View this post on the web at [link removed]

A note to my readers: I’ve heard from many of you that you want to talk to your Trump-supporting friends and family members about what’s going on in our country, but you don’t know where to begin. Or you’ve tried engaging before and hit a wall. Or you come from a family where politics just aren’t discussed.
Whatever the case, I wanted to give you a piece that you can share directly with the people in your life who voted for Donald Trump. As a conservative who voted for Trump in 2016, I know where they are coming from. I hope I can make a difference or at least start some meaningful and necessary conversations. —Joe
Dear Friend,
I want to have an honest conversation with you about Donald Trump. Will you hear me out for 10 minutes?
I’m not here to call you stupid, brainwashed, racist, or any of the things you’re tired of hearing. Because I know that you, me, and the vast majority of Americans, regardless of which political “team” we’re on, have good intentions. We may disagree on how to get there, but for the most part we all want the same things—a decent, meaningful life and the freedom to live it the way we want.
I was right where you are. Back in 2016, I was a pissed-off conservative sick of the elitist political establishment that’s completely out of touch with 90 percent of America. So I was all in for Donald Trump. Hell, I’m still that pissed-off conservative that’s sick of the political establishment. The only thing that’s changed is that I realized a while back that Trump isn’t the answer. I realized in fact that he is way worse than the elitist political establishment that’s completely out of touch with 90 percent of America. He’s become a serious threat to everything we believe in as Americans.
I think you probably know that already. And maybe you’re okay with it. Or maybe you don’t want to hear it. But if you’re starting to have a nagging feeling you can’t shake that we’re heading down a dangerous road, I hope you’ll keep reading.
Rejecting Trump wasn’t easy for me. I felt like I was walking away from something bigger than myself, a movement I was committed to for many years. I lost everything—my career as a right-wing radio host, my future electoral prospects in the GOP, and almost all of my friends, supporters, and associates. But I wouldn’t change a thing, because this is bigger than our feelings, and I have to be able to look at myself in the mirror.
I’m not asking you to put yourself in my shoes or anyone else’s for that matter. You don’t have to be an illegal immigrant, a member of the LGBTQ community, or a “deep state” elite to understand that the Constitution still matters. I’m assuming off the bat that you’re one of the 70 percent [ [link removed] ] of Americans who still believe in democracy. That number is rapidly shrinking. We can’t afford to lose you too. So I’m asking you to stay in your own shoes and consider what happens to you and yours if we lose our republic. Because make no mistake, that’s exactly what’s happening right now.
The Betrayal of Conservatives
When I was a Congressman, I fought hard for limited government, for individual liberty, for the rule of law, and for accountability. I never thought I’d see the day when a Republican president would actively work to destroy all of these conservative principles you and I cherish. But he has betrayed every single one. He’s abused his power to expand the reach of the executive branch in ways no president should. And he’s trampled over checks and balances, setting a truly terrifying precedent for future presidents—Democrat or Republican—who will be able to use that same power to run roughshod over the Constitution. That is, if there is a future president. I’m not convinced that he plans to leave office, are you? He barely did in 2021.
The rule of law should be non-negotiable for anyone who calls themselves a conservative. Full stop. We used to be the party of law and order, but under Trump, we’re little more than a protection racket helmed by a thoroughly corrupt president more interested in protecting his own skin than in upholding the laws of this land. He’s pardoned thousands of criminals for political gain, he’s shielded notorious sexual predators (likely including himself), and he’s openly encouraged and engaged in lawlessness whenever it serves him. That is not the party I signed up for.
Further, as Michael McFaul [ [link removed] ] says so succinctly, “Communist regimes:
Own companies
Control their central banks
Use tariffs to insulate their economies
Use armies, false charges, home raids, and arrests to intimidate the opposition
Idolize their leaders with posters and praise
Sound familiar?” Well, let’s see. In this past week alone…
Trump is dominating the private sector in a way that would make Karl Marx blush. The government now owns part of Intel [ [link removed] ]. State ownership of the means of production is the actual essence of communism—not nonsense about pronouns and drag queens.
