The Shadow Comms Brief
The Unofficial Comms Strategy for Defeating Trump's Regime
MESSAGING BRIEF
To: All Democratic Leaders, Staff, and Allies
From: American Manifesto Comms
Date: October 2, 2025
Subject: A Winning Playbook for the Trump Shutdown
1. THE BIG PICTURE
As of October 1, the federal government is shut down. Donald Trump and his enablers have manufactured this crisis. The default response—to decry their irresponsibility while trying to appear moderate—is a proven failure. It projects weakness and allows the opposition to control the narrative. We are facing a fascist regime engaged in a rolling coup; we must respond with proportional force. This brief outlines that response.
2. THE GOAL
To seize control of the narrative by framing this shutdown not as a political failure, but as a necessary, principled, and patriotic “American Firewall.” Our objective is to consolidate public opinion against an illegitimate regime that is actively harming the American people, forcing them either to capitulate to our preconditions for restoring the rule of law, or to go “mask off” and reveal their fascism to the American people in their own words.
3. THE JUSTIFICATION FOR ACTION (The “Why”)
On Tone — The End of Politeness: For years, we met their actions with reason. In response, Donald Trump called his fellow Americans “vermin,” “human scum,” and the “enemy of the people.” Politeness in the face of fascist rhetoric is not a virtue; it’s an invitation to be steamrolled. We are done being polite. We will now speak the language of truth with the force they have made necessary.
On Tactic — The End of Negotiations: This standoff was not our first choice. For months, we tried to bring this regime to the negotiating table to govern responsibly. They refused. They chose chaos over compromise and extremism over the Constitution. We offered to talk; they chose not to listen. Very well. We will bring their regime to its knees until they abide by the Constitution.
4. THE CORE NARRATIVE (The “What”)
Donald Trump stood before America’s generals and declared war on the “enemy from within”—he was talking about you. This America-hating, pedophile-loving fascist thinks he can kill tens of thousands of Americans by stealing their healthcare, rob working families with taxes he pretends others will pay, and build his Christo-fascist ethnostate with your money. He sends his Gestapo for brown people today, but he will come for anyone who opposes him tomorrow.
We refuse to fund this war on our own people. Our preconditions are not a wish list; they are the bare minimum for a lawful republic: Truth. Economic Justice. The Constitution.
Until Trump ends his war on America, we will starve his regime of the money it needs to wage it. There will be No Funding for Fascism.
5. KEY MESSAGES (The “How”)
On Corruption — Restoring Truth: “We refuse to fund a government that protects powerful pedophiles and their enablers. A government that hides the truth from its people is illegitimate. The Epstein files must be released.”
On the Economy — Protecting Your Paycheck: “We refuse to fund a government that robs its own citizens through illegal taxes. Trump’s tariffs are stealing from working families to enrich his cronies. We demand an end to this theft.”
On Healthcare — Protecting Your Family: “We refuse to fund a government that uses a crisis of its own making to try and steal your healthcare. While you suffer from this shutdown, they are plotting to give another handout to their insurance CEO buddies.”
On Fascism — Defending the Constitution: “We refuse to fund a president’s private army. Using our military as a Gestapo on American soil violates the law and is a declaration of war on our freedom. We will not pay for our own oppression.”
6. PRECONDITIONS FOR LOWERING THE FIREWALL
The American Firewall will remain in place, and no government funding will be restored, until the following non-negotiable preconditions for a lawful government are met and codified into law. These are not a wish list; they are the fundamental requirements for restoring the rule of law.
Release the Epstein Files: The unredacted Epstein files, with exceptions only for sensitive victim information, must be released to the American public. There will be no state funding for the protection of powerful criminals.
Enact a Constitutional Kill Switch: The funding law must include a self-executing clause that triggers section 3 of the 14th Amendment the moment a court adjudicates a violation of the Posse Comitatus Act. Any president who unleashes the military on the American people is disqualified from office — automatically and irrevocably. There will be no funding for a president’s private army.
End the Illegal Tariffs: All tariffs deemed illegal by federal courts must be ceased immediately and permanently. There will be no funding for a government that illegally taxes its own people.
Pay the Price for Threats: All punitive requirements triggered by the regime’s actions during this firewall must be met. This includes any “10-for-1” cuts to ICE and billionaire tax handouts, and any “10-for-1” firings of ICE agents, earned by their gremlins’ threats. (see below)
7. THE STRATEGIC TRAP: MAKING THEM OWN THEIR FASCISM
We fully expect the regime to refuse these preconditions. Their refusal is not a failure of our strategy; it is a central part of it. When they refuse, they will be forced to tell the American people exactly what they stand for. They will have to admit, on national television, that:
They would rather protect powerful pedophiles than fund our government.
They demand the “right” to unleash the American military on its own citizens.
They believe keeping the government shut is a small price to pay for maintaining their power to break the law.
Let them make their case. Let them own their fascism in public. We will win that debate every time.
8. LANGUAGE DISCIPLINE (Words to Use / Words to Lose)
SLOGANS:
“Trump declared war on Americans. We’re answering with the Constitution.”
