In a courageous move, 140 members of the Yale Class of 1984 have decided enough is enough. They sent a letter to new U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, calling on him to stop taking his paycheck from the Trump administration. Catherine Teegarden from the Coalition for Smarter Growth coordinated the letter. More importantly, it fearlessly argues that Bessent’s work may indeed be helping to lead America down the slippery slope toward fascism. The alumni group, which highlights their shared educational background, calls upon Bessent to use his position to oppose and redirect the administration’s actions, which they argue are unconstitutional.
Since then, he has been one of the leading forces for chaos and confusion in the Trump administration. The recent letter goes much further, threatening to undermine the administration’s commitment to constitutional principles. It uses those illustrative examples to create a narrative of power usurpation. It calls on Bessent to return to the inclusive ideals he previously promoted during his tenure at the university.
Catherine was the one who organized the original letter, and she contacted Bessent back in March with similar feelings. Unfortunately, she never got the answer. The alumni group believes that it is crucial for public figures to stand against actions they consider detrimental to democracy and constitutional rights.
David Kallick, a signer of the letter, elaborated on his worries about due process. It’s for this reason that he feels the current administration’s actions are short-circuiting vital constitutional protections. Long-time environmental preservation advocates Their alumni appeal to Bessent to reconsider his responsibilities and the larger meaning of his position.
“Scott, please take a moment to step back, look down the road a piece, and think hard about whether you want to be responsible for enabling the descent of America into fascism.” – Yale Class of 1984
In an email response to the letter, Bessent said he feels like he knows their motivations about their lack of faith. He suggested their relationship was tenuous at best. He challenged their right to weigh in on his personal decisions after 40 years.
“It is equal parts odd and sad that a group of people, most of whom I have never met, feel they have standing in my life choices due to a tenuous overlap from 40 years ago.” – Scott Bessent
The copy/paste-style letter campaign model was harshly criticized by Bessent. She contended that it missed the courage of getting into the nitty gritty of the political fray.
“How very brave of these people to wage their campaign from behind a keyboard rather than to engage in the real-life political process.” – Scott Bessent
He urged the activists that care about that to operate in their own lane.
“They should look inward, exercise some agency, and come out from behind their desks—like I did—to get involved in the 2028 electoral cycle.” – Scott Bessent
Most alumni feel that their message is vitally important to the survival of American democracy. Hank Copeland, another signer of the letter, acknowledged the challenges faced by those trying to speak out against perceived injustices within the current administration.
“On the one hand, we’re whistling in a hurricane, and some classmates cite futility as their reason for not signing.” – Hank Copeland
He remarked that symbolic gestures can have an affirmative role to play by reminding people of their values.
“We do these symbolic things to remind ourselves and others what we care about.” – Hank Copeland
The letter criticizes the role of Bessent. It touches on a deeper anxiety among students of this Yale class — and many — about the state of American democracy during the Trump presidency. They plead with Bessent to be a sensible voice among what’s even more likely turning into a crazy political zoo.
“Be brave. Stand up for what you know to be right and be a voice of reason in the midst of this insanity.” – Yale Class of 1984
Many alumni are concerned that Bessent’s acquiescence to administration orders may do irreparable damage to civil liberties. They fear that this would undermine hard-fought constitutional protections too. Kallick articulated this concern succinctly.
“I’m really concerned about due process and” other protections “in our Constitution that are being set aside by the president’s actions.” – David Kallick
Bessent, similarly, has chosen not to directly answer any of the specific charges made in THEA’s letter. Rather, he has danced around that question all together. First, think about how strongly he believes that he is operating only in the nation’s best interest. He’s made this belief clear publically over and over.