A TIME TO RISE TOGETHER
TO DRIVE THE TRUMP FASCIST REGIME FROM POWER
Refuse Fascism replies to the lies and slanders of Kristofer Goldsmith
Divide, demoralize, and destroy the unity and movements that are essential to defeat Trump MAGA Fascism – this is the method, approach and the objective effect of malicious attacks by Kristofer Goldsmith on RefuseFascism.org.
Full of lies, slander and innuendo, Goldsmith who is the leader of his group “Veterans Fighting Fascism,” reveals that he neither really understands that the momentum of fascism is advancing towards a near total lockdown of society or why only a massive unrelenting sustained nonviolent struggle in the nation’s capital can defeat it.
Goldsmith posted his malicious slander on Substack and Instagram on November 22, the very day that diverse organizations were coming together in DC to demand the Removal of the Regime. This alone should give serious pause and question to any thinking person of principle concerned with building a powerful mass movement that could bring the scourge of Trump fascism to a halt.
Goldsmith begins his IG post by saying of the organizers of Remove the Regime: “they’re good people” but warning that Refuse Fascism are “not your allies,” that is, they’re Bad people. “Good people” and bad people … who else talks this way? Hint: that amoral lying tyrant who is terrorizing and viciously rounding up immigrants, destroying basic healthcare, the environment, spewing misogynist and racist bile over the whole society – who speaks of “very fine” people and “terrible,” “very bad” people.
Trump’s horrific future is bearing down on us. Goldsmith, rather than direct his attention at what will be needed to defeat that, decides to sit at his keyboard and attack Refuse Fascism (RF), an organization who has been on the frontlines of this fight since Trump 1.0 in 2016.
Three Key Points:
These points expose the dishonesty and danger of Goldsmith’s attacks and reveal the actual difference of analysis and program that Goldsmith refuses to openly engage and/or debate.
[1] Whatever Goldsmith’s intent, his attack against Refuse Fascism is an outright attempt to undermine and destroy the unity required to forge an effective, powerful, broad-based opposition to Trump Fascism and to destroy the organization with the analysis and mission necessary to defeat Trump/MAGA fascism.
In 11 months, the Trump regime has brought this country perilously close to eliminating the rule of law and right to dissent, and to elections not grossly gerrymandered. They are obliterating constitutional and international law. All to enforce incalculable terror and damage to the lives and future of humanity. Goldsmith’s attacks strike at the heart of the tremendous struggle to forge a sustained nonviolent movement of millions of diverse views to stop Trump and drive the regime from power asap, which requires uniting all who can be united for this single purpose.
[2] Whatever Goldsmith’s intent, his dangerous attack on Refuse Fascism objectively aids and mirrors the vicious threats by the Trump Regime that directly target Refuse Fascism and other people and organizations.
[3] Behind Goldsmith’s attacks, there are real and critical differences in analysis and strategy, on the urgency of the situation and how we can actually defeat this fascism, differences which Goldsmith avoids and conceals in his dishonest diatribe.
It is also not a small matter that Goldsmith maligns and denigrates the thousands of people of different backgrounds and beliefs from all over the country who have joined with Refuse Fascism — the only organization that has called for masses of people to come to Washington DC in a sustained unrelenting nonviolent struggle to demand the removal of the Trump regime now.
To state this bluntly to Goldsmith and to those individuals and groups parroting him, as well as those who have been taken in by his lies and innuendo, the question is posed:
Which Side Are You On?
This is an urgent, live matter—a dividing line with the future at stake. Should we fail to build the broadest unity, people here and around the world will suffer the terrible consequences.
To go into all this further:
I. Goldsmith Destroys the Unity Necessary for Driving Out the Trump Fascist Regime. He sets out to destroy Refuse Fascism – an organization with the only analysis and plan welcome to all that has a real chance to stop Trump fascism before it locks down society. His lies, insults, and red-baiting are a lesson in how to destroy any effective opposition to fascism.
Goldsmith posted his attack on November 22, on the occasion of a “Remove the Regime” protest in D.C. which followed a series of mobilizations by Refuse Fascism in the weeks before. One of RF’s protests surrounded the White House with crime scene tape which mainstream and social media influencers picked up on, revealing a broad sentiment for serious sustained struggle to demand: “Trump Must Go NOW!
Instead of celebrating the display of broad unity on this day, which Refuse Fascism (RF) mobilized for, Goldsmith launched his “Warning” to the emerging movement — to do what? To stay away from RF. Did he offer a substantive critique of the analysis and program of Refuse Fascism? No, he did not.
