Dear MoveOn member,
The fight to stop Donald Trump's authoritarian agenda—starting with his most dangerous Cabinet nominees—is in full swing.
Already, we mobilized to block H.R.9495—the bill that would have granted Trump sweeping powers to target nonprofits like MoveOn.1
Now, we're at a critical juncture. Trump's nomination of Matt Gaetz for attorney general is one of his most troubling threats yet.
Gaetz is dangerous, unqualified, and unfit for the role of attorney general of the United States. He is a complete and total Trump loyalist and will be focused on protecting Trump instead of upholding the rule of law.
Gaetz is currently facing serious allegations, including an investigation by the Department of Justice into possible sex trafficking of a minor, misuse of campaign funds, illicit drug use, and accepting bribes. He was also under investigation by House Republicans for these acts—but he resigned, ending the investigation before its findings were made public.2,3
It's not surprising, coming from Trump, that he wants to place Gaetz in charge of the very institution tasked with enforcing the rule of law in America. But it's the despicable move of a strongman, and Gaetz must be stopped.4
Even some Senate Republicans are balking at Gaetz's nomination.
Multiple reports suggest that more than half of Senate Republicans privately believe Gaetz is unfit to serve. One senior GOP aide remarked, "There are not enough votes in the Senate to confirm Gaetz."5 But Trump and his allies are doubling down—determined to ram his nomination through as a loyalty test for Republican senators.
As Timothy Snyder, a Yale professor of totalitarian European history and author of "On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century," recently said about Trump: "You can't despair … Because that's what they want. They want you to think that it's hopeless. It's never hopeless."6
That is why the fight to stop Gaetz and Trump's other loyalists and extremist sycophants is so important. With your help, we'll also work to block the nominations of:
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of health and human services. A well-known anti-vaxxer and conspiracy theorist, who has not refuted claims that he sexually assaulted a former employee, Kennedy Jr. is now poised to influence policies that affect the health and well-being of millions.7
- Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence. Gabbard has a history of backing Kremlin conspiracy theories and supporting Bashar al-Assad, Syria's brutal dictator. Now she's set to oversee our intelligence community.8
- Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense. A Fox News host and commentator and a "recovering neocon" who's now a MAGA convert, Hegseth is poised to be "the least experienced defense secretary in the history of the republic."9,10
Trump is using these appointments as a test of Senate Republicans, to make sure they are loyal to him.11 This is straight from the playbook of authoritarians and fascists. It is how democracy dies.12
We have a real chance to block these appointments. But only if we sound the alarm loudly and publicly, and if we make our voices heard by Democrats in the Senate—and by Republicans who have concerns about these unqualified and dangerous appointments. If even a small number of Republicans defect, there won't be enough votes to confirm them.
Our past successes show that when we unite, we can achieve what appears impossible.
During the first Trump administration, we stood together to protect the Affordable Care Act. And we won … by one vote. And millions of Americans kept their health care because we refused to back down.
And when we fought against the Trump administration's family separations at the border and demanded humane immigration policies, our collective voices made a difference.
Now, as we face new challenges, the plan remains the same: Rise up, fight back, and never give in.
And right now, the stakes couldn't be higher.
If Gaetz becomes attorney general, he could undermine the Department of Justice, obstruct ongoing investigations, and erode the rule of law.
As attorney general, Gaetz could:
- Interfere with investigations into corruption and abuses of power.
- Target political opponents and suppress dissent.
- Undermine civil rights protections for vulnerable communities.
And it's not just Gaetz. Trump's other nominees pose significant threats, too:
- Kennedy Jr. could reverse progress on public health initiatives, leading to lower vaccination rates and the resurgence of preventable diseases.
- Gabbard could compromise our intelligence operations, is likely to mishandle classified information, and will weaken our ability to respond to global threats.
- Hegseth could politicize the military, damage morale among service members, and make rash decisions that put our troops in harm's way.
No matter how exhausted we are after this hard election year, we must find the resolve to act now to prevent these dangerous appointments.
And we must never normalize Trump or his extremist appointees.
Trump is counting on us to be tired and silent and cave to his authoritarian agenda.
But we won't back down. Not now and not ever.
Please pitch in $9, or whatever you can afford, and join MoveOn in the fight.
Thanks for all you do.
–Britt, Alex, Emily, Alexis, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "US House fails to pass anti-NGO bill that could target pro-Palestine groups," Al Jazeera, November 12, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/198834?t=5&akid=415551%2E53570607%2ESomaND
2. "Behind the Curtain: Why Trump picked Gaetz," Axios, November 14, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/198917?t=7&akid=415551%2E53570607%2ESomaND
3. "Matt Gaetz Nomination Stuns Legal Experts: 'Vomit in Your Mouth,'" Newsweek, November 14, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/198918?t=9&akid=415551%2E53570607%2ESomaND
4. "With these outrageous appointments, Trump is showing us exactly how he intends to rule," The Guardian, November 15, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/198934?t=11&akid=415551%2E53570607%2ESomaND
5. "A majority of Senate Republicans doubt Matt Gaetz will be confirmed as attorney general, sources say," NBC News, November 16, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/198931?t=13&akid=415551%2E53570607%2ESomaND
6. "'You Can't Despair. Because That's What They Want,'" Rolling Stone, November 8, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/198935?t=15&akid=415551%2E53570607%2ESomaND
7. "Trump picks RFK Jr., anti-vaccine activist, for health and human services secretary," NBC News, November 14, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/198880?t=17&akid=415551%2E53570607%2ESomaND
8. "Tulsi Gabbard: Trump's new intelligence chief backed Kremlin conspiracy theories," The Telegraph, November 13, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/198919?t=19&akid=415551%2E53570607%2ESomaND
9. "What's behind defense secretary pick Hegseth's war on 'woke,'" NPR, November 15, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/198920?t=21&akid=415551%2E53570607%2ESomaND
10. "Trump's Pentagon pick aims for clash with top military leadership," CNN, November 14, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/198921?t=23&akid=415551%2E53570607%2ESomaND
11. "Donald Trump is Testing How Powerful He Is: Former Bush Adviser," Newsweek, November 14, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/198936?t=25&akid=415551%2E53570607%2ESomaND
12. "The Most Extreme Cabinet Ever," The New Yorker, November 14, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/198937?t=27&akid=415551%2E53570607%2ESomaND
Want to support MoveOn's work? Donald Trump and his MAGA allies expect us to give up. But we will not give them what they want. We will never stop working to defend our fundamental freedoms and protect our democracy. MoveOn has been leading the movement against right-wing extremism for 26 years, and we promise you that we will still be here every step of the way forward.
Will you donate to power MoveOn's work to protect our freedoms and democracy under Trump's administration?
Click here to chip in $9, or whatever you can afford.
Contributions to MoveOn Civic Action are not tax-deductible for income tax purposes. MoveOn.org Civic Action - PO Box 96141, Washington, D.C. 20090-6141. This email was sent to Andra Patterson on November 19, 2024. 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, click here.
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