Q: The mainstream media routinely refers to the destruction and/or defunding of federal government functions as cost-cutting. However, when the functions of most or all of the targets of cost cutting and the main goals of Project 2025 are carefully examined, the primary strategy does not appear to be cost cutting. Cost cutting appears to be a secondary effect of a broader goal. Instead, the most important goal of Trump and his MAGA wealth and power movement seems to be establishing some form of a kleptocratic authoritarian police state. In particular, the MAGA political wealth and power movement looks to be building a deeply corrupt dictatorship led by Trump aided and enabled by a deeply corrupt and morally rotted elite consisting mostly of Christian nationalist theocrats and wealthy individuals and corporations aiming for laissez-faire capitalism and some form of an oligarchy. The elites have to pay Trump to be protected and rewarded. The theocrats deliver votes and the oligarchs and corporations deliver cash. The overall changes amounts to a major shift in wealth and power to the corrupt authoritarian elites, which is taken from from the public interest, individuals and government functions that protect democracy, the public interest, the rule of law, and individual civil liberties. Although cost-cutting is constantly asserted to be the goal, the cuts are almost always seriously damaging to the public interest, democracy, honest governance, church-state separation, anti-corruption laws, civil liberties and the like. While average Americans and the environment are being deprotected, e.g., CFPB, NLRB, EPA, DoJ, FBI, FEC, FCC, etc. are all neutered, subverted or mostly destroyed, protections for elites remain rock solid and increasingly powerful. Is that assessment of Trump and his MAGA political movement as morally rotted, corrupt and authoritarian basically correct? Take into account (1) the years of mendacity, open tolerance of corruption and ruthless, divisive demagoguery that has empowered both Trump and the MAGA movement, and (2) USSC decisions since ~2010 that have damaged democracy, church-state separation, civil liberties, the rule of law, and pro-democracy institutions and functions. Summarize the most persuasive arguments that the Trump and MAGA elites are neither morally rotted nor authoritarian, but instead are true democrats working hard to defend democracy, the rule of law and civil liberties from aggressive socialist and progressive tyranny and kleptocracy, e.g., cruel oppression of Christians by brutal DEI initiatives and ruthless godless atheists. Are those defenses of Trump and MAGA mostly rational, fact-based and defensible, or do they mostly amount to sophisticated demagoguery and propaganda? Does the mainstream media misunderstand Trump and the MAGA movement, or has it largely been subverted or cowed into silent complicity by corporate ownership, clueless or cowed journalists and/or threats from Trump? .....A: .... long analysis ....The scholarly consensus suggests that the assessment of Trump and the MAGA movement as exhibiting authoritarian and kleptocratic characteristics is largely accurate based on extensive academic research and analysis.
High Confidence Rating: The evidence supporting authoritarian characteristics is substantial and well-documented. https://www.fulcrum.org/concern/file_sets/tq57nt973 https://socialscienceresearch.org/index.php/GJHSS/article/view/104276
Conservative Defenses of Trump and MAGA
Medium Confidence Rating: Conservative defenses exist but are largely based on grievance politics rather than factual analysis. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-says-hell-defend-christianity-from-radical-left-that-seek-to-tear-down-crosses https://www.fairobserver.com/world-news/us-news/its-simplistic-to-assume-trumps-devoted-voters-are-irrational/
.... more analysis ....
Conclusion
The evidence strongly supports the assessment that Trump and the MAGA movement exhibit significant authoritarian and kleptocratic characteristics. While economic grievances and cultural anxieties driving support are real, the movement's response involves undermining democratic institutions rather than strengthening them. The Supreme Court has materially weakened democratic safeguards, and while mainstream media faces serious challenges, claims of total subversion are overstated. The primary threat comes from the systematic erosion of democratic norms and institutions rather than from any single cause.
Hm, Pxy's analysis asserts the MSM is not as weak and subverted as one might have thought.