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 how some of those who worked most closely with President Trump during his first term are now sounding the alarm about the dangers of a potential second term if he is reelected this November. In late October 2019, Trump and his supporters began a smear campaign against Alexander Vindman, who testified before House impeachment investigators about Trump’s demand that the Ukrainian government investigate his political rival, Joe Biden, as a condition of future U.S. support. Vindman, whose family fled the Soviet Union when he was a young child, had served as a U.S. Army officer for more than two decades. At the time of the investigation, he was director of European affairs at the National Security Council. He testified that he believed it was improper for the president to pressure a foreign government to investigate a U.S. citizen, and he reported his concerns to his superiors. The Trump administration responded by retaliating against Vindman and his brother, a lieutenant colonel who was also working on the National Security Council. Trump’s attempt to pressure a vulnerable U.S. ally into interfering in the 2020 election, and his attacks on people who challenged him, remind us why Trump is too dangerous to wield the power of the presidency. He is willing to subvert U.S. national interests for his own personal benefit. And he will abuse his power to try to destroy truth-tellers and honest critics. That is why so many of the people who worked most closely with Trump are refusing to support his return to power—and why so many of them are sounding the alarm about the threat he poses to our freedom and democracy. “As Donald Trump seeks the presidency for a third time, he is being vigorously opposed by a vocal contingent of former officials who are stridently warning against his return to power and offering dire predictions for the country and the rule of law if his campaign succeeds,” reported AP’s Michelle Price earlier this year. Here’s just a sampling of the dozens of people who worked with and for Trump—and are now warning Americans not to let him back in power:
“The American people should listen to what these folks are saying because it should be alarming that the people that Trump hired to work for him a first term are saying that he’s unfit to serve for a second term,” said former White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Matthews. These are people who saw Trump in action in his first term. Just imagine how much more dangerous Trump would be in a second term now that the MAGA justices on the Supreme Court have trashed the constitutional principle of checks and balances by making up a broad new theory of presidential immunity. They’ve told Trump that he won’t have to worry about the courts holding him accountable for lawbreaking he engages in as president. That’s terrifying. Let it also be motivating. We have just days to take whatever action we can to prevent the disaster of tyrant Trump. 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, 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. Thanks for all that you do to defeat MAGA Republicans. – People For the American Way
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