isn’t stopping in Texas. Republican legislators in Florida, Ohio, Missouri, and beyond are already lining up to rig their maps and cement House Republicans into permanent power.

So we’re rolling out plans to fight back with everything we’ve got -- not just in Texas, but all across America. Whether your state is bright blue, deep red, or in between, you can do something today to combat the coup and keep the midterm playing field fair:

IndivisiWIN of the week

As Donald Trump rolled out a literal red carpet for his murderous dictator buddy, Indivisibles across Alaska mobilized to show Trump and Putin: Alaskans stand with Ukraine and against tyrannical regimes.

Dozens of protests and non-cooperation actions across Alaska culminated in a powerful light show by Stand UP Alaska in downtown Anchorage, minutes from where the summit was held.

Follow us on Bluesky, Mastodon, and Threads to keep up on the latest information, and text “INDIVISIBLE” to 59798 to opt-in to our text messaging program, where we send rapid response actions a few times a month.