A new message from your friends at People For the American Way.
[link removed]
***********************

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 long
history of anti-immigrant racism and his support for white nationalists
and other MAGA allies that help further his harsh immigration policies:

On August 25, 2017, Trump [ [link removed] ]granted a [ [link removed] ]pardon to Joe Arpaio, a former
Arizona sheriff who had become infamous for his racist [ [link removed] ]birtherism,
illegal racial profiling, and cruelty in treating undocumented immigrants.
Arpaio was [ [link removed] ]facing potential jail time after his [ [link removed] ]conviction for
criminal contempt after his department [ [link removed] ]defied court orders to stop
racially profiling and detaining Latino motorists.

Civil and human rights leaders denounced Trump’s move as “a presidential
endorsement of racism” and “a dangerous message that a law enforcement
officer who abused his position of power and defied a court order can
simply be excused by a president who himself clearly does not respect the
law.”

“Trump’s pardon elevates Arpaio once again to the pantheon of those who
see institutional racism as something that made America great,” The
Arizona Republic [ [link removed] ]editorialized.

By 2021, Arpaio’s actions as sheriff had [ [link removed] ]cost county taxpayers $100
million for “attorney fees, settlements and other costs the county has
paid from lawsuits over things such as jail deaths, failed investigations
of the sheriff's political enemies and immigration raids of businesses”
and another $178 million “and counting” from a racial profiling case
“stemming from Arpaio’s signature traffic patrols targeting immigrants.”

The once-popular Arpaio had been [ [link removed] ]turned out of office by voters in
2016, but in spite of—or perhaps because of—his cruel and lawbreaking
policies, Arpaio achieved a sort of MAGA [ [link removed] ]folk-hero status among
[ [link removed] ]far-right activists and [ [link removed] ]so-called “[ [link removed] ]constitutional sheriffs.”
He was invited to speak at the [ [link removed] ]2016 Republican National Convention and
[ [link removed] ]religious-right events, and [ [link removed] ]endorsed the Institute on the
Constitution’s Christian Reconstructionist course on the U.S.
Constitution. In 2022, Arpaio [ [link removed] ]spoke at AFPAC, the white nationalist
America First Political Action Conference organized by the notoriously
racist and antisemitic Nick Fuentes.

After Trump’s pardon, Arpaio tried to make a political comeback [ [link removed] ]with a
2018 [ [link removed] ]run for the U.S. Senate, but came in last place in a
three-candidate Republican primary. In 2020, voters rejected his attempt
to win back his job as Maricopa County sheriff. Two years later he lost
his bid to become mayor of a Phoenix suburb.

Trump’s admiration for Arpaio highlights the former president’s disdain
for the rule of law and his harmful impact on American culture and
politics.

Trump’s willingness to use racist and anti-immigrant dog whistles and
stoke “white grievance” as a political strategy were [ [link removed] ]in evidence in
August 2020 at the COVID-limited Republican National Convention held at
the White House. Right Wing Watch [ [link removed] ]noted at the time:

The limitless cynicism and lawlessness of the Trump administration was
on full display during the second night of the Republican National
Convention. Perhaps the most shameless moment came when President
Donald Trump turned a citizenship naturalization ceremony from a
nonpartisan moment of celebration into a partisan campaign event. That
would have been awful (and [ [link removed] ]illegal) under any circumstance, but it
was especially despicable coming from an administration that has slammed
the door to the very refugees and legal immigrants it pretended to
value Tuesday night.

Trump’s anti-immigrant politics of white grievance have been on continuous
display this year through Trump’s [ [link removed] ]campaign rhetoric, in [ [link removed] ]Project
2025’s agenda for a new Trump [ [link removed] ]administration, and at July’s Republican
National Convention, where [ [link removed] ]cheering delegates waved printed “MASS
DEPORTATION NOW!” signs.

How might Trump use his pardon power if he wins this year’s election and
returns to the White House?

Trump has [ [link removed] ]suggested that if he returns to the presidency, he will
“[ [link removed] ]absolutely” [ [link removed] ]pardon the insurrectionists who attacked the U.S.
Capitol on Jan. 6 to help him stay in power after he lost the 2020
election. As president, he asserted that he had the “[ [link removed] ]absolute right”
to pardon himself—a [ [link removed] ]disputed claim that has [ [link removed] ]never been resolved by
the Supreme Court—and [ [link removed] ]considered giving himself a pardon before
leaving office in 2021.

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

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ [link removed] ]DONATE NOW

 

 

 


***********************

Do not reply directly to this e-mail. Please use [email protected].

Trouble viewing the email?
VIEW AS WEB PAGE:
[link removed]

This email was sent to [email protected]. Reaching you over email
is the best way we have to let you know about the ways you can take
action to fight the Right Wing and defend our constitutional rights
and values. If you have any thoughts, comments, or criticisms, or if
there's a better email address at which to reach you, please
let us know. If you'd like to unsubscribe from our list, you
can do that here:

You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]
. But know that if you leave, it will be harder for you to stay involved with People For the American Way and continue our
crucial work. PFAW is able to win policy battles and elections, and
counter the Right's extremism and hate, because of dedicated
activists like you, and we're always eager to hear your thoughts.
Thanks for your support.

[link removed]

CONTACT:
[link removed]

PRIVACY POLICY:
[link removed]

FACEBOOK:
[link removed]

TWITTER:
[link removed]

YOUTUBE:
[link removed]

1101 15th Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC xxxxxx-5002,
202-467-4999

You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]