MAGA Republican cynically lies and insults about Trump's authoritarian MAGA tax & spend bill

In this NPR interview from the start to 7:10, Colorado MAGA Republican congressman Gabe Evans tells us how wonderful Trump's tax breaks for rich people and more debt for us law really is. Some basic fact checking shows that Evans is a cynical, insulting liar or a self-deceived idiot.

Two of Evans' most insulting, outrageous falsehoods:

• NPR pointed out that if his grandfather, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, was still alive today he would be arrested and deported by djt's ICE. Evans deflects and said at ~4:55-5:11 that (1) his grandfather earned his family's US citizenship by fighting in WWII in Patton's 3rd Army in Europe, and (2) the two Purple Hearts his grandfather got in WWII paid for the citizenship of his family in blood. That conveniently deflects from the fact that if Evans' grandfather was still alive today he would be arrested and deported by djt's ICE. djt could not care less about illegal immigrants fighting for the US military or winning Purple Hearts or any other military award. He wants to deport all of them. Most likely, Evans is either lying or stupidly deceiving himself. 

• At ~5:23-5:49, NPR asked about people in Evans voting district who oppose djt's tax and spend bill in part because of large cuts in Medicaid spending. He responds by saying (1) there is a lot of misinformation about the bill, and (2) Medicaid spending will increase every year the law is in effect, not decrease as widely reported. ** 

** A quick fact check shows that Evans' assertion of increased Medicaid spending is false: The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office provides official cost estimates for legislation. It projects that djt's bill will reduce Medicaid spending by approximately $930 billion over ten years, causing about 11.8 million people to lose their health care insurance. That amounts to the largest cut to Medicaid in the program's history. Authoritarian MAGA Republicans cynically insult us by arguing they are targeting "waste, fraud, and abuse" and focusing benefits on the most deserving populations — primarily pregnant women, children, and disabled individuals. Health policy experts say that most Medicaid recipients already work, and the cuts would achieve savings primarily by making it more difficult for eligible people to maintain coverage, i.e., killing them with paperwork.

And FWIW, the law's $4.5 trillion in tax cuts mostly benefit higher-income households (at least ~60% of cuts go to the top 5% of households) while cutting $1.2 trillion from social safety net programs. The CBO projects this will increase the federal deficit by $3.3 trillion over ten years. Multiple analyses confirm that while the legislation provides tax cuts to most income groups, the combination of tax cuts and spending reductions creates a regressive transfer of resources from lower-income to higher-income households 7 8 4.

The world favors the strong

PLAIN AND SIMPLE.

Russia will eventually take half of Ukraine. Because they are determined. Meanwhile European leaders are still hesitant to totally ban all oil and gas from Russia or devote their most precious military assets to Ukraine. 

Hence, the strong, will win.

China is expanding it's global reach. Reaching out to 3rd world countries the US has abandoned. Trump in trade wars while China expands its Silk Road initiative. 

Hence, the strong, will win. 

In the US - the markets are reaching new records. The border is secure. Criminal gangs are being dismembered. Sure, the methods being used may seem heinous, but the Republicans and Trump are getting things done. The Democrats are whining and in-fighting. 

Hence, the strong, are winning.

My point? I don't approve of Russia, China, or Trump and the Republicans. But the LEFT has been playing it safe, has been hesitant, has been cautious, has been indecisive, has been unable to deal with crises facing them.

It took a Republican President to deal a blow to Iran. Don't approve? Might backfire? Ok, but RIGHT NOW, it makes the Left look weak because they (excuse the term) dicked around with Iran.

Should China become the new world power, should Russia annex part or all of Ukraine, and should the Democrats fail to win back the White House, those events will speak volumes about how the world views strength vs caution, hesitation, indecisiveness.

Rightwing parties in Europe are gaining popularity. In France and Germany. They have victories in Poland and Italy.

Again, those of us with more leftist views are asking how is this happening. It's perception. The Right, wherever they exist, are laser focused on achievement. The Left plays to progressive views but otherwise come across as being indecisive and yes............ weak. 

Since perception is 9/10s of the law, people are perceiving the Right as strong, and the Left as weak. 

Now on the subject of caring for the most vulnerable, for having policies that are fair, for not being rife with bigotry, sure, the Left is the preferred political force.

Don't tell that though to all those who have given up on the Left as being a bunch of liberal fruitcakes more interested in supporting transgender issues than securing borders or addressing the issues of working class people.

Thankfully, that socialist paradise called Canada is still leaning heavily towards the Left. The rest of the world.............................. 

