The Majority Report with Sam Seder

Episode: Best of 2025: 10 Ways to Prepare for Trump's Return w/ Daniel Hunter
Date: December 24, 2025
Guest: Daniel Hunter

Overview

In this 'Best of 2025' episode of The Majority Report, Sam Seder and guest Daniel Hunter—a movement organizer, coach, and author—discuss “10 Ways to Prepare for Trump’s Return.” The episode focuses on practical, psychological, and strategic guidance for progressives, activists, and concerned citizens as they face the potential and reality of authoritarian policies under a second Trump administration. The conversation is both a candid assessment and a motivational roadmap, balancing frank warnings with the encouragement to find grounding, solidarity, and new strategies against authoritarianism.

The episode also features Sam's signature irreverence and humor, and opens with a classic 'war on Christmas' cable news appearance, followed by cutting, satirical analysis of the right-wing media’s defense of Elon Musk’s controversial gestures at the Trump inauguration.

Key Segments & Insights

1. Holiday Satire and “War on Christmas” Flashback

• [09:00-18:57]
  Sam reminisces about his appearance on CNN discussing the "War on Christmas" with Bob Knight, lambasting the manufactured outrage over secular holiday greetings. He lampoons right-wing paranoia, comparing it to the Iraq War pretext, and deftly skewers the self-victimization that shapes much of conservative media's culture war narrative.

  Notable Quotes:

  • Sam (as a satirical 'war on Christmas' hawk):

    "I believe that Christmas—it’s almost proven that Christmas has nuclear weapons, can be an imminent threat to this country, that they have operative ties with terrorists. And I believe that we should sacrifice thousands of American lives in pursuit of this war on Christmas..." [09:28]

  • Sam on exclusion and faux outrage:

    “Are you suggesting, Bob, that someone can't celebrate Christmas in America?...What else would Bob Knight have an opportunity to do? How else would he get on television if he wasn’t pretending to be attacked?” [12:01]

  • Bob Knight (earnestly):

    "The war on Christmas is really the culmination of a war on faith." [10:56]

2. Introduction to Daniel Hunter and the 10 Ways to Prepare

• [23:45-24:55]
  Sam introduces Daniel Hunter, an organizer and author of "What If Trump Wins?" and "10 Ways to Be Prepared and Grounded Now That Trump Has Won." The tone is warm but sober—acknowledging that while community is crucial, the reality is daunting.

3. 10 Ways to Prepare for Trump's Return

With Detailed Guidance and Commentary

1. Trust Yourself

• [24:55-27:57]
  Hunter emphasizes starting with psychological preparation: trust your own perception of reality, fortify your sense of self against gaslighting and manipulation (referencing 1984), and connect to others for mutual reinforcement.

  Quote:

  • "You can't internalize the crazy-making...ground ourselves back in. You’ve got to trust yourself. The things you’re seeing are there." – Daniel Hunter [24:55]

2. Build Community Trust

• Pandemic and division have eroded trust. Reach out, connect, and share perspectives to reinforce collective sanity and build resilience.

3. Grieve

• [27:57-32:50]
  Accept the difficult realities—losses, threats—and allow space for real grief. Daniel draws a parallel to climate denial and doomism, noting that both extremes are ways to avoid living with uncertainty.

  Quote:

  • "Humans do not like living in uncertainty...but that is the human condition, and that’s the condition we’re in right now under a President Trump." – Daniel Hunter [30:58]

4. Release What You Can't Change

• [32:50-35:49]
  Accept limits. Deploy energy wisely and accept that you cannot fight every battle or control every outcome.

  Sam reflects:

  • "Deploy your resources in such a way that you don’t deplete yourself...make a wise assessment as to what the landscape is and where you are best suited..." [35:49]

5. Find Your Path

• [37:01-42:36]
  New strategies are needed: Outrage and mass protests may not deter authoritarians. Identify roles, including:

  • Protecting the vulnerable
  • Disrupting/Disobeying
  • Defending Civic Institutions
  • Alternative Institution-Building

  Quote:

  • “A bully doesn’t care about your feelings. A bully wants you to be in pain.” – Daniel Hunter [37:01]

6. Do Not Obey in Advance / Do Not Self-Censor

• [49:02-51:42]
  Announce your boundaries and refuse to preemptively comply with authoritarian demands. Hunter references the psychology of repression: a few high-profile punishments can chill resistance; don't let the threat lead you to self-censor.

  Quote:

  • "The primary way that authoritarians ... are able to claim control isn’t through a lot of repression. It’s through occasional repression that scares people." – Daniel Hunter [51:42]

7. Reorient Your Political Map

• [53:01-55:17]
  Move beyond traditional binaries (Trump voter/not Trump voter). Focus on specific policies and their real-world effects, and be open to strategic alliances—even if uncomfortable.

