Dear MoveOn member,
On Thursday, a lawyer for Donald Trump argued to the Supreme Court that
the president could assassinate a political rival and be immune from
prosecution.
That's not even the most shocking part. No, the most shocking part is that
the MAGA Supreme Court justices agreed with him.^1
The court heard arguments as to whether Trump can be tried for attempting
to overthrow the 2020 presidential election, and while it's hard to be
surprised by anything Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, or any of the other
MAGA justices say, the comments coming from the bench were downright
terrifying.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh said that a sitting president cannot be prosecuted
for breaking ANY law that doesn't specifically mention "the president" in
the statute. Justices Amy Coney Barrett and John Roberts tried to qualify
Trump's actions as "official" behavior. Justice Clarence Thomas sat in
judgment of this case despite the fact that his wife participated in the
insurrection. Justice Samuel Alito said that presidents must be immune
from prosecution or else it would ... *checks notes* ... "destabilize our
democracy"?!^2
It's obvious that this court is going to at least delay the Department of
Justice's January 6 trial against Trump until after the election, if not
declare at least some of his actions immune. But more important: The
Supreme Court has made it clear that if Donald Trump is reelected, they
will give him legal cover to commit any act he wishes—the absolute
nightmare scenario.
Our ONLY recourse to save the nation from a lawless Trump presidency is
defeating him soundly at the ballot box. MoveOn has the plan in place to
do just that—Robert Reich has said it, The New York Times has said it,
years of experience and intensive research have said it! But as a
grassroots organization, we can see this plan through to November only if
our members step up, and we are worryingly behind in our fundraising goals
right now.
The Supreme Court has said loud and clear that Donald Trump will be above
the law if he wins a second term, so we must make sure he NEVER has that
opportunity. Will you start a $5 monthly donation to power
and sustain MoveOn's election plan?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in monthly.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
When America was founded, the intention was to move away from the kings
and despots of colonial Europe. Thomas Paine said that as America has no
king, "In America, the rule of law is king."^3
The current Supreme Court majority seems poised to throw that 250-year-old
ideal out the window.
And here are just some of the potential crimes against our democracy that
Trump has said he wants to commit:
* Gut civil service positions in favor of political appointees to do his
bidding. Trump already has a plan in place to replace thousands of
agency employees with his own sycophants, ready to roll back civil
rights and undo environmental protections.^4
* Weaponize the FBI to jail his political opposition. As Trump recently
said, "If I happen to be president and I see somebody who's doing well
and beating me very badly, I say, 'Go down and indict them.' They'd be
out of business."^5
* Incite violence against anyone he deems a threat. Trump hasn't just
said he wants to do this; he has done it. As recently as this month,
he has posted an image of President Biden hog-tied in the back of a
pickup truck—a serious crime for anyone else.^6
John, this is exactly what fascism looks like. And the MAGA
majority of the Supreme Court, perhaps our most important check on
unfettered power, seems perfectly OK to let it happen.
We, the grassroots, are the last bastion standing between our democracy,
our civil rights, the country we love—and Donald Trump. If you have been
waiting to donate until it was "the right time," believe us when we say,
this is that moment.
Will you start a $5 monthly donation to MoveOn's election
program and help defeat Donald Trump and his MAGA movement?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in monthly.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
The race between Biden and Trump right now is statistically tied.^7 Just
as in 2020, battleground states will likely be decided by thousands of
votes, not millions. The question is how we get the thousands of votes we
need to win.
Obviously, Trump has voters behind him who do not care what crime he
commits—they will vote for him anyway. We are not spending a dime trying
to change their minds.
Instead, our $32 million election program is targeting the voters who came
out in 2016 but have become disengaged since then. Interest in the
presidential election is at a 20-year low, and it is critical that we
reengage people with the democratic process and let them know what is at
stake in November.^8 As The New York Times says, these are the voters who
will decide the election, if they turn out.^9
Our Vote Mobilizer and education programs are reaching out to the 1.4
million "surge voters" in battleground states to take the Trump threat to
our democracy out of the abstract and let them know exactly how our lives
will change with a second Trump term. We are talking about bodily autonomy
and abortion rights. We're talking about climate disasters and clean
drinking water. We're talking about an economy that works for the 99%
instead of just the 1%. But how many people we reach depends on you.
We need voters to understand these stakes before we deploy our vote
tripling tactic, the get-out-the-vote method as much as five times more
effective than other tactics. This is the plan that will stop Trump's
march to the White House—but we cannot wait until September to kick it
into high gear. This plan must be funded now.
John, we just cannot afford to cut back on our work in this
moment. Please put yourself on the front lines of defeating Trump and the
radical right by starting a $5 monthly donation to MoveOn
today. Your ongoing contribution will power our fight between now and
Election Day.
[ [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, Kelsey, Alexis, Emily, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. Post on X by Marc E. Elias, April 25, 2024
[link removed]
2. "Donald Trump had a fantastic day in the Supreme Court today," Vox,
April 25, 2024
[link removed]
3. "2.5 Primary Source: Thomas Paine, Common Sense (1776)," National
Constitution Center, accessed April 26, 2024
[link removed]
4. "A guide to Project 2025, the extreme right-wing agenda for the next
Republican administration," Media Matters for America, March 30, 2024
[link removed]
5. "Trump says on Univision he could weaponize FBI, DOJ against his
enemies," The Washington Post, November 10, 2023
[link removed]
6. "Donald Trump May Have Just Committed a New Crime—Attorney," Newsweek,
April 1, 2024
[link removed]
7. "Biden gains on Trump in series of polls," The Hill, April 25, 2024
[link removed]
8. "Poll: Election interest hits new low in tight Biden-Trump race," NBC
News, April 21, 2024
[link removed]
9. "They Could Decide the 2024 Election. If They Vote." The New York Times
Magazine, March 1, 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.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
PAID FOR BY MOVEON POLITICAL ACTION, [ [link removed] ][link removed]?.
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. MoveOn Political
Action - PO Box 96142, Washington, D.C. 20090-6142.
You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]
