A new message from your friends at People For the American Way.
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Friend,

Welcome to our weekly “Trumptastrophe” email series that serves to remind
us of the destructive policies, decisions, and actions we encountered
during the Trump presidency and the threats that he and others in the MAGA
movement still pose – and to keep those moments clear in our memory as we
fight to defeat Republican extremists during the upcoming elections.

This week’s Trumptastrophe focuses on former President Trump’s view that
the “rule of law” only extends to those that stand in the way of his MAGA
agenda. He and other right-wing figures have decried his recent conviction
as a breakdown of justice – despite the clear and overwhelming evidence of
Trump’s criminal wrongdoing that led to his conviction by a unanimous jury
of his peers on 34 felony counts:

On June 1, 2020, Trump responded to widespread protests against the police
killing of George Floyd by declaring that Gen. Mark Milley was “[ [link removed] ]in
charge” of a national response and [ [link removed] ]threatening to deploy the U.S. Army
against protesters. Then, after military and riot police violently
[ [link removed] ]cleared protesters—[ [link removed] ]including clergy—out of the area and off the
patio of St. John’s Church in Washington, D.C., Trump made his notorious
walk across Lafayette Park for a photo op holding aloft a Bible in front
of the church.

That episode epitomized some of Trump’s worst impulses: authoritarianism,
the equation of brutality with strength, a willingness to violate the
rights of people he views as enemies, and his cynical exploitation of
religion to mobilize his Christian nationalist supporters.

All those dangerous traits, including a flagrant disregard for the rule of
law, are on display right now —from Trump himself, top Republican
officials, MAGA movement leaders, and Dominionist religious-right
figures—in reaction to Trump’s May 30 conviction. Trump was found guilty
on 34 felony counts by a jury of citizens who found that he repeatedly
broke the law while trying to prevent embarrassing information about his
sexual dalliance with a porn star from hurting his 2016 campaign.

Even before the verdict, Trump and his allies had undermined the rule of
law by denouncing the trial as rigged, smearing the judge, and portraying
Trump as the victim of political persecution.

When the jury’s verdicts were announced on Thursday afternoon, the MAGA
Republican martyrdom machinery went into full swing. Rather than praise
jurors for doing their duty and upholding the principle that in this
country no person is above the law, right-wing figures attacked the judge,
jury, prosecutors, and President Biden, whom they accused of masterminding
the prosecution. One far-right figure accused them all of committing
treason.

Trump himself denounced the trial as “rigged.” In a series of text
messages tied to fundraising asks, Trump called himself a “political
prisoner” and declared, “JUSTICE IS DEAD IN AMERICA! Our country has
FALLEN!” Trump called on his supporters to mobilize “IMMEDIATE PUSHBACK SO
MASSIVE IT WILL GO DOWN IN HISTORY!” and added, “WE MUST MAKE JOE BIDEN
REGRET EVER COMING AFTER US!”

Trump, his son Don Jr., and daughter-in-law Lara, all sent fundraising
emails. In one of them, Trump said the trial was a “sick & twisted” effort
to turn his supporters against him. “NOW IT’S TIME FOR ME & YOU TO SHOVE
IT BACK IN THEIR CORRUPT FACES!” he ranted.  Trump called the day of his
convictions the “darkest day in American history!” Junior repeated the
claim that his dad is a “political prisoner.” Lara called Trump’s
conviction an “assault on America” and accused Democrats of “using a SHAM
TRIAL to silence, imprison, and ERASE PRESIDENT TRUMP FROM HISTORY!”
Right-wing media reported that the flood of contributions from Trump
supporters overwhelmed his fundraising site.

We are also seeing even more evidence of how thoroughly Trump has
corrupted the Republican Party—something that was already clear in the
parade of GOP officeholders who traveled to New York to pose and posture
outside the trial.

When the guilty verdicts were announced, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson
[ [link removed] ]declared, “Today is a shameful day in American history.” Johnson
claimed the trial was “evidence that Democrats will stop at nothing to
silence dissent and crush their political opponents”—some high-level
gaslighting considering that is actually what Trump has been promising to
do if he gets back into power. The Republican Senate leader Mitch
McConnell fumed that the criminal charges “never should have been brought
in the first place.”

Right-wing Trump supporters went ballistic. Culture warrior Matt Walsh
railed that he didn’t want to hear statements from Republicans condemning
the verdict. “The only thing I want to hear from these people is which
Democrats they will have arrested,” he posted on social media. “Don't tell
us that you're sad about the verdict. We don't give a shit about your
feelings. We want to see corrupt Democrats frog marched on camera in
handcuffs. If you won't do that, then shut up.”

Mark Meckler, who heads the Convention of States movement to do a
right-wing rewrite of the U.S. Constitution, demanded that officials in
“deep red” parts of the country “bring immediate prosecutions of every Dem
official they can tag with even the most spurious charges.”

Trump’s religious-right backers also rallied around him. “Jesus was a
convicted felon. Convicted by political enemies,” declared Dominionist
Mario Murillo. Like many other far-right figures, Murillo predicted that
the convictions would strengthen Trump by energizing his outraged
supporters. He invoked the Japanese admiral who planned the World War II
attack on the U.S. at Pearl Harbor, who wrote afterward in his diary, “I
fear all we have done is to awake a sleeping giant and fill him with a
terrible resolve.”

Speaking of terrible resolve, far-right media figure Stew Peters, who has
a record of calling for political violence, did so again, tweeting, “Our
judicial system has been weaponized against the American people,” adding,
“We are left with NO other option but to take matters into our own hands,”
a statement he followed with an emoji of crossed swords. ⚔️

It is clearer every day that Trump and his supporters have abandoned any
sense of commitment to accountability, checks and balances, and the rule
of law. The organizations from across the right-wing and MAGA movements
participating in the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 are hoping to help
Trump take virtually dictatorial control of the executive branch if he is
elected this fall. And Trump’s political operatives are promising that he
will use that power to take revenge on the media and anyone else who
stands in Trump’s way.

Trump’s convictions were, as People For the American Way President Svante
Myrick [ [link removed] ]said, “the product of a justice system working as it should, in
which no one is above the law.” A former president being held accountable
is a sign of strength in our democratic system. But the response from
Trump supporters has also reminded us of the fragility of the system in
the face of dishonorable officials. As Myrick noted, “Unfortunately, we
can’t forget that Donald Trump is running for president because he hoped
to escape the many criminal charges against him, and to gain the power to
exact ‘retribution’ against his perceived enemies. We’re deeply concerned
that he’s still pursuing this goal.”

These are just some of the reasons we need YOU in this
fight. So, find your
favorite way to unwind after reading through this week’s recap, and then
make a plan for how you will fight back this week, this month, this
election cycle.

For members who are interested in sharing the weekly Trumptastrophe
series, [ [link removed] ]you can find all previous editions on our website! This post
will be published by Thursday so you can share with your friends and
family and remind them of the importance of ensuring that Trump is
defeated again this November.

[ [link removed] ]If you’d like to opt-out of this series but still continue receiving
our other email content, you can do so here >>

Thanks for all that you do to defeat Republican extremism.

– People For the American Way

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