  Sam’s candid struggle:

  • "There are going to be voices ... who are going to be like, oh, you’re making common cause with the generals ... But in this instance, like, maintaining a focus on where the threat lies..." [42:36]

8. Respect the Ecosystem of Resistance

• Recognize the value of varied strategies and appreciate others playing crucial roles.
• "It's all going to be hard work … If we're not in appreciation mode and just in criticism mode…we're going to spend a lot of energy attacking each other..." – Daniel Hunter [48:15]

9. React Bravely to Political Repression

• [56:08-60:08]
  Don’t let the targeting of dissidents/officials create fear or shame. Model strength: celebrate, not hide, acts of resistance.

  Story:

  • Bayard Rustin encouraged Montgomery preachers to demand arrest as a form of collective resistance, turning oppression into a badge of honor [58:19-59:16].

10. Get Real About Power & Envision a Positive Future

• [60:08-65:58] Hunter shares the “upside-down triangle” model from Thai activists: authoritarian power is precarious, propped up by pillars (media, bureaucracy, etc.). Widespread non-cooperation—like general strikes or bureaucratic slowdowns—can collapse the system.

  • Quote:
    "Non-cooperation always starts small. It’s always ineffective in the beginning...but very targeted non-cooperation has a history of success..." [62:58]

  • Vision:
    Even in dark moments, imagine and articulate a better future; this both inspires and guides the movement.

4. Audience Questions: Division, Alliances & Cleaving Trump's Base

• [68:48-70:56]
  Sam probes whether fissures within Trump’s coalition can be exploited, referencing RFK Jr.’s inconsistent positions and the possibility of "cleaving off" parts of the base by highlighting real policy impacts.

  Daniel:

  “...I think the most effective way for us to do that is to really be rooted in our own values and asserting what's the vision that we have to become attractive...I’m less trying to get to the elites and I’m more trying to cleave off the supporters...They need a place to land.” [69:36]

5. Current Events: Elon Musk’s Nazi Salute Controversy

Segments [74:21–118:48]

• Sam, Emma, and Daniel Hunter dissect right-wing and centrist media contortions after Elon Musk made a gesture at Trump’s inauguration widely interpreted as Nazi-inspired. They lampoon Ben Shapiro, Joe Rogan, and Patrick Bet-David as they excuse, minimize, or normalize Musk’s behavior, citing everything from autism to supposed misinterpretation.

  Memorable Analysis:

  • Sam: "There is no doubt...that this guy definitely came up with this as a troll. Like, I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna say, my heart goes out to you, and I'm gonna play it off that way." [78:44]
  • Emma: "A far right fascist symbol meant to signal something to Nazis and did signal something to Nazis. Does it make it better?...even if [Musk] wasn’t obsessed with Western birth rates and natalism, even if he didn’t hate unions and communists...what he did empowered and made those Nazis excited.” [112:19]

  Recurring Theme:
  Musk’s gesture is less important than the enthusiastic reception it received from the far right and the elaborate mental gymnastics his defenders engage in. The panel mocks the infantilization of oligarchs—"he’s a little baby,"—and the inability of right-wing media to honestly confront the authoritarian undertones in their midst.

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• [24:55] Daniel Hunter:
  “You’ve got to trust yourself. The things you’re seeing are there. You can’t internalize the crazy-making…”
• [30:58] Daniel Hunter:
  “Humans do not like living in uncertainty, especially when it can be things as deeply personal…”
• [37:01] Daniel Hunter:
  "A bully doesn’t care about your feelings. A bully wants you to be in pain."
• [51:42] Daniel Hunter:
  "The primary way ... authoritarians are able to claim control isn’t through a lot of repression. It's through occasional repression that scares people."
• [62:58] Daniel Hunter:
  “Non-cooperation always starts small. It’s always ineffective in the beginning…very targeted non-cooperation has a history of success…”
• [112:19] Emma:
  “That was a fascist symbol, a far right fascist symbol meant to signal something to Nazis and did signal something to Nazis. Does it make it better?”

Takeaway

Daniel Hunter’s “10 Ways” offers a clear-eyed, stepwise guide for psychological, collective, and strategic preparedness for facing authoritarianism. At every step, Sam, Emma, and Daniel combine practical advice with the sardonic, cutting humor that distinguishes The Majority Report, whether they're debunking culture war panics or calling out the normalization of far-right symbols and rhetoric in mainstream discourse.

Listen to this episode for:

• Practical, psychologically grounded activist strategy
• Unfiltered critique of culture war media tactics
• A deeply human—and at times hilarious—approach to facing political darkness

[Further Reading & Resources]

• Daniel Hunter's Book: What if Trump Wins? An Interactive Pick Your Path Adventure
• Article: “10 Ways to Be Prepared and Grounded Now That Trump Has Won”
• Podcast: Majority.fm