Trumpworld 2.0: Why Even Billionaires Bow—Personalism, Kleptocracy, and the New American Regime

 

What kind of government is the United States becoming under Trump’s second term?If you’re confused by the headlines—Elon Musk apologizing, GOP senators expressing fear, Republicans voting for bills they privately dislike—you’re not alone. But there’s a pattern: power is now personal, transactional, and enforced by loyalty to Trump. It’s not, as many believe, simply about ideology (like Christian Nationalism or the America First movement) or wealth (such as the so-called “tech bro oligarchy” or the donor class). In Trumpworld 2.0, neither ideological purity nor vast fortune is enough: what matters most is personal allegiance to the leader.

What Is “Personalism”—and Why Does It Matter?

Personalism means a system where all meaningful power is concentrated in one leader, not shared among a coalition of elites or institutions. In Trumpworld 2.0, even the wealthiest and most powerful figures—tech titans, senators, CEOs—function as courtiers. Their status depends not on their money or ideas, but on whether they please the man at the top.

This isn’t classic oligarchy (rule by a stable group of elites), nor is it old-school dictatorship or military rule. Instead, it’s a hybrid regime: part democracy, part strongman show, with a heavy dose of crony capitalism and kleptocracy.

Quick Definitions

• Personalism: Rule by one leader, not by party or coalition.

• Kleptocracy: A system where government power is used for personal enrichment and patronage.

• Competitive Authoritarianism: A hybrid regime where elections and institutions exist, but the playing field is so tilted that real competition is hollowed out—Hungary under Viktor Orbán, for example, is widely recognized as a clear example of a hybrid regime. The United States under Trump shows signs of moving decisively toward becoming an electoral autocracy, not unlike Hungary—a comparison now drawn by both scholars and major news outlets.

The Evidence: How Trump’s System Works

1. The GOP: Fear, Compliance, and the Cost of Dissent

The passage of Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” (OBBB) in July 2025 is the clearest sign yet of how tightly he controls his party. Despite widespread misgivings and the bill’s deep unpopularity, nearly every Republican in Congress ultimately supported it, setting aside their own pledges and policy positions. As The Atlantic reported, lawmakers from both moderate and conservative wings abandoned their red lines—on Medicaid, deficits, or local priorities—rather than risk a confrontation with the president.

Senator Lisa Murkowski’s story says it all. In public remarks, she admitted, “we are all afraid”  (Reuters, April 18, 2025) of political retaliation from Trump, describing her own anxiety and the “real” threat that keeps even senior Republicans from speaking out. She ultimately voted for the bill after negotiating carve-outs for Alaska, despite calling it “a bad bill, ” and noting that it will hurt Americans. Other senators who initially objected to the bill’s provisions, like Josh Hawley and Ron Johnson, also reversed course under pressure. The cost of dissent is so high that even lawmakers with strong ideological or constituency-based objections ultimately comply.

Other cases reinforce the pattern:

• Rand Paul was uninvited from the White House picnic after opposing Trump’s bill, a move he called “petty vindictiveness.” He went on to state, "They’re afraid of what I’m saying, so they think they’re going to punish me, I can’t go to the picnic...But petty vindictiveness like this, it makes you — it makes you wonder about the quality of people you’re dealing with.”No GOP figures defended him. After bad press, Trump announced Paul was welcome to the event.(NBC News, July 12, 2025) 

• Thom Tillis voted against the bill, was attacked as "worse than Rand Paul" and"A talker and complainer. NOT A DOER!”(The Hill, 6/29/25)  He was threatened with primaries, leading to his retirement. Since Tillis stepped down, Trump-- true to loyalist form-- announced his number one pick for a replacement is his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump (Newsweek, July 1, 2025).

• Thomas Massie criticized the bill for adding $20 trillion in debt, earning Trump’s ridicule as “Rand Paul Junior” and threatened with a primary. "He's going to have a big opponent, a good opponent, who's going to win. A poll just came out, and it showed anybody I endorse against Massie, Massie loses by 25 points. So he's he's gonna be history I think." (Fox News, 7/1/25)

The result? Loyalty to Trump trumps all else. The party is no longer a coalition of interests, but a vehicle for his authority.

The Sycophantic Spectacle: Ritualizing Party Subordination

The passage of the "One Big Beautiful Bill" (OBBB) was marked not only by the near-total compliance of Republican lawmakers, but by an extraordinary display of orchestrated loyalty. As soon as the House approved the bill, Speaker Mike Johnson and the Republican caucus staged a celebration that was anything but spontaneous. Trump’s rally anthem “YMCA” blared through the chamber, and lawmakers lined up to pose with double thumbs-up—Trump’s signature gesture—while some performed his trademark fist-pump dance.

This was not the exuberance of a party unified by shared conviction. Behind the music and smiles, many lawmakers were privately uneasy or outright opposed to the bill’s substance, having voted “yes” only after securing carve-outs or under the threat of presidential retaliation. The outward display of unity was, in reality, a performance compelled by fear and the logic of personalist discipline.