Goldsmith lets loose with a string of insults, lies, and innuendo that RF is: “not grass roots… a cult, yeah, a real cult!” … followed by what he considers his prime revelation … that RF is a “front for the Revolutionary Communist Party, a cult led by Bob Avakian.”
You don’t need a PhD in history to know that every time a movement against the powers-that-be gains any traction, out come denigrations of its character along with the “bogeyman” charge of evil communists conspiring behind the scenes and manipulating the unwitting populace. Again and again these anti-communist scare tactics serve to undermine the struggle and strengthen the forces of oppression and repression. That there are revolutionary communists who follow Bob Avakian, the developer of the new communism, among the initiators of Refuse Fascism, is hardly a secret. Revolution, the website of the RCP, addresses Goldsmith here, and we will speak to how Refuse Fascism sees the role of the Revcoms this later in this rebuttal.
Just in case his audience doesn’t fall for his tired and classic red-baiting in a political situation where the fascist Trump daily maligns and threatens everybody to the left of outright Nazis as “communist and terrorist,” Goldsmith tries to back up his charges with bait and switch references to a debunked letter written in 2022 by a cabal of pro-choice NGO’s who refused to join the struggle being led by the group Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights to stop the overturning of the right to abortion. Rise Up was affiliated with Refuse Fascism and was led by a group of women including a leading abortion provider as well as Sunsara Taylor, a follower of Bob Avakian and a leader of Refuse Fascism. Then, the day that Roe v. Wade was overturned – by the same Trump Fascist Supreme Court that is ruling for Trump today –these NGO groups diverted attention from their own complicity and turned against Rise Up for Abortion Rights with the same red-baiting and false charges that Goldsmith peddles now.
One lesson every honest person should learn from his attack is that Goldsmith makes his case against Refuse Fascism with the same methodology Trump employs. How? By resorting to an “argument” whose proof is “Some people say…” At a time when lies spew from the highest offices and the right to due process is under attack, it should be a no-brainer for those who oppose the regime that acting only on accusation without investigation will leave you and the masses of people easy prey for blowhard manipulators. And to those who are pulling away from RF in knee jerk fashion simply because these slanderous accusations have been issued, have you no intellectual curiosity and integrity to go to the source to find out if an accusation is really true? What is true is not determined by how often something is said, how many times it is repeated, or what the internet will sustain. Political differences should be aired out. Shunning and slander, groupthink, and cancelling belong to the medieval church and should not be the methods of movements genuinely fighting against oppression or for a liberated world.
Stepping back to the cold reality we face – the Trump fascist regime controls Congress and the Supreme Court. It has purged the core instruments of the state of many of its opponents. It threatens any who mount opposition in these institutions. It is racing with great speed and momentum to bolt their draconian form of rule into place. To the extent the regime is running into problems, this only fuels their necessity to lock things down.
This is why earlier this year Refuse Fascism has published: A Statement of Unity and Principles:
“Because we recognize that this regime is fascist and is moving very fast to eradicate the role of law, speech and dissent, the political fight to stop it must be united and not divided. This requires people and organizations who hold many different, and sometimes even opposed beliefs, coming together around the overriding goal of preventing the Trump Regime from imposing its agenda.
It is urgent that as many people as possible from many diverse political, religious, and ideological perspectives and backgrounds raise their voices and act together to stop this 21st century American fascism. Millions hate and fear what is happening. Every one of these voices is needed!
Among us, there will be many different views: on the nature of the threat posed by Trump; on the origins of this fascism and its relation to the underlying American history and its social and political system; on the means to resist it; on the goal of such resistance; and a host of other things as well.
These differences can be a rich source of movement vitality, generating the creative friction of differing and sometimes clashing ideas of diverse people joined in a common cause…
But there is also a bitter history of movements allowing sectarianism, distortion, slander, anti-communist red-baiting, and blacklisting to be fomented and exploited by those who were determined to prevent liberatory change. In this way, righteous people and organizations have been set up, lives have been lost and just causes have been derailed. This history must not be repeated—especially now, when the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been…
To that end…
We pledge to abide by and to hold others to the following principles:
To foster – and not undermine – uniting all who can be united from diverse political perspectives in non-violent action to call forward the millions in resistance necessary to stop the Trump regime from consolidating fascism.” [Go here for the full list of principles.]
II. Goldsmith objectively aids and mirrors the vicious threats and attacks by the Trump Regime.
It speaks volumes about Goldsmith’s attack that it comes in the context of the Trump regime’s all-out assault on political opposition, particularly opposition that, as the National Security Presidential Memorandum-7 (NSPM-7) states, fall under beliefs and speech that are “indicators” of “violence” and should be investigated and potentially prosecuted! These include (incredibly): “anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, anti-Christianity, support for the overthrow of the United States Government, extremism on migration, extremism on race, extremism on gender hostility towards those who hold traditional American views on family, hostility towards those who hold traditional American views on religion, and hostility towards those who hold traditional American views on morality.”
