A note on bullies

The sleeping giant of America is up and roaring.

Dear MoveOn member, The sleeping giant of America is up and roaring. I know many of you are disappointed right now that Democrats just caved to Republicans on the budget. I'm disappointed, too. But, let's take a longer view. In last week's elections, Americans spoke up—loudly and clearly. They voted for affordability and acted on their near-historic disapproval of Donald Trump. According to new polling from The Economist and YouGov, a strong majority of Americans—58%—disapprove of Trump, while only 39% approve.1 This approval number is the lowest it has been since his inauguration.2 He's flailing on the economy. He hasn't done squat to help working people. The Epstein scandal haunts him. Remember that every authoritarian action Trump is taking must be understood against the backdrop of his declining popularity. Like any bully, when Trump feels humiliated, he lashes out. And we can expect him to escalate even more after Tuesday's elections. But what he doesn't realize is that his authoritarianism and his bullying have woken up America's great sleeping giant. No Kings on October 18 was the largest single day of protest in American history. Bigger than the Women's March of 2017. Bigger than any protest against the war in Iraq. Bigger even than Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic March on Washington. But our mass movement is just getting started. Historical studies suggest that 3.5% of a population engaged in sustained nonviolent resistance can topple even the most brutal dictatorships.3 Which means we're making significant progress. My friends at MoveOn are at the heart of the mass, nonviolent movement against authoritarianism. They were instrumental in planning, coordinating, and executing No Kings Day—and their plans for what's next are bold and just what our country needs in this moment. But they need your help to sustain and build on the momentum. Will you donate $5 a month to MoveOn to continue to scale up the trainings, organizing, outreach, and events needed to grow and nurture the movement to end Trump's authoritarianism once and for all? 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. The resistance is becoming an uprising. It's not just No Kings. Other evidence of the backlash is all around us. Last Tuesday, 99.8% of the counties that held partisan elections shifted toward Democrats.4 Seven of the nine universities Trump selected to join his extortion compact—offering preferential treatment for federal funds in exchange for a pledge to support his agenda—have rejected it.5 Millions of Americans came together to boycott Disney and stand up to attacks on free speech after Trump attacked Jimmy Kimmel. Most major airports have refused to show Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's propaganda video attacking Democrats for the government shutdown.6 Almost all of America's news outlets have refused to sign Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's media loyalty oath.7 I believe future generations will look back on this scourge and see not just what was destroyed but also what was born: a mass movement against authoritarianism. Many of you are now sowing the seeds of this movement. Whether it's demonstrating as you've done at protests and rallies, appearing at Republican town halls, jamming the Capitol and White House switchboards, generating mountains of emails and letters, or protecting the vulnerable in your communities, your activism is paying off. Rest assured, the backlash against Trump is growing. Yes, these are terrible times—the worst I've lived through, and I've lived through some bad ones. (Remember 1968? Nixon's enemies list? Anyone else old enough to recall Joe McCarthy's communist witch hunts?) But as long as we are alive, as long as we are resolved, as long as we are taking action to stop the worst of this, as long as we are trying to make America and the world even a bit better, have no doubt: We will triumph. Will you donate $5 a month to MoveOn to help bring many more people into our movement, build and strengthen local, state, and national networks and coalitions fighting Trump's tyranny, and help us begin to turn the corner to end MAGA's reign and build a better future for all of us? 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. Thanks for all you do. –Robert Reich Sources: 1. "Trump's approval hits new low for second term: Poll," The Hill, October 29, 2025 https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5579661-trump-approval-rating-drop-economist-yougov/ 2. Ibid. 3. "The '3.5% rule': How a small minority can change the world," Harvard Kennedy School Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights, May 13, 2019 https://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/carr/publications/35-rule-how-small-minority-can-change-world 4. "Seven data-driven lessons from the 2025 elections," Strength In Numbers, November 5, 2025 https://www.gelliottmorris.com/p/seven-data-driven-takeaways-from 5. "7 universities reject White House funding deal with attached demands. Other schools have yet to respond," CNN, October 23, 2025 https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/16/us/trump-universities-compact-funding 6. "Major airports refuse to play Kristi Noem's video blaming Democrats for the shutdown," NBC News, October 15, 2025 https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/major-airports-refuse-play-kristi-noems-video-blaming-democrats-shutdo-rcna237765 7. "US news outlets refuse to sign new Pentagon rules to report only official information," The Guardian, October 13, 2025 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/13/defense-department-media-news-rules Want to support MoveOn's work? The Democratic Party needs big change. That's why MoveOn is partnering with Run For Something to recruit, train, and support young, progressive, diverse candidates—including MoveOn members—to run for local and state office all across the country. From town council to mayor's offices to state legislatures and more, our partnership will support candidates who are fighting for a living wage, combatting climate change, investing in affordable housing, and so much more. Will you make a monthly donation to elect young, progressive, and diverse candidates across the country? If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: Donate: $5 monthly Donate: $15 monthly Donate: $50 monthly Donate another amount monthly Or make a one-time gift PAID FOR BY MOVEON POLITICAL ACTION, https://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. MoveOn Political Action - PO Box 96142, Washington, D.C. 20090-6142. This email was sent to Andra Patterson on November 12, 2025. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. MoveOn's privacy policy was recently updated. To read our new privacy policy, click here. To remove yourself from this list, unsubscribe. Sent via ActionNetwork.org. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from MoveOn, please click here.