The moment functioned as a public ritual: a sycophantic Congress signaling to the country and to Trump himself that dissent had been purged and only loyalty remained. It was the legislative equivalent of a “Trump salute,” a symbolic act that announced—without a word being spoken—that the GOP’s transformation from a coalition of interests to a vehicle for one man’s authority was complete. The event did not simply celebrate a policy win; it made unmistakable that the party’s identity is now defined by personal allegiance to Trump, not by shared principles or policy consensus.

This spectacle, staged at the very moment of new national legislation passing, was the culmination of weeks of intra-party discipline: dissenters like Rand Paul, Thom Tillis, Thomas Massie, and Lisa Murkowski had been publicly humiliated, threatened, or driven to retirement. The House celebration was not a celebration of legislative achievement, but a ritualized affirmation of Trump’s personal dominance—a warning to any who might consider defiance in the future. 

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2. The Executive Branch: Loyalism, Overreach, and Patronage

Trump’s personalist system extends control far beyond party politics to the machinery of government itself.

• DOGE and Project 2025: The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), once led by Elon Musk, is now under Russ Vought’s control. Its mission: mass layoffs, embedding loyalists, and sidelining Congress in favor of direct presidential power.

• The Musk Episode: Musk, after criticizing Trump’s bill as a “debt bomb,” faced threats of contract losses and even deportation. Musk, who had apologized for earlier critical remarks against Trump, once again backed down, writing on X  “So tempting to escalate this. So, so tempting. But I will refrain for now.” (The Guardian, July 1, 2025)  Even the world’s richest man is subordinate to Trump’s will.

• Kleptocratic Integration: The administration’s rescission of $11 billion in research grants was described as “targeted retaliation” against critical universities. (Inside Higher Ed, 5/2/25) Loyalist firms like Palantir have secured lucrative no-bid contracts. Inspectors general who challenged the administration were fired without notice. Deportations to dangerous countries like South Sudan proceeded despite court injunctions, with accusations of “unprecedented defiance”. All levers of state power are ultimately subject to Trump’s personal authority.

3. The Judiciary: Loyalty Over Principle

Even the courts, traditionally a check on executive power, are being reshaped to serve Trump’s interests.

• Break with the Federalist Society: Trump called Leonard Leo a “sleazebag” and “America hater” after their judges ruled against him, clearing the way for the rise of the Article III Project (A3P), which prioritizes loyalty over principle in judicial nominations, and openly boasts of being a "brass knuckles" Trump loyalist pipeline on their own web site.

• Attacks on Judicial Independence: Trump and A3P label GOP-appointed judges “rogue” for unfavorable rulings, proposing funding cuts or impeachment. When a federal judge blocked Trump’s border crackdown, the White House called it “an attack on our Constitution.” A recent Supreme Court ruling limiting nationwide injunctions further enables Trump’s defiance of judicial checks.

Why This Matters: The Big Picture

Trump’s system is not just about policy or ideology. It’s about personal loyalty, patronage, and the subordination of all institutions—Congress, executive agencies, the judiciary, and civil society—to one man’s will.

• Why Ideology Yields to Loyalty: Even ideologically aligned figures like Massie and populist icons like Musk are punished if they cross Trump.

• Kleptocratic Infrastructure: Defunding universities and firing inspectors general removes oversight, enabling patronage networks that sustain Trump’s power.

• Elite Subordination: From Musk’s DOGE leadership to Vought’s Project 2025, all power centers are kept dependent and revocable.

• Digital Personalism: Unlike state-controlled media in other regimes, Truth Social creates a decentralized echo chamber amplifying Trump’s attacks, with standards set only by his will, circumventing both media and social media constraints. Thus, Trump has his own "digital bully pulpit"-- at once a private business, and his main outlet for undiluted statements that inevitably are amplified in media and social media outlets.

The regime’s reliance on Trump’s charisma and personal authority makes it potentially brittle. As Murkowski put it, “we are all afraid.” Should Trump’s grip weaken, the coalition could fracture rapidly.

Conclusion: Not a Done Deal—But the Stakes Are High

Trump’s personalist capture of the GOP and federal government—infused with kleptocracy and crony capitalism—threatens the separation of powers, rule of law, and democratic stability. The process remains ongoing, contested, and volatile. Unlike entrenched oligarchies, personalist systems often collapse after the leader’s exit, but as institutional capture proceeds, the window for democratic recovery narrows.

Why does this matter? Because understanding the system is the first step toward defending democracy. If you see more signs of personalist rule, crony capitalism, or elite subordination, share your observations below—or ask questions about what to watch for next.

Key sources: The Atlantic, Reuters, NBC News, Fox News, Inside Higher Ed, and more. For a full list of references and further reading, see the endnotes in the original full-length essay from which this was adapted. .

