Crashers, I'm not going to lie, it's getting pretty wild out there. And it’s only been a few weeks.
From renaming the Gulf of Mexico to freezing federal aid to threatening to occupy Gaza, President Trump's return to the White House is testing every limit of presidential power. Let's just say the constitutional guardrails are getting one hell of a stress test.
But while a lot of folks are throwing around terms like "constitutional crisis" and “coup”, there's more fundamental problem we need to talk about: most Americans – including a lot of our elected officials – don't actually understand how our government is supposed to work in the first place. This leaves us all vulnerable.
So, in many ways, the government we’re getting is the one we deserve.
I know I've been talking about my book a lot lately, but what we're seeing happen is exactly why I wrote it. When two-thirds of Americans can't even name the three branches of government, how are we supposed to recognize when things go off the rails? And even more, how are we supposed to fix them? We're getting played by presidents, politicians, and the media because we don't understand the basics of our own system. And then we start panicking or – even worse – checking out when we should be leaning IN.
To me, and I know a lot of you, civics education is the answer. We don’t teach folks—especially in their formative years—the skills to be an active, engaged participant in our democracy. And this failure, in large part, has led us to where we are.
Let’s fix it.
Sponsor a civics classroom today!
That's why this Presidents Day, I've teamed up with my publisher to get copies of We Hold These “Truths" into government, history, and politics classrooms across the country. We've already gotten 1,000 books into the hands of students and teachers (thank you!), but we're just getting started.
The idea is simple: future generations need to understand what's fact vs. fiction if they're going to get us out of this mess. And that training needs to happen before they become voters.
So, if you’ve ever said we need more civics education in this country, now’s your chance to put your money where your mouth is. Sponsor a classroom today.
Here's how it works: You make a donation — $250, $500, or $1,000 — we convert it to books, match it, and then ship them out to teachers who want them for their students.
A $250 sponsorship provides free books to an entire high school class.
A $500 one hooks up a much bigger college class made up of voting eligible students who are the least likely to show up.
And $1000 provides 100 books, enough for an entire grade or to start a civics reading club at a local library.
Want them to go to a specific district, grade, or school? Just let us know – we'll coordinate directly with teachers and librarians to make it happen.
Because here's the truth: It's not up to any president to determine our future – it's up to us. But we can only protect it if we understand it.
If you know me, you know I care deeply about this work. The only way we stop having the same old exhausting, dangerous conversations is if we start having new, informed ones. It ain’t easy, but we must.
Thanks for being part of this, my people. I appreciate you.