I wonder about our collective memory. Early in my career, I moderated focus groups—small gatherings of demographically targeted respondents who answer the organizers’ questions about predetermined subjects like movies or politics, so this kind of research always intrigues me. I read a recent transcript from a group of Latino Republicans who voted for Donald Trump, and I was shocked—but not surprised—that this group, ranging in age from 20 to 70, is satisfied with the Trump presidency so far.
Yes, they were frustrated with inflation and rising prices they attributed to tariffs, and they were angry at the deportation tactics that have ensnared some of their friends (“hard working taxpayers”), but all were onboard with the idea that he knows what he’s doing.
Some were upset with the broken promises:
· He didn’t end the Russian invasion of Ukraine “on day one.”
· He didn’t end the fighting in Gaza “on day one.”
· The Iranian enriched uranium and nuclear facilities were not in fact “obliterated.”
· He didn’t end the Houthi attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea, as promised following the bombing of Houthi assets in Yemen.
· He didn’t protect Medicaid or renew the financial support offered by the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) until now.
All acknowledged that he talks trash, but to a person, they remain loyal to him, expressing hope for the future. They believe he’s right about tariffs and inflation, and are willing to “tough it out.”
It’s like mass hypnosis in some ways. These respondents complain about the economy, complain that the minimum wage is too low and prices are too high, complain that many of their fellow Latinos are being rounded up like animals and relegated to concentration camps while they await deportation, and they hate the tariffs, yet they love Donald Trump.
One or two suggested that his term should be longer (!) because the remaining 3 1/2 years won’t be enough to get the job done. They attribute none of their hardships, all of which have come to the fore since he came to office, to Donald Trump.
But how much more will the majority stand for? Polls from Gallup to Pew say there’s a permanent 38% pro-Trump faction in the U.S. They don’t think that is a number that will move in either direction in the foreseeable future. What of the 62% who are reviled, horrified, and otherwise disgusted? The two largest protests since the Vietnam War have shown that there are millions opposed to what’s happening in our name, but I still have this empty feeling that not even Jeffrey Epstein from the grave will provoke a turnaround of pro-Trump sentiment. Partially because the safely gerrymandered Republican Congress is more afraid of Trump than its constituents. That’s upside down.
He baselessly attacks the Fed Chair, while he has his FCC chairman baselessly attack broadcasters, suggesting that all their management should be jailed, although he’s a little fuzzy on actual charges. Same deal with President Obama, Secretary Clinton, President Clinton, and, sources say, the Easter Bunny.
Unsatisfied with their effort state-by-state to strip the rolls of potential Democratic or Independent voters, they are now setting the nonprofit Democratic fundraising site Act Blue up for legal attacks intended to destroy their opponents’ ability to raise money.
We’ve always known power doesn’t yield to morals or ethics, but we’ve never seen our government implement power so obviously or ruthlessly.
Trump hates the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell. Hates him so badly that he blames Obama for appointing him in the first place, when of course he was a Trump appointee. Because he can only be fired “for-cause,” they’ve a ginned up “fraud” story that says Powell is guilty of benefitting from the a huge refurbishing of the Central Bank facilities. Evidence says he’s not, but since when does that matter to a liar?
Similarly, they made up excuses to defund public broadcasting, long a Republican priority. CNN: “Anna M. Gomez, the lone Dem on the FCC, says the pending cut is part of Trump's broader campaign against the media. "This isn't about saving money," Gomez wrote on X. "It's about silencing those who report the news accurately, without fear or favor."
“‘Stephen Miller translates Trump’s instinctual politics into a coherent ideological program,’ Christopher Rufo, a conservative activist, told the NY Times Jason Zengerele, ‘and he is the man for the moment in the second term.’” Steve Bannon elucidated, “I’m not sure anybody has had this much authority.” Zengerele goes on, “Indeed, at times it can seem as if Mr. Miller is trying to seize the moment as much for himself as for Mr. Trump — promoting a policy vision that is not just more coherent but more radical than the president’s. It’s clear what Mr. Miller’s agenda is. Does Mr. Trump share it?”
©2025 Jon Sinton
Well laid out, Jon. My take is that the 38% of hardcore supporters are the definition of cult members.