Dear MoveOn member,

Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of defense, Fox News host Pete
Hegseth, poses an unprecedented threat to our communities' safety,
American freedoms, and national security.

His confirmation hearing on Tuesday only confirmed our worst fears—and
also underscored that we must act urgently to build awareness and outrage
about how incredibly dangerous his confirmation is to our safety and the
rule of law.

During Tuesday's hearing, these are just some of the deeply serious
concerns laid bare about Hegseth:

* Hegseth often showed up at work drunk and has been accused of rape and
sexual harassment.^1 His own mother called him an "abuser of women."^2
* He has wide-ranging extremist views, including saying as recently as
this past November that women don't belong in combat roles, calling
progressives and Democrats "domestic enemies," and insisting on
restoring the names of Confederate generals to U.S. military
installations.^3,4,5
* He has virtually no management experience to lead the massive Defense
Department, which is the largest employer in the United States and has
an $841 billion budget.^6
* And, most alarmingly, he refused to say he would disobey illegal
orders from Trump that fly in the face of the Constitution to use the
military against protesters or carry out mass deportations.^7

Hegseth's unquestioning loyalty to Trump and willingness to use military
force against Americans make him uniquely dangerous as defense secretary.
He is clearly signaling that he would eagerly comply with Trump's
autocratic impulses rather than uphold his oath to the Constitution—all at
the expense of our service members.

Republican senators believe they have the votes to confirm Hegseth. The
only thing that can stop Hegseth is a massive public outcry backed by a
well-funded opposition campaign.

That's where MoveOn comes in. We've launched an emergency campaign to stop
Hegseth's confirmation, but we need your support to quickly ramp up our
work.



Will you start a monthly donation of $5 to help stop this
uniquely dangerous nominee and to do all we can to block Trump's worst
actions in the weeks and months ahead?

[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in monthly.

[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.



Hegseth has written about the military taking sides in a civil war.^8 His
book American Crusade calls for the "categorical defeat of the Left," with
the goal of "utter annihilation," without which "America cannot, and will
not, survive."^9 And now he's poised to lead the military.

When asked directly on Tuesday during his confirmation hearing if he would
allow troops to fire on peaceful protesters, he refused to answer.^10

The threat is clear: Trump wants a defense secretary who will eagerly
comply with his autocratic impulses rather than uphold their oath to the
Constitution, and our military members will be the ones who suffer the
most.

And, right now, right-wing dark-money groups are spending huge sums to
pressure senators to confirm him.

For instance, Building America's Future, a right-wing group that spent $45
million supporting Trump's presidential campaign, has aired more than
$500,000 in ads on Fox News and elsewhere, calling Hegseth the victim of a
"deep state" campaign to sink his nomination.^11

The committee could vote as soon as Monday, with a full Senate vote
shortly after. We have no time to waste and urgently need resources to
fight back.



Please start a $5 monthly donation to help stop this
dangerous nominee, expose Trump's other dangerous nominees, and ensure we
counter Trump's worst moves at every turn. Every dollar helps amplify our
campaigns against Trump's threats to democracy and national security.

[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in monthly.

[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.



With your help, MoveOn will do all this:

* Mobilize our millions of members to create overwhelming grassroots
pressure
* Counter the right-wing propaganda machine trying to normalize this
dangerous nominee
* Build coalitions with veterans, military families, and democracy
advocates
* Generate hard-hitting media coverage about the threat Hegseth poses



Please, John, start a $5 monthly donation right
now to power MoveOn's work to stop Pete Hegseth from getting anywhere near
the Department of Defense and to sustain our long-term work of defending
our democracy and national security under the Trump administration.

[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in monthly.

[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.



Thanks for all you do.

–Nakia, Allison, Amanda R., Mohammad, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "Pete Hegseth's Secret History," The New Yorker, December 1, 2024
[link removed]

2. "Pete Hegseth's Mom Calls Him 'Abuser of Women' in Released Email,"
Rolling Stone, November 30, 2024
[link removed]

3. "What Pete Hegseth Thinks Women Are Good For," New York, January 15,
2025
[link removed]

4. "Trump's Pentagon pick Hegseth wrote of US military taking sides in
'civil war,'" The Guardian, November 22, 2024
[link removed]

5. "Pete Hegseth says US military bases should restore names of
Confederate generals," CNN, January 13, 2025
[link removed]

6. "The Pressure Campaign To Get Pete Hegseth Confirmed As Defense
Secretary," The New Yorker, January 13, 2025
[link removed]

7. "Five questions Hegseth dodged at his Defense Department confirmation
hearing," Axios, January 14, 2025
[link removed]

8. "Trump's Pentagon pick Hegseth wrote of US military taking sides in
'civil war,'" The Guardian, November 22, 2024
[link removed]

9. "Donald Trump's Most Dangerous Cabinet Pick," The Atlantic, November
21, 2024
[link removed]

10. "Five questions Hegseth dodged at his Defense Department confirmation
hearing," Axios, January 14, 2025
[link removed]

11. Post on X by Building America's Future, December 6, 2024
[link removed]

 



Want to support MoveOn's work? Donald Trump and his MAGA allies expect us
to give up. But we will not give them what they want. We will never stop
working to defend our fundamental freedoms and protect our democracy.
MoveOn has been leading the movement against right-wing extremism for 26
years, and we promise you that we will still be here every step of the way
forward.

Will you donate to power MoveOn's work to protect our freedoms and
democracy under Trump's administration?



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