To our Republican neighbors,
We would like to talk to you, not as opponents, but as fellow Americans who love this country.
We remember why so many people voted for Trump: No new wars. Affordability. Lowering the national debt. Supporting rural America. Releasing the Epstein files. But has Trump delivered on those promises?
In 2024, Trump repeatedly said, “I’m not going to start wars; I’m going to stop wars.” He called himself “the President of Peace.” Yet within a year and a half of entering office he had ordered 69 maritime strikes on civilian boats off the coast of Venezuela resulting in at least 231 deaths, the kidnapping of President Maduro, the bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities, and had threatened Mexico, Denmark, Oman, Cuba, and Colombia with military force.
Under Trump’s guidance, the U.S. has approved of at least $12 billion in new military aid and arms sales to Israel, including a recent order of 40,000 highly destructive 2,000-pound bombs. That is not peace for our armed forces or for people around the world. Despite claiming that previous attacks on Iran had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear ambitions, it only took eight months for Trump to claim that the threat of a nuclear weapon in Iran was imminent, yet again.
When the Iran War began, the average price of gas in Tennessee sat at $2.55 per gallon. On Feb. 28, day 1 of the war, Trump posted on Truth Social, “THE WAR IS ALREADY OVER FOR THEM.” An American missile had just struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in the southern city of Minab, killing at least 120 children. The next day, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz.
On March 11, day 13, Trump posted: “We won, plain and simple!” Iran was still blocking ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and the price of gas in Tennessee had risen from $2.55 to $3.69.
Five months later, Iran was still blocking ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and the price of gas in Tennessee had risen from $3.69 to $3.99. Sept. 10 marked the 194th day of the war. Iran was still blocking ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Arabia’s East-West Crude Oil Pipeline was being used to bypass the strait.
However, on that day, the pipeline was attacked and shut down by Iran-aligned militias. Two days later, Trump posted: “The war is very close to over, practically done!” Three days later, on day 199 of the war, we awoke to find that gas prices had jumped from $3.99 to $4.19.
The Strait of Hormuz was open before the war.
On Sept. 17, day 201 of the war, in a show of strength, Iran officially announced that it would not open the Strait for the foreseeable future.
In 2024, Trump said “Starting on day one, we will end inflation and make America affordable again.” Fast forward to December of 2025, and Trump said, “They use the word affordability—it’s a Democrat hoax.” Inflation has actually increased during his presidency from 3.0% to 3.4%. When explicitly asked if he was motivated by Americans’ financial situations to end the Iran War, Trump replied: “Not even a little bit.”
During Trump’s campaign, he promised that he would pay off the $35 trillion in debt. “We’re going to get it done fast, too,” he added; but instead, the opposite has happened. Since Trump took office, the U.S. gross national debt has increased by $3.8 trillion, raising the debt to $40 trillion.
AI data centers are also wreaking havoc across Tennessee, driving up electric rates, draining water supplies, and polluting the environment while AI-powered Flock cameras are tracking our movements, infringing on privacy, and moving us towards a surveillance state.
Despite widespread criticism from both Democrats and Republicans, Trump has strongly defended both technologies. Trump posted on Truth Social, “The only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor. If they want to be successful and rich.. let Data Reign.”
When asked about Flock cameras, he said, “Some people don’t (like them), They think it’s an infringement. I like them.” Now, not only is AI being used to take our jobs, but AI companies are exploiting our resources, communities, and personal information. We need leaders who will fight for us, not fight for tech-giant corporations.
Finally, in the lead-up to the 2024 election, Trump repeatedly said that he would “have no problem” releasing the Epstein files. Upon being elected, he appointed Pam Bondi as the Attorney General and Kash Patel as Director of the FBI, both of whom were committed to releasing the Epstein client list and bringing his clients to justice. However, in a bizarre turn, Trump, Bondi and Patel suddenly reversed their stance on the files, refusing to release them. When Trump supporters criticized the DOJ, Trump posted on Truth Social “Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax.” He called his own supporters “weaklings,” stating, “I don’t want their support anymore!” It took a bipartisan act of Congress, with the passing of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, to force the DOJ to release any Epstein files.
So far, nearly 3.5 million pages have been released, but an additional 2.5 to 3 million pages remain withheld, causing many survivors to demand transparency.
Before entering office, Trump, Bondi, and Patel had argued that the “Deep State” was hiding the truth. Now they have become the Deep State that they had sworn to expose.
The truth is this: Trump made many promises during the 2024 election. At face value, many of them were alluring. But look beyond the tweets, the Truth Social posts, the rhetoric, and the rally speeches. Look at the reality of our daily lives. Look at where our state, our country, and our world, is now. It is hard to ignore that we are moving in the wrong direction, and fast.
At the end of the day, we’re not asking you to become Democrats. We’re only asking you to look at our local gas prices, your own grocery receipts, the national debt, and the rise of data centers and Flock cameras, and ask whether the people in charge are actually working for us, or if they are working to enrich themselves and the billionaire class. If the answer feels uncomfortable, you’re not alone.
Many Trump supporters around the country are realizing that something is wrong and have decided that enough is enough. That includes former Trump supporters on the right like Joe Rogan, Tucker Carlson, Shawn Ryan, Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens, Thomas Massie, Erick Erickson, and more. They are putting America and fellow Americans above an allegiance to a political party or to a single man.
As early voting approaches, from Oct. 14 through Oct. 29, and as Election Day on Nov. 3 draws near, Tennessee has a real choice. On one hand, Trump-backed Marsha Blackburn is running for governor, promising more of the same disastrous path that we’re already on. On the other hand, Jerri Green is offering something different. Up and down the ballot, there are Tennessean candidates who may not have an “R” next to their name, but they are truly committed to delivering on many of the same promises that Trump made in 2024.
We may not agree on everything, but can we agree that working families shouldn’t struggle to pay for gas while defense contractors and ballroom renovations get a blank check? Can we agree that our sons and daughters shouldn’t be sent to the front lines of foreign wars like pawns while the elite and their families look down from their ivory towers and profit? Can we agree that we don’t want data centers and Flock cameras invading our communities, and that doesn’t make us “backwards and poor?” Can we agree that survivors of child abuse deserve justice, and the rich and powerful pedophiles of the Epstein Class must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law?
If your answer is yes, then on these issues, we are on the same page. We know you love this country. So do we. That’s why we’re putting People Over Politics. This fall, let us work together to elect people who will represent us. Not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans. Together, let’s speak civilly, find common ground and build a movement that will fight for all of us—a movement of and for the People.
Early Vote Oct. 14–29, 2026
Your Vote – Your Choice – Your Future
– Paid for by Tennesseans for Legislative Change –