“No taxpayer dollars for Trump’s domestic war.”
“No Epstein Files, No Funding”
“No Military on Our Streets”
USE RELENTLESSLY:
American Firewall
No Funding for Fascism
Fascist, Regime, Illegitimate
Holding the line, Protecting America
War on America
Preconditions, Non-negotiable
Vermin, Scum (quoting Trump), Gremlin(s)
NEVER USE:
Government Shutdown, Democratic Shutdown
Bipartisanship, Compromise
The President, The Administration
Holding the government hostage
Policy disagreement
Asks, Hopes, Wish list, Demands
Unprecedented, Broken norms
9. RAPID RESPONSE (Pre-buttals to Anticipated Attacks)
ATTACK: “You are hurting federal workers and American families!”
RESPONSE: “Donald Trump is the one hurting families. He took our government hostage to wage his war on America. The fastest way to end this pain is for him to end his illegal and unconstitutional assault. We refuse to fund his attacks on the American people. We stand with every essential government worker and empathize with their pain during this shutdown. But we cannot allow a fascist regime to successfully hold hostage their pain in exchange for our country’s future. To those government workers enduring in your commitment during the shutdown, you are heroes.”
ATTACK: “This is just political theater! You’re the extremists!”
RESPONSE: “We tried negotiation. They refused. We tried politeness. They called us ‘vermin.’ Defending the Constitution from a fascist isn’t extreme—it is the bare minimum of patriotism. Their refusal to govern is what’s extreme.”
ATTACK: “You are setting a dangerous precedent!”
RESPONSE: “The dangerous precedent was set when Trump declared war on the American people. The dangerous precedent is a president who ignores the courts, uses troops against citizens, and protects criminals. We are not setting a precedent; we are responding to one. We are restoring the precedent that no one, not even the President, is above the law.”
ATTACK: The regime, via agents like Russ Vought, threatens to cancel popular programs or fire federal workers to create political pressure.
RESPONSE: “This is a mob-style threat from a desperate regime. They are targeting Americans to punish them for disagreeing with their fascist agenda. We will not be intimidated. We will meet this threat with overwhelming force. For every dollar they threaten to cut, we will add a permanent, non-negotiable precondition for a tenfold cut to Trump’s slush funds: his bloated ICE budget and the billionaire tax cuts he gave his handlers. And let’s be clear: this applies to people, too. For every dedicated federal worker this regime illegally fires, we will require the termination of ten ICE agents. These preconditions are the price of their threats, and they will not be removed. We invite the regime’s other gremlins to make more threats. Let’s cut some real ‘waste, fraud, and abuse’—starting with them.”
ATTACK: The regime, via Head Gremlin Stephen Miller, labels political opposition as “domestic terrorism” and threatens to use the JTTF against American citizens.
RESPONSE: “This is the pathetic threat of a cornered fascist. Let’s be clear: we have absolute faith in the honorable men and women of our armed forces and federal law enforcement. They swore an oath to the Constitution, not to a gremlin in a suit. Stephen Miller thinks our military is his personal SS—he is wrong. We invite him to try it. Give the order. See what happens when a traitor commands patriots to betray their nation and to kill Americans in the name of a wannabe fascist dictator. It will only accelerate his own Nuremberg. Our armed forces serve America, and they will never be the private army of a fascist.”
ATTACK: When JD Vance appears on camera to defend the shutdown and attack the opposition.
RESPONSE: “It’s hard to take anything JD Vance says seriously. Between all the makeup and the squeaking sound from his couch, it’s hard to hear anything other than that he’s Peter Thiel’s little gremlin pushing billionaire tax breaks that rob working families.”
This Playbook is a Weapon. It’s Time to Use It.
A strategy is the start. Action is what wins the fight. If you’re ready to move from outrage to offense, then stand with us. The American Manifesto is the shadow comms shop for this fight. We provide the disciplined strategy and the relentless messaging to raise the American Firewall and win.
Every subscription is an act of resistance. It fuels this work, sharpens our weapons for the information war, and helps us mobilize the patriots needed to defend our republic. Join the fight.
Raise the Firewall. Fight Back. Win.
Your Move — We Need to Hear From You
This playbook is a living document, and our strategy gets stronger with every American who joins the fight. We need to hear from you in the comments:
Do you agree that a high-stakes firewall is the right strategy, or do you still worry about the risks? What’s the biggest barrier you see?
Which of the preconditions for lowering the firewall do you think is the most powerful wedge against the regime, and why?
Our playbook uses aggressive, dismissive language for regime “gremlins” like Vought and Miller. How do you feel about this tactic?
What is the single most effective slogan from our list, and where do you plan on using it?
What angle did we miss? If you have other ideas for pre-buttals or key messages, we want to hear them.
I’m all for dismissive language but I’m not sure “gremlins” is a strong enough dismissal. These people are scum. I think your most effective slogan is “No Military on Our Streets”. Keep up the good writing!
Gremlins are not scary to most people. So I believe you need a much stronger word than that. Monsters. Thugs. Something else. Everything else about what you wrote here is spot on in my opinion. I wish I knew how to get your words in front of the people who need to be using them.