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 attempts to
cling to power following the 2020 election while he and his allies spread
lies about the outcome through their repeated and disproven claims that it
was “stolen.” And as polls tighten between former President Trump and
Kamala Harris, his campaign continues laying the groundwork to repeat the
same claims if he loses to Harris this November.

On Sept. 23, 2020, President Donald Trump [ [link removed]- ]refused to commit to a
peaceful transfer of power if he lost the upcoming election, a preview of
his intensive efforts to hold onto power illegally after he did lose.

Polls at the time showed that Trump was [ [link removed]- ]trailing Joe Biden, and Trump
was trying to create doubts about the election’s legitimacy by making
bogus claims about mail-in ballots and voter fraud.

When Trump was [ [link removed]- ]asked at a White House news conference if he would
commit to a peaceful transfer of power, he responded, “Well, we’ll have to
see what happens.”

“I’ve been complaining very strongly about the ballots,” Trump said. “And
the ballots are a disaster.”.

Trump had already been setting himself up to deny defeat, saying at the
Republican National Convention that summer, “The only way they can take
this election away from us is if this is a rigged election.”

Trump’s refusals to pledge support for a peaceful transfer of power
sparked widespread criticism, leading White House press secretary Kayleigh
McEnany to tell reporters the following day, “The president will accept
the results of a free and fair election.” That, of course, turned out not
to be true.

In a [ [link removed]- ]poll conducted a few days after Trump’s comments, fewer than half
of likely voters thought a peaceful transition of power was likely if
Biden beat Trump. Trump made it clear that those concerns were well
founded a week after his press conference, when he was [ [link removed]- ]asked at a
presidential debate if he would pledge not to declare victory until the
election was “independently certified.” Trump said, “If I see tens of
thousands of ballots being manipulated, I can’t go along with it.”

By then, journalists were [ [link removed]- ]reporting on the Trump campaign’s plans to
aggressively challenge the results in battleground states if he lost. In
The Atlantic, Barton Gellman warned of a worst-case scenario in which
Trump “uses his power to prevent a decisive outcome against him”:

If Trump sheds all restraint, and if his Republican allies play the
parts he assigns them, he could obstruct the emergence of a legally
unambiguous victory for Biden in the Electoral College and then in
Congress. He could prevent the formation of consensus about whether
there is any outcome at all. He could seize on that uncertainty to hold
on to power.

We now know that is the path Trump chose and pursued relentlessly, at
great cost to our political system.

Trump, his legal team, and his supporters promoted unbelievable conspiracy
theories and brought dozens of frivolous lawsuits, bullied and threatened
local election officials and state officeholders, created fraudulent
slates of pro-Trump electors from states he lost, aggressively pressured
Vice President Mike Pence to abuse his power and disrupt the
constitutional process of Congress affirming states’ certified Electoral
College votes, tried to get the Justice Department to take his side, and
called a mob of supporters enraged by his false claims to descend on
Washington on Jan. 6.

The Atlantic’s Gellman was right about something else when he [ [link removed]- ]wrote
before the 2020 election:

Donald Trump may win or lose, but he will never concede. Not under any
circumstance. Not during the Interregnum and not afterward. If compelled
in the end to vacate his office, Trump will insist from exile, as long
as he draws breath, that the contest was rigged.

Of course, Trump continues to spread his inflammatory Big Lie, insisting
falsely that he did not lose the 2020 election. He and his allies have
been [ [link removed]- ]repeating dangerous [ [link removed]- ]claims that the only way he can lose this
year is if his opponents cheat.

That is setting the stage for more rage from his supporters, and for a
repeat of the kind of violence we saw in the attack on the Capitol by
people who believed Trump’s groundless claims that illegal voters and
corrupt election officials had stolen the election from Trump and his
followers.

Trump’s coup failed, but only because courts refused to overturn the
election based on his false claims, and because people in powerful
positions—including Vice President Mike Pence and lawyers at the White
House and Justice Department—were more loyal to the Constitution than to
Trump and his political ambitions.

Trump and his political advisers have made it clear that they believe
hiring such principled people was a mistake they will not repeat if he
returns to power. His allies at [ [link removed]- ]Project 2025 are prepared to assert
that the president has dictatorial powers, and they have been busily
vetting thousands of ideological warriors to make sure he can replace
purged government employees with people who won’t challenge the ways he
decides to use and abuse that power.

American voters are facing a choice between two starkly different
candidates and two starkly different futures. Trump and his allies have
already proven that they have contempt for democracy. They are making
plans to give Trump the kind of power and control he envies in dictatorial
leaders around the world. Freedom is on the ballot.

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 MAGA Republicans.

– 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]-