We have separated powers for a reason—so no one person can have complete control over the nation’s capital. Trump has violated this norm repeatedly, most recently with his attempted incursions into the Federal Reserve [ [link removed] ].
Trump is still using tariffs [ [link removed] ] and trade deals to pick winners and losers in ways that undermine everything we believe about free markets. And by doing so, he’s taxing us and making the things we buy everyday more expensive.
Trump has weaponized law enforcement to go after his critics [ [link removed] ] with the full force of the federal government. He has violated states’ rights by using the military [ [link removed] ] to take over cities’ law enforcement operations—against the wishes of their duly elected representatives. And he continues to use masked ICE [ [link removed] ] agents to grab women, children, and working men off the streets without due process. That’s not law and order. That’s cruelty.
Conservatives like you and me used to believe in a healthy exchange of ideas, in respect for those with whom we disagree. But Trump has made dissent something to be punished, not something to be debated. The result? Cabinet meetings [ [link removed] ] that sound like something straight out of North Korea. It’s nauseating.
That’s just in one week. A lot more has happened over the past seven months—too much to document in one brief letter—and there’s a lot more to come.
Do you see the through-line? It’s all about control, it’s all about total control, it’s all about being a dictator. Trump is neurotically addicted to power and to holding onto it no matter what the cost, no matter the damage to our republic. For anyone who believes in limited government, personal liberty, and the Constitution, that’s the flashing red warning light that spells tyranny.
Taking Back Our Power
If you felt like you had no choice in 2024, because the left is too far gone, I hear you. I respect LGBTQ folks’ right to live however they want, but that’s a choice for adults, not kids. I fully support the First Amendment, but I condemn college students vandalizing campuses and violating the rights of other students under the guise of “protest.” As a gun owner, I’m not letting anyone take away my guns. “Defund the Police” is and always has been bullshit. And the border was a mess because both sides of the aisle have used it as a political football for decades—at our expense.
These are some of the reasons why I joined the Democratic Party nearly three months ago: to knock some fucking sense into Democrats so the party can be a big-tent, not-crazy alternative to a GOP that is actively abandoning the Constitution—and us—in exchange for money and power. I’m not asking you to do what I did. I’m not asking you to become a Democrat. And I’m not asking you to renounce your conservative principles. I haven’t either. Instead, I’m going to appeal directly to your sense of patriotism.
We are currently operating without a first branch of government: the U.S. Congress. Republicans in Congress have rejected their oath to the Constitution in favor of rubber-stamping any decree coming out of the executive branch. This cannot stand. So I’m asking you to help us take back Congress as a rightful and necessary check on the presidency—as our Founders intended—by voting Democrat in the midterms. Once. Because we can’t let these fuckers get away with this. They represent us, not Trump.
This isn’t a left/right thing. It’s a balance of power thing. When I was elected to office as a TEA Party Republican in 2010, it was to be a check on Barack Obama, whom conservatives like me believed had overstepped his authority—with help from the Democrat-controlled Congress. This is a million times worse.
You’re not giving up power; you’re taking it back. Congress is the closest branch to the people, and right now, it doesn’t functionally exist. It’s our best tool as citizens for putting the breaks on a president who would be a tyrant.
And this president is a tyrant.
Here’s my final plea to you: please think long and hard about this. Are you okay with consigning the Constitution to the dustbin of history? Are you okay with your kids and grandkids growing up with fewer guaranteed rights than you did? Are you okay with exchanging our common humanity for survival of the fittest? Is all of that okay with you?
I know it’s not okay with me. And I believe, deep down, it’s not okay with you either.
Thank you for listening.
Respectfully,
Joe Walsh
Former U.S. Congressman
P.S. If this message spoke to you—or even if it didn’t—please consider subscribing to my Substack [ [link removed] ]. Get an independent conservative perspective on the news of the day that isn’t MAGA and isn’t far-left. Thank you.
The Social Contract with Joe Walsh is a citizen-supported movement resisting authoritarianism and restoring classic American values like civic engagement, tolerance, and mutual respect. To join our community, sign up to be a free subscriber. To support our mission, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Thank you!

Unsubscribe [link removed]?