A fringe activist group is calling for a nationwide economic “blackout” on Saturday, August 9, urging Americans to halt spending for 24 hours in what many see as a politically charged attempt to damage President Trump’s economic revival.
The protest is led by The People’s Union USA, a far-left organization known for launching aggressive anti-corporate campaigns against some of America’s biggest brands. Their latest message? “No spending. No shopping. Nowhere.”
“Economic Blackout. August 9,” declared group founder John Schwarz to his 500,000 Instagram followers.
This isn’t their first boycott. In recent months, they’ve targeted Target, McDonald’s, Walmart, and Lowe’s, accusing them of everything from “price gouging” to backtracking on radical Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Even companies that have pulled back from woke politics haven’t been spared.
Critics warn this is just the latest move by progressive agitators looking to create chaos and undermine President Trump’s economic agenda—just as job growth, energy independence, and manufacturing resurgence are gaining steam.
While some mainstream economists claim these flash boycotts won’t shift markets, many businesses have felt the impact—both financially and reputationally. The danger, according to conservative leaders, is not the protest itself, but the pattern of organized disruption during a critical economic rebound.
The People’s Union, which claims to be nonpartisan but routinely promotes hard-left messaging, says this blackout is part of their broader “Economic Resistance Tour”—a direct effort to disrupt American capitalism from the inside.
Their message goes beyond just skipping shopping. Schwarz has urged Americans to:
- Shut down their businesses
- Skip work
- Protest outside local town halls and capitols
- Boycott digital services, online retailers, fast food, and big-box stores
In a July social media post, Schwarz wrote:
“We shut this country down. No more waiting. No more hoping someone else will fix it.”
On their website, the group states:
“Money is the only language the system understands… When we pull our dollars, we pull their power.”
Even more troubling, the group has announced additional boycotts coming in September, targeting Amazon, Uber, and Pepsi—all brands that have struggled to balance profitability with appeasing progressive activists.
Conservative analysts are sounding the alarm.
“This isn’t economic justice—it’s economic sabotage,” one Trump advisor said. “They’re trying to collapse the system from the inside, and they don’t care who gets hurt—small businesses, American workers, retirees.”
With inflation stabilizing and consumer confidence returning under President Trump, many are asking: Why now? And who benefits if the economy falters again?
For everyday Americans—especially seniors and small business owners—this so-called “resistance” movement could mean disruption, lost income, and more division.
As one retired store owner in Indiana put it: “We’ve worked our whole lives to build this economy. Now they want to tear it down to score political points.”