By now, people who focus on the pattern and nature of changes the Trump administration and the USSC (US Supreme Court) have imposed on government, law, commerce, American Christianity, journalism, science, and society can clearly see a corrupt authoritarian pattern and intent. Trump and MAGA elites have pushed all of those targets toward authoritarianism and deep corruption. Billionaires and big corporations have been protected, empowered and deregulated. Christianity, specifically Christian nationalism, has been empowered into aggressive arrogance and cruel, bigoted fundamentalist theocracy. By contrast, wealth and powers of citizens, consumers, and workers have been weakened or eliminated. The same has happened to protections for the environment. In short, Trump and empowered MAGA elites are building the means to move vast new wealth, power and protections from the public interest, citizens, consumers, workers and the environment to elites and special interests. By now, the evidence is overwhelming. Trump and his MAGA political movement is deeply corrupt, staunchly authoritarian, and taking wealth and power for themselves from us. Link 1, link 2, link 3, link 4, link 5, link 6, link 7, link 8, link 9
It is now clear that Trump's probably illegal DOGE quasi-agency was an intentional, sloppy effort to (1) disempower and deprotect citizens, consumers, workers and the environment, while (2) further empowering and protecting wealthy people and allied special interests, including billionaire's businesses. DOGE's mass firings at the GSA left that agency unable to perform basic functions. The IRS lost 25% of its workforce, with experts projecting $350 billion to $900 billion in lost revenue by 2036 from failure to enforce tax laws. The evidence of what DOGE did was not about fixing inefficiencies. It was about dismantling government functions that served the public interest, including stripping protections for government workers. Those functions balanced the public interest power against special interest power. Now, the public interest is weak and mostly defenseless, while special interests are deregulated and free to feed on society without most major restraints. The effects are now being documented. In Trump’s second term massive financial windfalls are going to his wealthy backers and his own businesses. Not surprisingly, that is what happens when public interest protections like anti-corruption and financial integrity safeguards are eliminated --- wealth and power flow from the public interest to special interests. Link 10, link 11, link 12, link 13, link 14, link 15, link 16
Trump and MAGA politics have inflicted enormous damage on America's domestic and foreign interests. Tariffs have imposed costs that fall almost entirely on American consumers and businesses, with ~90% of the tariff burden falling on U.S. firms and households. A 6% reduction in long-run GDP and a $22,000 lifetime loss for middle-income households has been projected. Internationally, one analysis documented 111 distinct ways that Trump and MAGA policy have weakened American security, economic standing, and global influence. Some scholars see the damage to US alliances as potentially irreversible. Before Trump, the US had allies. Now we don't. Link 17, link 18, link 19, link 20, link 21, link 22, link 23
What Trump and MAGA politics have done is not just scattered or misguided incompetence or good faith efforts to improve government efficiency or accountability. It is the a focused effort to severely weaken the public interest, and to empower authoritarianism and free special interests from laws and regulations. It's happening everywhere at once. Domestic agencies, scientific research, the military, the judiciary, international alliances, the economy and even Christianity are being bent toward kleptocratic authoritarianism. The destruction is too broad, too deep, too simultaneous, and too consistent to be accidental. Trump is doing his very best to weaken and destroy America and its system of government and laws. Link 24, link 25, link 26, link 27
Qs: Is it credible to argue that Trump and MAGA elites really are authoritarian, deeply corrupt and anti-American? If not, what is the evidence they are honest, pro-public interest, pro-democracy and pro-America?