John,

Donald Trump is going to return to the White House, and there will be no one to hold him back.

It’s a scary thought―but unfortunately there’s danger lurking around every corner of the country now.

It’s hard to be hopeful right now, just like it was hard to be hopeful in 2016.

But the morning after 2016, I was sure that the Affordable Care Act was doomed. I was sure that deficit hawks like Paul Ryan would find a way to slash Social Security and Medicare. But people across this country came together and fought back―and we saved the ACA and protected Social Security and Medicare, even as Donald Trump proposed cuts to them every year he was in the White House.

We need to have our eyes open: The danger is real. But so is our power.

Donald Trump is taking office with a majority in the Senate. He may yet have a majority in the House of Representatives as well. But that doesn’t mean we should surrender.

The Republican majorities are dead set on slashing Social Security and Medicare benefits and handing out gigantic tax breaks to plutocrats like Elon Musk.

I spent the last few months traveling around the country, and on my hotel TVs, I got a good look at how Republicans were selling themselves in swing states. They claimed to be the protectors of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid―even though their Project 2025 blueprint would privatize Medicare and dismantle the Social Security Administration.

I’m old enough to remember the 2004 election, when George W. Bush’s allies were crowing about a ‘permanent Republican majority.’ Then, he overinterpreted his election mandate and tried to privatize Social Security. Four years later, Barack Obama was elected President with a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.

This is a dark day. But we will keep fighting because we are fighting for each other. The American people did not vote in the hopes that someone would make it impossible for them to retire. They didn’t vote to let Big Pharma keep ripping us off. They didn’t vote with the intention of devastating the working class.

In the coming months, as Donald Trump takes action, voters won’t be confronted with abstract choices. If Donald Trump tries to carry out his Project 2025 agenda, we will stop him.

After news like this, it’s easy to feel isolated and lonely. You’re not alone.

Three-fourths of Americans want to see Social Security expanded―not cut.

Even more want to see corporations and the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes.

84% of Americans want to expand Medicare to cover dental services.

Americans are on our side. The corporate media and billions of dollars in dark money can obscure where the parties stand during a campaign, but it’s much harder when the winner is in a position to do the unpopular things that their billionaire donors demand of them.

It’s going to be a hard 4 years. But if we stand together in solidarity, we can see it through.

In solidarity,

Alex Lawson
Social Security Works

P.S. If you’re feeling up to it, Social Security Works is partnering with some of our allies for a series of post-election livestreams starting tonight. We’d love to have you there to help chart the way forward.