This range of viewpoints is held by millions of people in this country. The right to hold these beliefs, live by them, and to speak of them have been and – for the moment – continue to be fundamental Constitutional rights protected by the First Amendment. For now, that is … the Trump regime has declared the expression of these beliefs to be criminal. That is fascist.
That’s not all. On December 7th it was reported that Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a directive to the FBI and all Federal Prosecutors to go after and silence a wide swath of groups and people for the very things listed in Trump’s memorandum NSPM-7. She starts by using a made-up organization—Antifa, which is in reality a catch-all phrase for anti-fascist and not an organization. Her memo, like Trump’s, begins with targeting violent actions and the promotion of violence and goes to the advocacy of ideas and political viewpoints that are supposed to be protected as legitimate speech by the US Constitution such as “anti-capitalism,” anti-Christianity,” and even views opposed to the Trump regime’s Christian Fascist views on family and morality.
Last month, the fascist Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Jim Jordan, announced a congressional investigation of the fiscal sponsor of “Antifa” groups and specifically named Refuse Fascism.
It is in this dangerous situation that Kristofer Goldsmith echoes and objectively provides pretext to the Trump Fascist regime to go after RF with baseless speculation that Refuse Fascism is financially irresponsible and conceals its funding – which is absolutely false and for which he has absolutely NO evidence. Those repeating and “liking” Goldsmiths posts on social media need to check themselves and recognize what they are complicit in. In fact, Refuse Fascism is legally incorporated in New York State as a not-for-profit corporation.
Ask this question: what kind of serious activist claiming to be “fighting fascism” demands that groups opposed to fascism publish their board of directors, open all their books, expose all their funders? None who understand the fascist state and the fascist mob of doxxers.
III. Real Differences Over the Urgency of the Situation and How to Actually Defeat This Fascism
Behind Goldsmith’s attacks on RF there are real and important differences about strategy – how the people of this country could effectively defeat Trump fascism. Goldsmith does not surface or engage these differences but rather is more concerned with tearing down Refuse Fascism. There needs to be room for differences and dialogue about how to stop the scourge of Trump, but it is telling that Goldsmith doesn’t even attempt to open that discussion.
* In upholding what he deems the “good guys” Remove the Regime’s focus on impeachment –which is a just demand that Refuse Fascism supports – Goldsmith doesn’t mention that their primary strategy to achieve that is by lobbying Congress – which means trying to talk members into impeaching Trump. They supplement this with infrequent mass rallies that culminate in going into congressional offices. Congress is not going to be persuaded through pleading. Let’s get into this.
First, impeachment is not the only way Trump could be removed from power. Second, it will not happen through even the best persuasion absent a massive movement of people flooding into Washington DC in sustained nonviolent struggle. Millions of people flooding into DC in unrelenting waves could create a political crisis for the Trump regime such that it provokes a profound re-alignment in the halls of power – in Congress as well as other ruling institutions, creating a situation where they are compelled and enabled to break ranks and move to remove Trump. This is the program of Refuse Fascism.
Differences in program and strategy should be openly discussed and debated, and people and groups will try different approaches, but lies, slander, false accusations without evidence in the face of a repressive fascist regime should not be tolerated. Instead, people should be coming to the defense of the targeted and demanding that attacks cease.
* Another key difference and problem with Goldsmith is that he disregards how far the regime has gone towards eliminating the right to dissent, speech, and the rule of law – that is, to a fascist form of rule. He does this by arguing that the dividing line for who should be a part of the movement to remove Trump is what comes after Trump. He writes: “Opposition to fascism, on its own, is not a political compass. What matters is what they want in its place.” Goldsmith apparently wants to set the dividing line at his specific vision of what he thinks America should be after Trump is gone. Insisting on this is a recipe for division amongst those who could and should unite. IT IS A LOSING STRATEGY.
A serious look at the situation we face right now shows that it is far from certain that we will be able to prevent the consolidation of fascism. But to have a chance to make that happen we need to unite around the single demand TRUMP MUST GO NOW! that draws a sharp line between living with Trump fascism or standing and acting against it. This is essential for anyone’s vision of a just future.
Trump Must Go Now! has the potential to unite people of many different backgrounds and political points of view. We need a really huge tent – the political space to involve Democrats, never-Trump Republicans, social-democrats, independents, revolutionary communists and grassroots activists – everyone who recognizes that this regime must be removed from power if we are to have any future worth living in.
