Dear MoveOn member,
This is former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, with an important—and hopeful—message in these dark times: Courage is contagious, and when enough people stand up to an authoritarian regime, it loses its power.
We don’t need a majority to win key fights against the Trump regime—just a committed minority. Harvard researchers have found that when about 3.5% of the population engages in sustained, nonviolent resistance, no government can withstand it.1
And I’m increasingly optimistic that we’re on the way to the massive resistance movement we need. Over the recent congressional recess, countless Americans turned out in their communities to condemn Trump and his regime and hold Republican lawmakers accountable for their complicity.
Protesters shouted “shame!” in front of the White House. Constituents packed town halls, confronting their members of Congress about devastating budget cuts.2 Across all 50 states, Americans rose together to demand action and accountability. And in some cases, they even risked arrest to be heard.3
We are seeing activism against Trump’s regime grow over time, as every MoveOn member who stands up to the Trump regime’s lawlessness and cruelty summons others to do the same.
When it comes to grassroots mobilizations, MoveOn is one of the most effective organizations I know of. They use cutting-edge technology to reach, train, support, organize, and communicate at a scale that is unparalleled in the progressive movement. But they can’t do it without your help.
Will you pitch in $5 a month to MoveOn? Your donation will help fund MoveOn's crucial on-the-ground organizing, digital campaigns, and rapid-response efforts in the critical weeks and months ahead.
Yes, I'll chip in $5 a month. (If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately.)
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
People often ask why I spend so much time “preaching to the choir.” In other words, talking to other activists like you, rather than investing more time in changing minds. One reason is that courage is contagious. It starts with us. And we can lead by example.
We see that with law firms. When the law firm Perkins Coie stood up to Trump, more than 500 law firms joined them and won a preliminary injunction against Trump’s “chilling” executive order.4,5
We’re seeing it with universities. Harvard University’s bold refusal to buckle under Trump's demands didn’t just happen in a vacuum; it was made possible in part by more than 600 faculty and droves of students who urged them to stand up to Trump’s bullying.6,7 And by the culture of courage that we are collectively building through our activism.
And we see it with protesters, too. When one group of activists takes action, it lights a spark. When grassroots organizers in one town light a spark, people in the next town over see the flames and jump into action. As one participant at a D.C. rally put it, “when they see our strength, that will give them the courage to also stand up.”8
If the Trump regime can revoke student visas because students exercise their freedom of speech on a university campus, freedom of speech is not secure for any of us. And if the Trump regime can abduct a permanent resident of the United States and send him to a torture prison in El Salvador, without any criminal charges, no American is safe.
What do we do about this? We stand up to it. We resist it. We denounce it. We boldly and fearlessly reject it—regardless of the cost, regardless of the threats.
MoveOn members are on the front lines, denouncing the Trump regime and building the courage that we will need to spread the resistance across society. Will you pitch in $5 a month to ensure that MoveOn can continue offering grassroots organizing, training, and support to protesters?
Yes, I'll chip in $5 a month. (If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately.)
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Now, as Congress returns to Washington, it’s time to escalate our organizing.
The stakes could not be higher. Trump’s Republican allies are in the middle of enacting extreme policies—and will likely escalate their efforts as they return this week. They plan to slash vital programs like Medicaid to bankroll tax breaks for the ultra-rich and rescind $9 billion in funding for public broadcasting and foreign aid.9,10
If we let our guard down, they will steamroll our rights, our safety net, and our democracy itself. But if we push back together, we can stop their agenda in its tracks.
Will you pitch in $5 a month to MoveOn's crucial efforts? MoveOn is a truly grassroots-funded group, and great numbers of people pitching in—any amount—will make a massive difference.
Yes, I'll chip in $5 a month. (If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately.)
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Your support will fuel more of MoveOn’s best-in-class on-the-ground organizing, their digital campaigns, and their rapid-response efforts in the critical weeks and months ahead. With your help, MoveOn can continue supporting activist-led nationwide resistance efforts.
When we show courage, the forces of authoritarianism are weakened. But if we fall silent for even a moment, the other side will seize the chance to roll back everything we care about—from health care and hunger programs to foreign aid to public broadcasting to basic rights and freedoms at colleges and universities.
Your support of MoveOn keeps this movement strong and growing at the moment we need it most. Please chip in $5 a month, or whatever you can afford.
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No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
By choosing courage, you inspire those around you to find their courage as well.
Thanks for all you do.
–Robert Reich
P.S. Remember, when about 3.5% of the population engages in sustained, nonviolent resistance, no government can withstand it.11 In the U.S., that’s roughly 11 million people.12 If we can inspire and mobilize 11 million Americans to stand together, nothing—not even Trump’s authoritarian machine—can stop us.
That's why I'm asking: Will you donate $5—or whatever you can afford—each month? It will help fund volunteer trainings, equip grassroots leaders, and support MoveOn’s strategic campaigns to thwart Trump’s agenda before it gains any more ground.
Yes, I'll chip in $5 a month. (If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately.)
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Sources:
1. "The '3.5% rule': How a small minority can change the world," BBC, May 13, 2019
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190513-it-only-takes-35-of-people-to-change-the-world
2. "Republican town halls bring arrests, stun guns and voter worries about Trump," Reuters, April 16, 2025
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/republican-town-halls-bring-arrests-stun-guns-voter-worries-about-trump-2025-04-16/
3. "Protesters fill the streets in cities across the US to denounce Trump agenda," The Guardian, April 19, 2025
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/19/anti-trump-rallies-protests
4. "More than 500 law firms back Perkins Coie suit against punitive Trump order," Reuters, April 7, 2025
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/law-firms-back-perkins-coie-lawsuit-against-punitive-trump-order-2025-04-04/
5. "Judge blocks Trump from enforcing 'chilling' order against law firm," NPR, March 12, 2025
https://www.npr.org/2025/03/12/g-s1-53422/judge-blocks-trump-law-firm
6. "How Harvard’s pushback against Trump may embolden more US resistance," The Guardian, April 15, 2025
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/15/harvard-pushback-trump-administration
7. "More Than 600 Harvard Faculty Urge Governing Boards To Resist Demands From Trump," The Harvard Crimson, March 27, 2025
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/3/27/faculty-letter-condemn-attacks/
8. "More than 1,000 ‘Hands Off’ anti-Trump protests hit cities across the US," The Guardian, April 5, 2025
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/05/anti-trump-protests-hands-off
9. "Republican town halls bring arrests, stun guns and voter worries about Trump," Reuters, April 16, 2025
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/republican-town-halls-bring-arrests-stun-guns-voter-worries-about-trump-2025-04-16/
10. "Trump Targets NPR, PBS, Foreign Aid in $9 Billion Spending Cut," Bloomberg, April 14, 2025
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-14/trump-targets-npr-pbs-foreign-aid-in-9-billion-spending-cut
11. "The '3.5% rule': How a small minority can change the world," BBC, May 13, 2019
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190513-it-only-takes-35-of-people-to-change-the-world
12. "Protesters fill the streets in cities across the US to denounce Trump agenda," The Guardian, April 19, 2025
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/19/anti-trump-rallies-protests
Want to support our work? The MoveOn community will work every moment, day by day and year by year, to resist Trump's agenda, contain the damage, defeat hate with love, and begin the process of swinging the nation's pendulum back toward sanity, decency, and the kind of future that we must never give up on. And to do it we need your ongoing support, now more than ever. Will you stand with us?
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