Dear John,

Donald Trump took to social media Thursday to pressure Republicans in Congress to strip federal funding from PBS, calling it a “giant SCAM,” “horrible and completely biased,” and an arm “of the Radical Left Democrat Party.”

Trump’s latest rant comes after Trump FCC Chair Brendan Carr launched a phony investigation accusing PBS of running illegal paid commercial advertisements and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene held a hearing accusing PBS of being “anti-American.”

Republicans have wanted to defund PBS for decades. During the Nixon administration, Mister Rogers himself testified before Congress to defend public broadcasting. They’ve always managed to beat back the attacks because the public values the quality and educational value of PBS programming so highly.

But the CEO of PBS is warning that this time could be different, and that “stations across the country will be in jeopardy” if funding is cut.

Inequality Media Civic Action is sounding the alarm about attacks on the free press and independent media voices and mobilizing grassroots support to help save PBS. Will you make a monthly donation to support our work?

If you’ve saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately.

Express Donate: $5 monthly

Express Donate: $12 monthly

Express Donate: $25 monthly

Express Donate: $40 monthly

Donate another amount monthly

Or make a one-time gift

Public broadcasting represents an infinitesimally small percentage of the overall federal budget, so why is Trump so hell-bent on getting rid of it?

Because it’s all part of his broader project of destroying the free press and independent media voices so he can further undermine democracy.

In many rural parts of the country, the local PBS or public radio station is the only reliable source of news and information, and defunding public broadcasting would be a crippling blow to hundreds of local stations around the country.

Meanwhile, more and more Americans are getting their news from independent media voices like ours. If Trump succeeds in gutting PBS, he’ll target all the remaining organizations that are speaking out and spreading the word about his authoritarian regime.

Trump and Elon Musk — who has also called for defunding PBS — know that if they can kill off public broadcasting and dissenting voices, it will be even easier for them to push their conspiracy theories and lies, like the false claim that the 2020 election was stolen.

It’s directly out of the same authoritarian playbook used by dictators like Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orbán. Once you destroy the free press and crush opposing voices, you are well on your way to destroying democracy.

We can’t let that happen. That’s why Inequality Media Civic Action is sounding the alarm and urging people to speak out and support public broadcasting and independent media. But as a grassroots-funded organization, we rely on your donations to power this work.

Will you make a monthly donation to educate the public, get out the truth about the importance of protecting dissenting voices, and help stop Trump’s plan to defund PBS?