Dear MoveOn member,
Donald Trump just handed us an enormous political gift—and if we take
advantage, it could end his lead in the race for the White House.
Trump said he would cut Social Security and Medicare if reelected.^1
His campaign immediately realized how damaging his comment was and got
Trump to try to walk it back.^2 But cuts to Social Security and Medicare
are baked into the plans Trump and his MAGA allies have for Trump's second
term, in order to give another giant tax cut to the superrich.^3
Cutting Social Security is opposed by 85% of voters over 50.^4 And when
you look at the list of the states with the most voters over 50, it's like
a carbon copy of the list of key 2024 election battleground states:
Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Hampshire, Wisconsin ….^5
If Trump underperforms among seniors in key battleground states by even
one or two points, his shot at winning the White House is over. We need to
take advantage of this gift now.
Will you chip in $5 a month to help us educate and reach out
to voters in key battleground states about Trump's attack on Social
Security and Medicare, so they learn about and then are reminded of his
shocking plans? This could crush Trump's lead in the 2024 race.
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll donate monthly.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
This isn't the first time Trump has signaled that he wants to cut these
programs. Remember that Trump's last budget as president would have cut
Social Security and Medicare by $1.7 trillion.^6 Yes, trillion.
But cutting Social Security is such a politically radioactive idea that,
frankly, we can't believe Trump would admit it while campaigning for the
White House.
In stark contrast, President Joe Biden has a clear plan to save Social
Security by having the superrich—who have become far richer over the past
several decades—pay more Social Security taxes.^7
To turn Trump's moment of truth about his plans to cut Social Security
into an opportunity, we want to make sure that every dime we spend is
specifically targeted at the voters who really care about this issue.
Television is terrible for that, because if you buy a television ad,
you're going to be charged for everyone who might see the ad, whether they
are likely to care about the issue or not.
But streaming services and social media are a totally different ballgame.
Sites like Facebook allow us to make sure that our ads are reaching the
right people in the right states. Do we want to target independent voters
who are over 50, live in key battleground states, and always vote? We can
order that right up.
Senior citizens vote at a higher rate than any other age group, and they
tend to skew Republican. So if you're a Republican candidate trying to win
an election, going after their benefits is a pretty bad idea.
Let's put it this way: If you were trying to create an issue designed to
peel off Trump voters and swing the voters in key battleground states in
the 2024 election, this would be it.
But if we're going to take advantage of this situation, we need to draw
attention to it ourselves. The mainstream media for years has given Trump
a pass on Social Security and is too distracted by Trump's latest outrage
to focus on kitchen-table issues like this one.^8
Can you chip in $5 a month to help us get the truth out to
voters in battleground states, from now through Election Day, about
Trump's plans to cut Social Security and Medicare?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in monthly.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Thanks for all you do.
–Mohammad, Nakia, Alexis, Rahna, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Trump just opened the door to Social Security cuts. Take him
seriously," Vox, March 12, 2024
[link removed]
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. "AARP Survey: Overwhelming Bipartisan Majority Opposes Social Security
and Medicare Cuts to Reduce Deficit," AARP, May 26, 2021
[link removed]
5. "These Are the Youngest States in America," Time, November 6, 2017
[link removed]
6. "Trump vowed to not cut Social Security and Medicare—hours before
proposing just that," Vox, February 10, 2020
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7. "Trump Wants to Destroy Social Security, But Biden Plan Would Improve
and Expand It," Common Dreams, March 18, 2024
[link removed]
8. "Mainstream media have no excuse to keep falsely saying Trump opposes
cuts to Social Security and Medicare," Media Matters for America, March
11, 2024
[link removed]
Want to support MoveOn's work? The MAGA movement's book bans have forced
teachers and librarians across the country to remove books from their
shelves and censor what young people can learn. MoveOn is fighting back,
including by filling a "Banned Bookmobile" with books that the far right
has banned and driving it to key cities and towns to raise the visibility
of book bans, hand out banned books for free, and bring people together to
stop censorship. To keep up the fight against book bans and the MAGA
politicians who support them, we need your help.
Will you start a monthly gift to power and sustain MoveOn's critical
work?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in $5 a month.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
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