Dear MoveOn member,
Donald Trump looked Americans in the eye and promised his new White House ballroom would be "taxpayer-free"—that private donors would cover every cent and the public wouldn't pay "one penny."1
That was a lie.
A new report has revealed that the project could cost upwards of a staggering $600 million—and at least half of that could come out of taxpayers’ pockets.2 The Trump administration knew all along that taxpayers would be footing the bill. When Trump told reporters in March that the project was “taxpayer-free,” he already knew costs ballooned to $600 million.3
This is who MAGA is. Bulldozing the White House to build a gilded ballroom on everyday Americans’ dime, while working families can't afford groceries, rent, or healthcare.
But we can make them pay for it in November. Will you chip in $9 to power MoveOn's 2026 election program? (If you have saved your payment information with ActBlue, your donation will go straight through.)
Just a few weeks ago, MoveOn officially launched our $27 million game plan to crush MAGA at the ballot box, elect populist leaders, and win lasting power to make life more affordable for working people. Trump’s ballroom is exactly why this matters—and exactly the kind of fight we built this program to win.
Our strategy was built over thousands of hours by our organizers and data scientists, and here's what they found: Trump won in 2024 because voters who usually vote Democratic stayed home.4 And in 11 battleground districts, the number of MoveOn members who skipped voting in 2024 exceeds the margin needed to win in 2026.
We call them "the skippers"—they're reachable, and they already know us. Because they're MoveOn members, we can call them, text them, and send volunteers to their doors. And we’re not stopping there. We know that trust in institutions is at historic lows. Which is why we're not torching millions on TV ads most voters tune out; we're investing in trusted local creators and member-to-member outreach the data shows actually works.
The skippers are the difference between winning and losing. And we have less than 20 weeks to reach them.
Donate $9 today to fuel a program that’s laser-focused on the exact voters who will decide this November. (If you have saved your payment information with ActBlue, your donation will go straight through.)
Trump’s whole plan rests on a simple bet: that you watched him destroy the White House, watched the bill land on your kitchen table, and became so demoralized that you decided it’s not worth showing up to vote.
But we can prove them wrong. Every dollar you’re able to give goes straight to reaching the voters who can flip these districts—and to making November a loss MAGA can’t spin, and can’t shrug off. Will you donate $9 now? (If you have saved your payment information with ActBlue, your donation will go straight through.)
The power was never theirs. It’s ours. Let’s go use it.
Thanks for all you do.
–Joel, Christina, Adrienne, Allison K., and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Trump said no taxpayer money would be spent on the ballroom. A contractor’s invoices show otherwise." The Washington Post, June 16, 2026
https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2026/06/16/records-reveal-600m-estimate-trumps-ballroom-project-with-half-taxpayers/
2. "Trump’s ballroom now set to cost $600 million - with half coming from taxpayers, new report reveals," The Independent, June 16, 2026
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-ballroom-cost-taxpayer-money-b2996577.html
3. "Trump ballroom cost soars to $600 mn, half from taxpayers: report," Yahoo, June 16, 2026
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-ballroom-cost-soars-600-154648872.html
4. "How Trump 'Won,'" Weekend Reading, January 4, 2025
https://www.weekendreading.net/p/how-trump-won
Want to support MoveOn's work? As millions of us continue to march, protest, and take care of our neighbors, we must also organize to make the 2026 midterms a landslide rejection of Trump and MAGA Republicans. MoveOn is planning the most sophisticated midterm election program in our 28-year history—designed to turn out voters at a scale that overcomes Republican voter suppression. Will you chip in to power a progressive wave in November’s election?
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