Dear MoveOn member,
I need to tell you why Elon Musk simply does not like me.
A few months ago, I wrote a column exposing the millions of dollars that Musk poured into a shady Super PAC backing Donald Trump and calling out the right-wing conspiracy theories and anti-immigrant lies he is spreading on Twitter, which Musk owns.1
I called it back then: If Trump won, he'd pick Musk to run a "government efficiency commission" that would take an axe to programs like Social Security and Medicare.2
In response, Musk took to Twitter, calling me derogatory names that I … simply won't repeat.
Despite Musk's temper tantrum, it turns out that I was right. Trump has named Musk and billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy co-chairs of a phony government agency they are calling the "Department of Government Efficiency."
And now, after meeting with Ramaswamy, Republicans on Capitol Hill have announced that "everything is on the table," including cutting Social Security and Medicare.3
I personally served as a Social Security trustee, so this issue is near and dear to my heart. And the entire team here at the nonprofit I co-founded, Inequality Media Civic Action, and I will do everything in our power to stop Musk's plan to destroy these vital programs. But we need your help.
If you're wondering why Musk and other billionaires spent hundreds of millions of dollars to elect Trump, look no further.
Ramaswamy has been very clear about his plans, saying that the Trump administration plans to cut "hundreds of billions of dollars" from Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.4
This is exactly what the billionaires want—and what they've bought for themselves: the power to gut Social Security and Medicare and give themselves more tax cuts and tens of billions in government contracts.
We can't let it happen.
Musk may be the richest man in the world, but that doesn't mean we're powerless to stop him.
Here's the good news: Over the past decade, Inequality Media Civic Action has built a massive audience across virtually all social media platforms to educate the public about the most pressing issues of our time. Our messages are especially good at reaching the working people who trusted Trump—and our secret sauce is debunking key economic myths and exposing the self-dealing and corruption driving Trump's presidency.
In 2024 alone, our videos obtained more than 250 million views across platforms, and we have 10.4 million followers online.
Now, we're going to use our massive reach to alert the public about what Trump and Musk are proposing and call out the Republican lies about Social Security and Medicare.
Social Security is one of the most successful and popular government programs of all time. That's why I know we can win this fight—but only if we join together.
Thank you for your commitment to building a fairer, more just society.
–Robert Reich
Sources:
1. "Elon Musk is out of control. Here is how to rein him in," The Guardian, August 30, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/200968?t=4&akid=418700%2E40999114%2EMMPMRv
2. Ibid.
3. "Column: Trump promised he won't cut Social Security. Should you trust him?" Los Angeles Times, December 10, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/200969?t=6&akid=418700%2E40999114%2EMMPMRv
4. "DOGE has a plan for Medicare, Medicaid. Will it work?" Politico, December 13, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/200970?t=8&akid=418700%2E40999114%2EMMPMRv
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