'Bedrock principles': Major philanthropist urging charities to 'stand together' against Trump
President Donald Trump on February 4, 2025 (Noamgalai/Shutterstock.com)
Critics of President Donald Trump believe that too many Americans are capitulating to him out of fear, from media companies to tech CEOs to universities to Republicans in Congress. And those critics are applauding Harvard University and the law firm Perkins, Coie for, they saw, standing up to Trump rather than going along to get along.
According to John Palfrey, president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, another group facing the choice of either capitulating to Trump or standing up to him is charitable organizations. And Palfrey is hoping they will refuse to be bullied.
The Guardian's David Smith, in an article published on April 19, quotes Palfrey as saying, "We have an opportunity to unite and advance. There's a chance here for us to stand together on a series of very important bedrock principles, and do so with linked arms, and do so in such a way that allows us to serve every community in America in a way that will ensure a strong republic for years to come."
Smith notes that charitable organizations could be "next" in Trump's "firing line."
"Palfrey recently authored a joint article with Tonya Allen of the McKnight Foundation and Deepak Bhargava of the Freedom Together Foundation warning that charitable organizations could be the next institutions under attack, and announcing a public solidarity campaign to support philanthropy's freedom to give," Smith explains. "More than 300 organizations have already signed on…. Speaking via Zoom from the MacArthur Foundation's headquarters in Chicago, Palfrey, 52, explained that he felt it important to clearly state the need to preserve freedom of speech, freedom to give and freedom to invest — core to the work of a philanthropic foundation."
Many MAGA Republicans openly admire far-right Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has done a lot to undermine Hungary's system of checks and balances. And they view Orbán as a role model for Trump's second presidency.
But Palfrey is warning that the U.S. shouldn't go down that road.
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Smith quotes Palfrey as saying, "If where we are headed is on the model of Hungary, we are going to see a repression of civil society that will not be good for communities across America. I don't think we should go in that direction as a country. We have the opportunity to adjust our course. I hope very much that our leaders will decide not to repress civil society in a way that constrains freedom of speech, and this is a good time to say that's not the direction that makes sense for America."
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Read The Guardian's full article at this link.
