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If you believe in democracy, if you believe in science, if you believe in justice and workers' rights, let me be very clear:

The next 93 days may very well be the most important in our country's history. Donald Trump must be defeated.

I am confident that you understand, as well as I do, how un-American and disastrous Trump and his administration have been. But I want to give you ten reasons (and there are many more) as to why, together, we have got to do everything we can to create the largest voter turnout in history and send Trump packing.

1. Donald Trump is, at his core, an authoritarian leader who does not believe in democracy.

In a democracy we can and will have strong differences of opinion on issues. As you well know, there are ideological disputes within the Democratic Party, and there are certainly very major differences between Democrats and Republicans, progressives, moderates and conservatives. But, up until the Trump administration, no president has ever undermined the very tenets of American democracy and tried to move us into an authoritarian society.

No president has ever suggested delaying an election because he is behind in the polls. No president has ever stated that he might not voluntarily leave office and accept the results of an election. No president has ever viciously discredited and undermined the election process warning, without fact, of massive voter fraud. Trump's admiration for authoritarianism becomes apparent as he has ruptured our relationships with long-time democratic allies around the world while embracing right-wing authoritarian leaders in Russia, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, the Philippines and elsewhere.

2. Donald Trump does not understand or respect the Constitution of the United States.

Donald Trump, emulating demagogues throughout history, believes that he is above the law and need not follow the dictates of the Constitution. He was impeached because he has shown absolute contempt for Congress and the separation of powers. He has waged an unprecedented war against the concept of a free press and "fake news," and has repeatedly referred to the media as "an enemy of the people." He has violated the right of Americans to peacefully protest and is "normalizing" the use of federal agents to patrol and make arrests of American citizens in communities throughout the country.

3. Donald Trump is a pathological liar.

We cannot have anything resembling a stable government when we have a president who lies all of the time and when nothing he says can be trusted. According to a recent report, he has made more than 20,000 false or misleading statements since he has been president.

4. Donald Trump does not believe in science.

From the first days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Trump has rejected the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and our leading scientists, which has led to the unnecessary deaths of tens of thousands of Americans and the highest per capita death rate of any major country.

And, as he's done for years, Trump continues to ignore the scientific community when it comes to the existential threat of climate change. Instead of transforming our energy system away from fossil fuel, he has pushed policies which result in more carbon emissions.

5. Donald Trump's policies benefit his billionaire friends, while attacking the needs of working families.

During his 2016 campaign Trump claimed that he would stand with the working class and "drain the swamp." He lied. He has appointed more billionaires to important positions than any other president in history while giving massive tax breaks to the very rich and large corporations. At a time of obscene income and wealth inequality, he continues to try to throw over 20 million Americans off the health insurance they already have, and do away with protections for pre-existing conditions. While the rich become much richer, his budgets have repeatedly called for huge cuts in Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, education and nutrition programs.

6. Donald Trump is a racist.

From the start of his 2016 campaign, until today, he has tried to divide us up based on the color of our skin or where we were born. He has strongly supported voter suppression efforts which make it harder for African Americans to vote, and consistently made ugly and disparaging remarks against African American leaders. Recently, he bragged about an executive order which makes it harder for minority families to move into the suburbs.

7. Donald Trump is a xenophobe.

Trump has tried, as all demagogues do, to demonize immigrants and blame them for society’s problems. He has used hateful and disgraceful rhetoric to try to dehumanize an entire group of people, and has used the power of the federal government to mistreat and terrorize immigrants at the border and in our communities.

8. Donald Trump is a sexist.

Not only has Trump led the effort to deny women the right to control their own bodies and defund Planned Parenthood, he has — throughout his adult life — made disparaging and condescending comments about women. It is not surprising that some of his ugliest attacks have been against strong women leaders like Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Carmen Yulín Cruz Soto.

9. Donald Trump is a religious bigot.

One of the first things Trump did after taking office was sign an executive order for the discriminatory Muslim ban to prohibit people from several Muslim-majority countries from traveling to the United States. He has used the office of the presidency to demonize the Muslim community and to try to divide us up based on our religious beliefs.

10. Donald Trump is hostile to the LGBTQ community.

During his administration, Trump has waged continued assaults on the rights of LGBTQ people. He recently rolled back health protections for transgender people and previously banned them from serving in the military. He has also reversed protections that defend LGBTQ people from discrimination in the workplace and at school.

Here is the simple truth:

It is absolutely imperative that, in an unprecedented way, we do everything possible to make sure that Trump is defeated in November.

But no single person can do it alone. It is going to require ALL of us coming together, with our movement playing a very significant role in that process. That is why I am asking you today:

Add your name to say you will commit to doing everything you can to defeat Trump in November. It is so important that we are in this together.

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No, Mr. President. You're not going to serve another four years. The American people are sick and tired of your authoritarianism, your lies, your racism. On November 3, democracy will prevail and we will end your disastrous presidency. Bye-bye.

In solidarity,

Bernie Sanders


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