As Election Night 2024 ground on, one thing became clear: Donald Trump had won a sweeping victory in the Electoral College, capturing 312 votes and winning every swing state.
Media pundits were tempted to call it a landslide, but a few days later when the full popular vote was counted, it became obvious that Trump’s win was a narrow one. He bested Vice President Kamala Harris by only 1.5 percentage points, falling just short of 50%. Many House and Senate races that went to the Republican Party were similarly close.
Nearly 75 million people voted for Harris, demonstrating considerable dissent for Trump’s platform. Trump and his Christian Nationalist allies are claiming a mandate to change the country, but nearly half of the voting population is not on board. Furthermore, exit polls showed that voters’ top concerns were the economy (specifically inflation) and immigration, not the culture war issues that Christian Nationalists obsess over. While Christian Nationalists remain an important part of the GOP coalition, their overall share of the vote has been shrinking for years and continued to do so in 2024.
Despite his thin margin of victory, Trump is expected to pursue an aggressive agenda, much of it wrenched from the Project 2025 playbook.
What can defenders of separation of church and state do now?
Many people may be feeling discouraged, but Americans United, which was founded in 1947, has weathered hostile administrations before and has a plan for surviving Trump’s second term.
As Americans United President and CEO Rachel Laser wrote in her Church & State column last month, “The guiding principle behind our plan is this: their overreach is our opportunity for progress. Every attack on public education, LGBTQ+ people, abortion access and atheists is another opportunity for AU to grow our people and organizational power. AU’s skilled and visionary program teams are ready to seize every chance to build our movement and multiply our supporters.”
That growth will be an important part of countering Trump’s agenda. But if you want to do more, here are some specific ideas for defending church-state separation and opposing Christian Nationalism:
Educate yourself — and others: The threat of Christian Nationalism is real. It has been well documented. During the campaign, many Americans expressed concern over Project 2025, a Christian Nationalist agenda for Trump’s second term.
Yet it still appears that some Americans aren’t yet fully convinced that Christian Nationalism could disrupt their lives or the lives of people they love. Americans United’s website contains a wealth of resources about Christian Nationalism (www.au.org/how-we-protect-religious-freedom/issues/white-christian-nationalism/) and Project 2025 (www.au.org/project2025/).
Several important books have been published recently that expose Christian Nationalism. Here are just a few: American Crusade: How the Supreme Court Is Weaponizing Religious Freedom by AU’s Andrew L. Seidel; The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism by Katherine Stewart, a member of AU’s Board of Trustees; Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism — and What Comes Next by Bradley Onishi; How to End Christian Nationalism by Amanda Tyler; Taking Back America for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States by Andrew L. Whitehead and Samuel L. Perry.
For a good history of church-state separation that debunks “Christian nation” claims, see Seidel’s The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism is Un-American.
Join and support Americans United: If you’re not a member of Americans United, please join and provide financial support to the extent that you’re able. Americans United’s longevity gives it an edge as we battle to preserve church-state separation. We’ve been through these fights before, and we know what works. Plus, our focus is strictly separation of church and state. We work to support the right of all Americans to believe — or not — as they choose, as long as they don’t harm others.
At AU.org, you can get information about how to get involved (www.au.org/get-involved/). That section of our website lists upcoming events, information about AU chapters, Faith Leaders United and special programs aimed at young people, such as AU’s Youth Organizing Fellowship (www.au.org/youthfellows/) and Student Contest (www.au.org/studentcontest/).
AU is active on several social media platforms, including Facebook (www.facebook.com/americansunited), Instagram (www.instagram.com/americansunited/), TikTok (www.tiktok.com/@au.org), YouTube (www.youtube.com/user/audotorg) and Bluesky (bsky.app/profile/americansunited.bsky.social).
You can also use AU.org to track church-state legislation in your state (www.au.org/how-we-protect-religious-freedom/policy/) and join AU’s Action Network (www.au.org/get-involved/au-action-network/). Once you join, you will be notified of actions you can take in your community to protect church-state separation. You can expect to receive 6 to 12 messages per year. Suggested actions may include legislative and legal advocacy, outreach opportunities and invitations to attend special meetings, briefings and training sessions. AU also provides virtual opportunities to hone your skills as an advocate.
You can also report potential church-state violations to AU’s Legal Department online (www.au.org/report-a-violation/).
Get active at the local level: Trump was elected president of the United States; he was not elected governor of your state or the head of your city or county council. These state and local officials, who are often easy to communicate with, have a big say over issues that hit home with millions of Americans. Focus on them.
Your local public schools are overseen by democratically elected boards. Other boards, such as library boards, may be appointed. In any case, these boards make decisions and set policies close to home. Christian Nationalists have been pressuring local officials to do things their way. These lawmakers need to hear from you as well. You might even consider running for local office or seeking a position on a community board.
Be visible. Attend public meetings. Speak out. Rally support and form coalitions.
It’s especially important to defend public libraries now, as they are undergoing a wave of attacks by pro-censorship organizations.
“Public libraries are funded locally and operate under state law,” said John Chrastka, executive director of EveryLibrary. “Anyone who is concerned with access to libraries and the right to read should be focused on their ZIP Code and state capitols. The decisions that are made by library boards and state legislatures will set the future. We need citizens to be engaged and advocating for what they believe about government, taxes and free speech in order to safeguard libraries and the rights of every reader.”
Support communities that are under attack: During Trump’s first term, members of certain communities came under assault — Muslims, LGBTQ+ people, non-Christians and nonbelievers, to name some. Now is a great time to become an ally to marginalized communities. Trump and his Christian Nationalist enablers need to know from day one that any attempt to deny entire classes of individuals their rights because they have been “othered” will be met with stiff resistance.
Please don’t make the mistake of thinking that if you’re not a member of a targeted community, you can sit this out. We’re all in this together. To paraphrase a famous quote from the social justice community: “The rights of everyone are diminished when the rights of just one person are threatened.” (If you are a member of one of these communities, don’t hesitate to ask for help if you need it.)
Support the democratic process: Gerrymandering, voter suppression laws and other anti-democratic actions are counter to the American ideal of one person, one vote. Aware that their positions are not popular, Christian Nationalist groups have spent years trying to prevent people from voting and minimizing the impact of their vote. As we saw on Election Day, voters will support things like reproductive rights and public education through direct democracy, if they get the chance. (Seven of 10 states voted to protect abortion rights, and voters in Kentucky, Nebraska and Colorado voted against creation or expansion of school voucher plans.) Work to make sure they continue to support these issues.
Some activists might want to get involved in partisan politics as a way to change the system; there is always another election, and, if recent political patterns hold, Americans may be ready for a change as soon as the 2026 midterms. As a nonprofit organization, Americans United cannot legally intervene in partisan elections, but there are plenty of organizations that are organized to do this work legally.
There’s no sugarcoating it: The next four years will not be easy. But Americans United has been through difficult times before. We know the work will be hard — but it’s also necessary. That means despair is not an option.
As AU’s Laser put it, “No matter what, please make a practice of choosing hope. We need you to stay strong. We need each other as we move forward.”