Dear John,

I’m writing to you today to issue a warning about one of the most dangerous and under-reported aspects of Trump’s authoritarian agenda.

It’s his attack on the American mind.

Ask yourself: Why is Donald Trump trying to cancel Sesame Street, which has helped children learn to read for over half a century? Why is he seeking to destroy Harvard University? Why is he trying to deter the world’s most brilliant scientists from coming to the United States?

Because just like tyrants throughout history, he wants to control not just what we do — but also what we think.

We can’t let it happen here — and Inequality Media Civic Action is fighting back by using our massive reach across social media to warn the public about these threats and mobilize grassroots opposition to Trump’s attacks on higher education, public broadcasting, and free speech.

That’s why I’m asking you today to make a monthly donation to help support our efforts to educate the public and fight back against Trump’s assault on our democracy.

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Dictators have always understood that their most powerful enemy is an educated public. Slaveholders prohibited enslaved people from learning to read. The Third Reich burned books. The Khmer Rouge banned music. Stalin and Pinochet censored the media.

Today, I see five key facets to Trump’s authoritarian attack on the American mind:

1. Rewrite history: Trump is forcing schools to whitewash slavery and segregation, cover up the genocide of Native Americans, and erase the LGBTQ+ rights movement. Authoritarians know that if they can make us forget how brave activists fought for change in the past, they can stop us from seeking change in the future.

2. Gut education: Trump is trying to abolish the Department of Education, cut funding for K-12 public schools, and bully universities into backing his agenda. As a professor, I know firsthand how education empowers young people’s minds. We can’t have a functioning democracy if people cannot think critically, and that’s why authoritarians replace education with indoctrination.

3. Dismantle science: By freezing university research grants and attacking agencies like the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and Centers for Disease Control, Trump is putting all of us at risk. Why is he so afraid of science? Because science acknowledges objective facts, and authoritarians must convince people that they are more powerful than facts.

4. Suppress the media: From suing ABC and CBS News to threatening to strip network broadcast licenses to defunding public broadcasting, Trump is trying to control everything Americans see and read — because in order to consolidate power, authoritarians must never be questioned.

5. Attack the arts: The arts exist to provoke, challenge, and help us see beyond ourselves. So it’s no surprise that Trump is attacking the National Endowment for the Arts, the Smithsonian, and the Kennedy Center. To limit art is to limit free expression — a crucial step in silencing anyone who dissents through creativity.

Here’s the good news: More and more Americans are stepping up to resist Trump’s authoritarian takeover — and the team at Inequality Media Civic Action is fueling the fight with viral videos, explainers, and posts that reach over 22 million people per week.

But as a grassroots-funded organization, we rely on your support to power our efforts to resist Trump. So I’m asking you today: Will you make a monthly donation to help Inequality Media Civic Action educate the public, get the truth out, and stop Trump’s assault on our minds and democracy?