Americans watched in horror as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth capitulates to Putin on Ukraine. Senators voted in Hegseth, Gabbard with more horrible picks coming soon.
While many Republicans in Congress and the Senate are in it for the grift, the reason some abandon Americans is fear. Fear of Trump and MAGA keeps the few decent members of the GOP from voting against Trump and for the interests of Americans. Not just fear of mean tweets or fear of a primary but actual fear for their safety and the safety of their families.
Former Senator Mitt Romney's book made it clear that there were members of the GOP who wanted to vote to impeach Donald Trump during his second trial. But several Republicans voted to acquit Trump over safety fears. Vanity Fair journalist Gabriel Sherman tweeted in December:
"An under covered story is how GOP politicians fear their physical safety if they defy Trump agenda. A high level MAGA person told me: 'They should be afraid. They didn’t win the election. Trump did.'"
Adding Musk to the Mix
The world's richest man and proud Nazi infiltrating every government agency makes the Trump presidency even more dangerous. Palmer Report summed it up in a tweet about yesterday's insane press conference with Musk, Trump and Musk's toddler son:
"Elon Musk standing behind the Oval Office desk with his kid on his shoulders and admitting to reporters that he spreads misinformation while Trump sits there in a confused haze. It’s the perfect image of everything that’s wrong right now."
Even before he took office again, Donald Trump used fear to get Republicans in line. In December NBC News reported that "Republican officeholders to avoid criticizing Trump because of potential threats to their safety and their jobs is also holding back rank-and-file voters from opposing the former president in public." Kyle Clare, who is a member of the University of Iowa's College Republicans told NBC News:
“If you go against Trump, like — you’re over. I’m just so scared of doing this right now...I want to be able to have my opinions on our politicians, and I want to be able to speak freely about them and people still understand I’m a conservative.”
Local and State Politicians Fear Trump and MAGA
In 2024, Maricopa County Arizona recorder Stephen Richer talked to Vox about the rise in threat of violence against people who disagree with Donald Trump. The outlet wrote:
"Trump’s most fanatical followers have created a situation where challenging him carries not only political risks but also personal ones. Elected officials who dare defy the former president face serious threats to their well-being and to that of their families — raising the cost of taking an already difficult stand."
Even GOP Voters Fear Trump
The NBC News story about Trump using fear to keep Republicans in line even extends to GOP voters. The outlet reported that Republican voters avoid criticizing Trump, due to "potential threats to their safety and their jobs."
It's looking pretty grim for the US of A right now.