Endnotes 

1. European Parliament: Hungary as a hybrid regime.

2. NPR: Political scientists on US democratic backsliding.

3. AP: Trump’s GOP likened to Hungary’s “electoral autocracy.”

4. Russell Berman, “No One Loves the Bill (Almost) Every Republican Voted for,” The Atlantic, July 3, 2025.

5. Reuters: Repbulican US Senator Murkowski on threat of Trump retaliation: 'We are all afraid,' April 18, 2025.

6. NBC News: Rand Paul uninvited from White House picnic, July 12, 2025.

7. The Hill: Trump attacks Tillis, June 29, 2025.

8. Newsweek: Lara Trump as Trump’s pick to replace Tillis, July 1, 2025.

9. Fox News: Trump threatens Massie, July 1, 2025.

10. The Guardian: Musk backs down in feud with Trump, July 1, 2025.

11. Inside Higher Ed: Trump Administration Rescinds $11 Billion in University Research Grants, May 2, 2025.

12. Reuters: Deportations Proceed Despite Court Injunctions, June 24, 2025.

13. Article III Project: “Brass knuckles” judicial pipeline, 2025.

 

The new normal: Worse; AI antics

The new normal

Things getting worse is the new normal. The open question now is how bad will things get? That is not clear. djt has repeatedly stated that he wants to use the US military to mow peaceful protesters down. He shows constant, intense contempt and hostility toward all major democratic barriers, including the US Constitution, federal separation of powers, church-state separation, the federal courts, due process, voting rights, inconvenient fact and truth, and the rule of law. His lust for vengeance is off the charts. His level of moral rot, mendacity and corruption is even worse.

djt and congressional authoritarian MAGA Repubs want to spend ~$45 billion to build concentration camps to catch, house, mistreat and deport immigrant prisoners, whether they are illegal immigrants or not. That is an insane amount of money for incarceration, abuse & deportation facilities. That level of funding for ICE detention in djt's proposed tax abuse bill is over five times larger than the entire Federal Bureau of Prisons budget of approximately $8.6 billion for FY 2025. The proposed funding represents a huge increase from the current ICE detention budget of ~$8 billion. One source asserts that the proposed ICE budget is increased by $170 billion over its current funding rate of $10 billion. This level of funding makes ICE the single largest federal law enforcement agency in US history. The US is becoming a rogue police state. 

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Various outlets (1, 2) report that federal judge Dale Ho dismissed the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. The case was dismissed with prejudice. That means the charges against Adams cannot ever be refiled, assuming that particular rule of law remains intact. So, another white collar criminal gets off the hook. The judge's reasoning exemplifies the horror of the new normal that djt and MAGA elites have inflicted on us. 

The reporting indicates that djt's corrupted and weaponized MAGAfied DoJ requested a dismissal "without prejudice." That would have allowed the case to be reopened in the future. Judge Ho rejected this, because leaving the case open for retrial gave djt political leverage over the mayor. Thus, if djt got mad at Adams for not doing what Trump tells him what to do, he could simply have his politicized DoJ refile the corruption charges. Judge Ho said that was unacceptable. Thus, Ho took away the leverage over Adams that djt had by letting the sleazy criminal Adams completely and forever off the hook. Ho had no choice at all. This level of moral rot is the new normal.

“Ending the case without prejudice would create an unavoidable impression that the Mayor’s liberty is contingent upon his capacity to fulfill the immigration enforcement objectives of the administration. Everything here suggests a bargain: the dismissal of the indictment in exchange for concessions on immigration policy. If in fact D.O.J.’s immigration enforcement rationale amounts to a quid pro quo to extract policy concessions from the Mayor, then it is difficult to imagine a more egregious example of the kind of prosecutorial harassment [that the rule requiring judges to approve criminal dismissals] is intended to guard against.” — Judge Dale Ho

Q: Will the next bit of progress in MAGA authoritarian law be to ignore federal court orders and case decisions, like Ho's decision, with djt ordering his personal attorney, e.g., Pam Bondi, at the DoJ to refile charges that were previously dismissed against any defendant that djt gets mad at and wants revenge against? 

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Pxy, my routine AI source, has a hot new offer! One can buy early access to agentic AI, loaded with all the extras, trimmings and backdoors to Musk's secret operations in Russia!

Sheesh, Max is kinda expensive. And that is only for personal use. I thought Pro was pricey. Presumably the cost for commercial users is higher, maybe ~$5,000/month or something like that. Ouch. The marketing says that Max will save ~10 hours/week per employee with access, so ~$5,000/month would probably would be worth it to a lot of employers. 

Q: Hey! What's that gurgling sound? Employees being flushed out by Max? 

(Well, yeah it is employees being flushed, but also small businesses that cannot afford to buy Max to stay competitive with the big dogs)