Right now, millions of Americans are rising up — online and in the streets — as we collectively lament the killing of George Floyd and demand an end to police racism and violence.

In response, Donald Trump has threatened to invoke a 213-year-old law, the Insurrection Act, and send American troops into battle. On their own soil. Against their fellow citizens.

Donald Trump has, in effect, declared war on all of us.

Of course, Trump says outlandish things pretty much every day that are intended only to incite his base and distract the rest of us. This is not that.

Just floating the idea of turning the military on its own peacefully protesting citizens exposes (again) Trump’s fascist inclinations and demonstrates (again) that he is not fit to hold the office of president.

Meanwhile ...

The ongoing coronavirus emergency presents an actual clear and present danger to the well-being and livelihoods of Americans.

Yet Trump STILL has not fully used his authority under the Defense Production Act to make sure we have all the medical supplies and equipment — from testing kits to PPE to ventilators — without which we simply can’t turn the corner on this public health crisis.

And he is not using the power of the presidency to order the construction of sufficient manufacturing capability for every American to immediately get a vaccine once one is confirmed as safe and effective.

Donald Trump has failed to bring the incredible resources of our country to bear on the coronavirus, resulting in tens of thousands of preventable deaths.

But just days into a national (and, sensationalist television coverage notwithstanding, overwhelmingly peaceful) uprising against institutional racism and police brutality, Trump is willing to unleash the fearsome power of the United States military on the very citizens it is meant to defend.

This is all so staggeringly backward.

We have to set things on the right course.

We have to protect our democracy from a military crackdown and insist that our government use its unmatched powers to confront the coronavirus emergency head-on.

Together, we will.

Please, stay safe.

And know this: Amid a pandemic that is isolating us all, you are not alone and our togetherness gives us strength.

- Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen

P.S. This message is part of our ongoing outreach to help you stay informed and involved as our nation and the world grapple with the coronavirus emergency. Public Citizen — like many nonprofits and other small businesses — is feeling the financial strain of this crisis. If you can, please consider donating to support the critical work we’re doing together. Anything you chip in today will be matched dollar-for-dollar. Thank you.
 
 
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