New Year’s Resolutions for the Trump Resistance

2016 has been quite a year.

Not many people (besides Donald Trump supporters) thought we would be inaugurating a former reality television star as president, but here we are. Trump will officially take office January 20, but there's already been a rise of politicians and activists who have committed to resist Trump if he follows through on his hateful plans to create a Muslim registry, deport millions of undocumented people, and roll back women's and LGBT rights, environmental protections, and more.

Here are three resolutions for the Trump resistance:

1. Activists should convince Trump to release his tax returns
WhileTrump is under no legal obligation to publicly release his tax returns, he's the first president since Richard Nixon to not release them. For the last 40 years, every presidential nominee has released their tax returns. Besides, Trump promised he'd release the tax returns as soon as that audit is concluded, and it can't go on forever. Mother Jones published a story in October claiming that a former spy gave the FBI information that shows proof Trump has a special relationship with Russia. The spy says that the Russian regime has worked closely with Trump for at least five years. Trump could easily quash these allegations if he really wanted to. He could release his tax returns, and if there is no real tie back to Russia then what does he have to lose?

2. More states should follow in the footsteps of California
The day after Trump was elected, California legislative leaders issued a statement that read, "We will not be dragged into the past. We will lead the resistance to any effort that would shred our social fabric or our Constitution." Since then several other leaders have come forward, such as Gov. Jerry Brown and newly elected U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris. During a speech at the American Geophysical Union Conference in San Francisco, Brown told the audience, "We're ready to defend. California is no stranger to this fight." The governor is especially concerned that Trump doesn't believe climate change is real. But whatever legal fights California finds itself in with the Trump administration, it will benefit from the support of other states.

3. Actions such as the Women's March on Washington must continue after Trump takes office
A day after Trump is inaugurated as president, there will be a historic Women's March on Washington. Planned Parenthood, Gloria Steinem, and Harry Belafonte will all be involved in the march. Organizers of the march told BuzzFeed News that they are not focused on specific policies and that they are "pro-women rather than anti-Trump." At least 150,000 people say they will attend the march, and there are around 150 affiliated marches that will be taking place all over the world in accordance with the march on Washington. In order to be effective, these type of actions must happen often. For them to have impact and to be visible, they require large bodies of people. Trump has shown that he does not like being the subject of protests, but for activists who are striving for equality under a Trump presidency, what other option do they have?