Again, making “what comes next” a litmus test would insure a fractured resistance. To forge that broad unity of people and of purpose – to stop Trump from locking in a fascist America – we need to apply the Statement of Unity and Principles that are quoted above – including acknowledging and discussing and learning from different visions and programs for “what comes next” and doing so in an open and above-board way.
Red-Baiting, Innuendo and Lies:
Weakens Resistance and Strengthens Fascism
in Opposition to the Unity and Principle Needed to Drive Out the Trump Fascist Regime
Goldsmith’s nasty hate directed at the Revcoms and their leader Bob Avakian as a “cult” is as vicious as it is absurdly a pack of lies and distortions. What Goldsmith doesn’t have the integrity to touch at all is the substance, the content, the method, and the morality that is the new communism that Bob Avakian has developed. Not a word. Screaming “Cult” is Goldsmith trafficking in cancel culture. The aim and result is unleashing a shameful unthinking lynch-like mob where accusation without evidence is far easier than the hard strategic work to forge the unity and approach to defeat a serious enemy.
Readers should go to the website revcom.us to learn about how the Revcoms understand the problem humanity faces as well as see the extensive work done there over the course of more than 30 years by Bob Avakian analyzing the rise of the fascism that we now face and how it could be defeated. If one investigates for themselves, you will see that far from “revolution under one man,” as Goldsmith dishonestly claims, the Revcoms stand for working towards overcoming all forms of oppression and exploitation in a radically new society. And they advocate for a road to “the emancipation of humanity” which Bob Avakian has forged. This is what drives the Revcoms to be thoughtful, determined, and principled fighters and advocates against Trump fascism while consistently working to forge the broadest unity with people from very divergent viewpoints and aims.
Here we will let Bob Avakian speak to the matter of “principle” which the Revcoms have demonstrated in their work with Refuse Fascism:
“. . . what I mean by principle is: an honest approach to seeking the truth – including the truth about what those who disagree with you actually stand for – and acting in a way grounded in the morality, and furthering the cause, of seeking justice.
This emphasis on the importance of principle is a fundamental point of orientation in the new communism I have developed. It serves as a basic guideline for how we Revcoms (revolutionary communists) approach everything we do: how we are working for an emancipating revolution based on this new communism; and how we seek to unite for common objectives with others holding different political and ideological viewpoints, while promoting and engaging in open and honest discussion and debate about the big questions and the solutions to the profound problems with which humanity is confronted.”
Conclusion:
In the Name of Humanity, We Refuse to Accept a Fascist America
WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?
That slogan – in The Name of Humanity, We Refuse to Accept a Fascist America concentrates the ethos and expresses the morality and mission for which Refuse Fascism exists.
On the other hand, Goldsmith’s attempted “takedown” of Refuse fascism is littered with the lingo of a wannabe “entrepreneur.” He writes that a group who slandered RF “have all the receipts;” he questions RF’s “business model;” he accuses RF of “co-opting” protests through bringing powerful sharp slogans and signs; he tries to appeal to social media influencers with language like “credibility = assets.” This is the thinking of someone worried about “market share” when children are being separated from parents and the very future of humanity is at stake. Shameful.
History is littered with blood and bones of millions of people in countries where the opposition to fascism was thwarted by divisiveness that allowed the fascists to triumph. Goldsmith, a self-described “expert” on fascism seems to have missed the point of a key lesson from Nazi Germany spoken by the conservative German Pastor Martin Niemöller who initially supported Hitler and was then jailed in 1937 for opposing him. He captured in a poem the deadly dynamic that has had a terrible cost:
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me
Niemöller’s point was that those attacked by the regime need to be defended when it matters; and certainly not be attacked by those who should be standing together in opposition!
We have gone into Goldsmith’s attack in depth because it typifies a destructive methodology and harmful politics. It is essential as the Trump regime escalates and sharpens its attack on all who oppose fascism for all of us to understand the stakes when movements of resistance slander and attempt to set up organizations for attack by the state. We must not allow the viciousness of the fascist regime and the difficulty of stopping it cause us to become like them. We need to act with principle, great heart for humanity willing to make the sacrifice and do the work including engaging each other and learning from the many differences that exist, and will continue to exist, among us.
Even after saying all that we have here, if Kristofer Goldsmith has the principle to retract his false accusations and “warnings” to the good people who have stood with Refuse Fascism, we are open to talking.
From the Refuse Fascism 2025 Call:
We must unite all who can be united from many different viewpoints and perspectives, to foster and draw on a collective spirit of courage and righteous fury and willingness to make the necessary sacrifices, for the greater good of defeating this fascism. We in our millions are a force powerful enough to defeat Trump/MAGA fascism.
THE TRUMP FASCIST REGIME MUST GO NOW!