Ridicule doesn't work. It hasn't worked at all. In fact it did the opposite. The constant attention on trump since the beginning was what lead to his rise. Certain elements in the masses saw themselves in the ridicule directed at trump, and identified with him as a result. That's why despite being a total failure policy wise he was voted in a second time. You need to focus on the failures of his policy. Take them seriously. Demand they be explained to you, as citizens of a republic. When they harm you, express outrage. That is what hurts trump.

You are not wrong but also not right.

The CIA is toppling oppressive regimes this way for decades. You create friction, the oppressor pushes back, and the people gather behind the oppressed.

Ridicule and constantly calling out idiots for what they are does work. You create friction by it. Trump made sure the factory worker gets fired, people were pushing back by donating for him, and they will vote against him in the midterms.

Abuse of power directed at the citizens is something most people will not forget or forgive in a free society, no matter what political beliefs they have, unless they are facists.

The stuff Petti did, filming ICE agents, being in their face, openly calling them out, created friction. They killed him because of that friction. The whole state pushed back in return.

Creating friction is what makes Republicans losing seats in the Congress and allows the regain of power from Trump, who is mostly ruling by executive order.

As a citizen, it’s not your job to focus on the failures of his job and show them to the public. It’s what you voted representatives for and the job of journalists. You demand their inactivity to be explained by them over the phone, over mail, respectfully showing up at their office. All day, every day, the only time they should be at peace is when they eat, sleep or be on the toilet.

You create friction for them. It’s not the fault of the people that he got voted again, it’s that most of the Senate and Congress rather try to protect their own interests and power than openly confronting the President, creating friction, every day, all day, until the President pushes back. Which in return will have the people gather behind the suppressed, jailed, or murdered representatives.

You have a different method of creating friction in mind, but don’t do the job of the people you pay handsomely to represent you or that of the press. Your energy is better spent creating friction for them until they act. Then you support them when they take the heat they are supposed to take if they fight for your rights instead of just cashing in from their position of embarrassing passiveness.