Dear MoveOn member,

We are witnessing what was once unthinkable: authoritarianism taking root on American soil.

Here's what Trump’s tyrannical rampage has brought us:

• He attempted to strip citizenship from children born in America.¹

• He is throwing the country into a constitutional crisis by ignoring lawful court orders.²

• He abducted, detained, and deported immigrants without due process, shipping hundreds to a notorious prison in El Salvador. And he is considering expelling U.S. citizens and sending them to the same prison.³

• He defunded American universities, and his vice president said that professors “are the enemy.”⁴

I’ve been working in politics my entire adult life. This isn't normal. Not by a long shot. It is authoritarianism, plain and simple.

Trump and his billionaire allies like Elon Musk want us to feel helpless, powerless, and alone. They want us to believe resistance is futile. They want us to give up.

But here's what gives me hope: America isn’t going down without a fight.

On April 5, millions of Americans took to the streets in more than 1,300 peaceful actions in cities and towns large and small across all 50 states.⁵ Federal courts have blocked some of Trump's most egregious actions.⁶⁷ Trump’s polling numbers are falling.⁸ And constituents are confronting their representatives at town halls, taking Republicans in Congress to task for being complicit in Trump’s authoritarian takeover.⁹

History shows that no authoritarian regime in world history has withstood organized opposition from just 3.5% of the population—a number we can absolutely reach.¹⁰

But to build a movement of that scale, we need organizations with the capacity, expertise, and reach to coordinate nationwide action. That's exactly what MoveOn provides.

For 26 years, MoveOn’s millions of members—who live in every state, every congressional district, and every corner of the country—have been using cutting-edge technology and grassroots people power to organize against right-wing extremism.

This targeted, strategic organizing requires consistent, ongoing resources. And we don’t just need to keep organizing, we need to ratchet up our efforts to another level. Which is why I am asking you: Will you donate $5 a month to help MoveOn build the movement we need to defeat Trump's authoritarianism?

Yes, I'll chip in $5 a month. (If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately.)

No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.

We've already seen what's possible when we organize.

When he attempted to end birthright citizenship, the courts blocked him.¹¹

When Harvard refused to bow down to the White House’s demand to eliminate DEI programs, Trump backed down and claimed the demands were a “mistake.”¹²

And remember, during his first term, MoveOn helped lead the movement that saved the Affordable Care Act and forced Trump to end family separation at the border.

Authoritarians throughout history have understood that their greatest enemy is an organized citizenry. That's why they work so hard to make us feel isolated and powerless.

But we are not powerless when we stand together.

The path forward won't be easy. But I've seen the power of organized resistance before. More than 55 years ago, I participated in the movement against the Vietnam War—a movement that ultimately ended the war and caused a once-powerful president to resign.

Today, we will prevail because we are relearning that same basic truth: We are the leaders we've been waiting for.

Please, can you start a $5 monthly donation today to help MoveOn build the movement we need to protect our democracy from Trump's authoritarian assault?

Yes, I'll chip in $5 a month. (If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately.)

No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.

Thanks for all you do.

–Robert Reich

P.S. The research is clear: No government has withstood a challenge of 3.5% of their population mobilizing against it. We don't need a majority to defeat tyranny. We just need enough people with courage and clarity to say: No more, this ends here. Please start a $5 monthly donation now to help MoveOn's efforts to mobilize 3.5% or more of the population.

Yes, I'll chip in $5 a month. (If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately.)

No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.

Sources:

1. "Supreme Court keeps hold on Trump’s restrictions on birthright citizenship but sets May arguments," AP News, April 17, 2025
https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-birthright-citizenship-trump-6f0cb929c4604ec1d9bf9fea99765b61

https://www.usnews.com/news/u-s-news-decision-points/articles/2025-04-15/trump-explores-sending-u-s-citizens-to-prison-in-el-salvador

4. "The 'Professors' Are Not the Enemy," Psychology Today, March 18, 2025
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/darwins-subterranean-world/202503/the-professors-are-not-the-enemy

Want to support our work? The MoveOn community will work every moment, day by day and year by year, to resist Trump's agenda, contain the damage, defeat hate with love, and begin the process of swinging the nation's pendulum back toward sanity, decency, and the kind of future that we must never give up on. And to do it we need your ongoing support, now more than ever. Will you stand with us?

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