The core paradox behind MAGA adoration – low expectations of life-style advances vs. knowingly endorsing a vengeful, scorched-earth, government-bashing crusade by the Destroyer-in-chief.
“I am your retribution,” blustered a sinister Trump, the self-anointed divine agent forever deflecting his historic void of meaningful campaign reform pledges. From that first elevator stunt onward, promises of retribution against overstated victimization defines Trumpism. How distinct from grounded promises, “I am your economic or job or healthcare champion”? Why worry about real pressures when smashing phony foes? Forget reforms like job training for tech jobs, or school funding for under-achieving children; forget food or drug or transportation benefits. Remember that deceitful, long-forgotten 2015 war against bottom-line corporate outsourcing? Countless broken promises pale next to holy wars of vengeance to punish enemies.
Bizarro, mercurial tariff stunts are the crudest way to retrieve lost jobs or fix outdated skill-sets, if they work at all. Major factories take high-level planning (beyond a ten-minute attention span) and enormous capital outlays, even economic guarantees. Where’s any federal backing needed to resurrect high-demand products with global clout, let alone union-quality factory jobs. Paltry gestures like “no tax on tips” and other crumbs are laughable distractions vs. sustainable, real-world industrial reforms. That at the least demands more major infrastructure spending (like Biden’s), inflation control programs (like Biden’s) and direct stimulation of U.S. manufacturing, like Biden’s computer chip legislation. No wonder the (few) reality-oriented MAGA fans remain so frustrated – Trump is not about pushing, let alone supplying real deliverables, especially when eclipsed by today’s reign of immigrant cruelty, spearheaded with his own jackbooted gestapo.
But brutality, not life improvements, is the overwhelming MAGA mania, trading off its inflated grievance for stagy stunts, as if Trump spectacles somehow assuage its collective sense of disempowerment. Don’t fix any systemic problems like income, lobbying and opportunity inequality – the basis of MAGA misery – when Trump minions can instead harass immigrants, women, minorities, the sick, liberals, or top Dems. While I get commonplace MAGA rancor, some justified, towards those who live better, in nicer housing, with fancier jobs, how do we explain extreme loyalty to a politician blind to their own life needs? Crumbs are just that, and poorer MAGA cultists, shredded of emergency care, health care and food networks, will suffer just as will poorer Democrats. Trump’s sole interests, aside from profiteering, are undeniable: handing out huge billionaire tax breaks, undercutting allies, and spurring on vigilante ICE raids, lawlessly without due process.
What defines the Age of Trump are the monumental, blatant takeaways. Millions of Americans have fewer abortion options, less health care, less access to Medicaid or food stamps, less funds for public education – along with appalling gaps in support, as with Covid, serial shootings, hurricanes or Texas flooding. MAGA has become an icon of suckerdom, absent the life-serving payoffs from any self-respecting “messiah.” Where’s the beef? Sure, average folks pay slightly less taxes (with shredded social networks), must work around red-state abortion rules, and have more church/home-schooling. But who stops anyone from NOT getting an abortion. Less emergency weather warnings, less national data collection, less housing subsidies, less science and purged arts programs – where’re basic payoffs for anyone but billionaires and big corporations, notably awarded less regulation, lower taxes, energy subsidies and choice tariff boosts.
Second act worse than the first
Will the second be any better than Trump’s first term – minor tax breaks for blue collar voters, less for education and infrastructure plus tens of thousands of MAGA families ravaged by needless Covid deaths? After 2016, the US buoyed up the space program, released more incarcerated criminals earlier (thus likely spurring, not reducing crime IMO), and beefed up the Defense budget. But did Trump directly moderate inflation with huge tax-driven deficits? He did kill a few terrorists and didn’t start any new wars – but how do these enhance the lives of the bottom 80%? Severe income inequality continues to surge – and the First Family of corruption still reduces politics to a high-profit slot machine, multiplying Trump wealth.
Name specific Trump legislation in either term that has made America great – or even better. Most actions worsen conditions for the average American, aside from betraying promises to end major wars or shifting public funds to redeem the general public. Notwithstanding reality, the vast majority of Trumpers know his immoral character, riveted with lawlessness and cruelty. That’s why MAGA cheers on violations of traditional thresholds – that a president at least not be an overt crook, tax cheat, draft dodger or sex abuser. Alleged Christians had to put aside all that Jesus taught to elect an irreligious sinner bent on symbolic and real revenge, producing a less Christian, less compassionate, less charitable America. And all before the latest war against law-abiding, if undocumented workers who pump up state and federal tax receipts.
Do we believe in free will or not, and are not adults morally responsible for bad actions? If character is destiny, then no conscious MAGA supporters can deny whom they voted for, what nastiness was promised, and what cruelty is now being delivered. A punitive Trump on steroids, if not autocratic strongman, is what he promised, the only surprise being the speed, lawlessness, and indiscriminateness of the roundup. Laughable cabinet picks – Hegseth, Noem, Ludnick, Gabbard or RFK, Jr. – are ready enablers.
Indeed, MAGA’s fascination with the Destroyer-in-chief’s rampage directly reflects their values, having now downgraded self-interest. Hear any MAGA outrage at Musk’s DOGE disaster (compared to Epstein folly)? One time is a blunder, re-election exposes the core depravity of Trump and his cult. Trump may have originally hijacked the party with media razzle-dazzle. Not any more: he and MAGA are the ultimate unholy alliance.
Even hard times don’t justify electing convicted felons
In degraded times, few expect modern politicians to be models of virtue, morality or goodness. Ditto, high-paid CEOs, sports and entertainment heroes, public intellectuals, even national pundits. Let it be known: rightwing voting has officially abandoned the tradition of backing leaders who can help them live better. What MAGA cultists achieved, by hook and certainly by crook, is to accept their pragmatic status quo while leveraging unresolved, conspiracy-driven grievances against any Trump-invested enemies, whoever is so targeted. Whatever MAGA lives lack, brutalizing the even less powerful won’t resolve their miseries.
While honest grief is a necessary, constructive process, irrational grievance, with the wrong targets and wrong bad guys, is no more than an emotional tantrum. How do tantrums of any sort that help devastate functional government advance anyone? Trickle-down economics is a farce. Many Americans will end up with less employment options, higher (tariff) prices, and with less electoral clout thanks to massive disenfranchisement by 2028.
MAGA had its chance to back rightwing politicians with a chance to deliver real-world rewards. Instead, they repeatedly went for the unremitting Trump bait-and-switch hustles iced by billionaire propaganda. Like their champion, the MAGA character flaws, even the belief in violence and vengeance, now impact everyone’s destiny. Yes, character is linked to destiny and the bad character of a collective mass, willing to trade retribution for deliverables, is on full display. The magnitude of the heavy, negative price to American democracy and prosperity is as uncertain as next month’s tariff roulette.
Whether rightwing Project 2025 (however dishonestly denied), treasonous defiance of election law, his appalling defense of criminal Capitol invaders, kinship with power-crazed dictators, or hatred of anyone who blocks him, Trump’s only positive has been not hiding who he is. Whatever the hand-wringing today, MAGA made a moral choice and knew what dark nightmares they invited. To the degree Trumpers are conscious, the issue is intention and not random chance. History will verify who is ultimately responsible – well beyond FOX noise, nor even solely the Hustler-in-chief.
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