MAGA Republicans have reached new levels of extremism, hypocrisy, and chaos this week, filled with what President Biden might call malarkey. Here’s what you might have missed: Donald Trump tried to obscure his connections to Project 2025; Trump celebrated a Supreme Court decision that could enable his anti-democratic agenda, and his potential vice-presidential picks echoed his sentiments; Heritage Foundation and Project 2025 leader Kevin Roberts hinted at violence if his “revolution” is opposed; and Trump’s VP hopefuls defended his racially charged remarks about “Black jobs” and “Hispanic jobs.”
Donald Trump’s Secretive Ties to Project 2025
Trump has been working covertly with Project 2025 on a radical plan to strip away freedoms and undermine democracy.
Axios reports: “This is undeniably a Trump-driven operation. The biggest tell: Johnny McEntee — one of Trump’s closest White House aides, and his most fervent internal loyalty enforcer — is a senior adviser to Project 2025. One of the most powerful architects is Stephen Miller, a top West Wing adviser for the Trump administration.”
According to Politico: “On Tuesday, the Trump campaign sent a letter to pro-Trump, external organizations asking them to attend an ‘entirely off-the-record, private,’ and ‘invite-only’ meeting with senior campaign officials, according to a copy of the letter obtained by POLITICO. The sit-down, which the letter describes as a ‘meeting of the political minds,’ is aimed at discussing ‘collaborat[ion]’ and ‘priorities and plans’ for the general election. …
“By holding the meeting, the Trump operation and the third-party entities could conceivably get on the same page about their plans. Two people familiar with the planning for the event said Heritage Action and Turning Point Action were among the pro-Trump groups invited.”
BidenHQ also notes: “Trump’s Press Secretary is literally starring in recruitment ads for Project 2025.”
Trump’s Supreme Court Victory and His Plans
Trump has lauded a Supreme Court decision, framing it as a step towards becoming an unchecked dictator on “day one” of a potential new term.
The Hill highlighted Trump’s reaction: “Trump hails Supreme Court immunity decision as huge victory.”
Trump on Truth Social: “BIG WIN FOR OUR CONSTITUTION AND DEMOCRACY. PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!”
Rolling Stone reports: “But the former president and his inner circle aren’t content to stop at victory-lapping. Plans are already in motion to use this new, historic court decision as a legal shield to help a potential second Trump administration implement his extreme policy agenda with less concern for rules and laws, sources with knowledge of the matter say.”
According to Axios: “Former President Trump, if re-elected, plans to immediately test the boundaries of presidential and governing power, knowing the restraints of Congress and the courts are dramatically looser than during his first term, his advisers tell us. …
“Trump promises an unabashedly imperial presidency — one that would turn the Justice Department against critics, deport millions of people in the U.S. illegally, slap 10% tariffs on thousands of products, and fire perhaps tens of thousands of government staff deemed insufficiently loyal. …
“Thanks to Monday’s Supreme Court ruling, Trump could pursue his plans without fear of punishment or restraint.”
MAGA VP Contenders Support Trump’s Agenda
Trump’s potential VP picks have also supported the Supreme Court decision.
Doug Burgum: “This is a big win for America, and it’s a big win for the Constitution.”
Tim Scott: “The Supreme Court has ruled in [Trump’s] favor, in opposition to the weaponizing of the justice system.”
J.D. Vance: “A massive win, not just for Trump but the rule of law. I’m still digesting but this may well destroy all of Jack Smith’s case against the president.”
Byron Donalds: “Without immunity, the President of the United States is unable to properly serve the American people and defend our nation. In today’s precedent-setting, 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court did right by President Trump, they did right by the American people, and they did right by the hallowed institution of the Presidency of the United States. Jack Smith’s indictment is a disgrace to our legal system and it’s time that our nation turns the page on this egregious lawfare because President Trump did nothing wrong.”
Ben Carson: “Today’s HISTORIC SCOTUS victory on presidential immunity has stopped Biden and the Department of ‘Justice’ from their attempt to twist the law in order to persecute his political opponents. They know they can’t beat him at the ballot box so they tried to tie him up in their campaign of lawfare. Luckily, SCOTUS held the line against this tyranny showing that America is still a country that upholds the rule of law.”
Elise Stefanik: “Today’s Supreme Court decision is a historic victory for President Donald Trump, the Constitution, the rule of law, and the American people. The President of the United States must have immunity, like Members of Congress and federal judges, which is necessary for any presidency to function properly. I look forward to continuing to work with President Trump to ensure his victory and Save America.”
Tom Cotton: “The Supreme Court today upheld the rule of law and protected our Constitution. Our Founders intended for the president to have immunity, especially from lawless, political prosecutions.”
Kristi Noem: “Looks like @realdonaldtrump was right, again. He DOES have immunity for official actions that he took as our President.”
Vivek Ramaswamy: “The Supreme Court just held that a U.S. President ‘may not be prosecuted for exercising his core constitutional powers, and he is entitled, at a minimum, to a presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts.’ It’s a decision that would make our Founders proud.”
Kevin Roberts’ Revolutionary Rhetoric
Kevin D. Roberts, President of the Heritage Foundation and Project 2025 leader, suggested potential violence if his “revolution” is challenged.
On Real America’s Voice, Roberts stated: “We are in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be.”
The New York Times reports: “In response to a request for comment, Mr. Roberts said that the ‘revolution’ would be ‘to take power back from the elites and despotic bureaucrats’ and added: ‘These patriots are committed to peaceful revolution at the ballot box. Unfortunately, it’s the Left that has a long history of violence, so it’s up to them to allow a peaceful transfer of power.’
“Mr. Trump is the only president in American history who has refused to accept the results of a democratic election. Allies of Mr. Trump, and Mr. Trump himself, have long used extreme rhetoric and suggestions of violence against his political opponents and against the left in general. Actual violence has occurred on multiple occasions, most notably during the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017, and in the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. And the rhetoric has escalated during the 2024 campaign.”
Defending Trump’s Racist Comments
Trump’s VP contenders also defended his controversial remarks about “Black jobs” and “Hispanic jobs” during a recent debate.
TIME reports: “Trump’s Debate References to ‘Black Jobs’ and ‘Hispanic Jobs’ Stir Anger. Donald Trump warned during his debate with Joe Biden and again at a Friday rally that migrants were taking ‘Black jobs’ and ‘Hispanic jobs’ from Americans, angering critics who called it a racist and insulting attempt to expand his appeal beyond his white conservative base. …
“Asked to clarify what Trump meant in describing a ‘Black job’ during an interview with NBC News, Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who is Black and is under consideration to be Trump’s vice presidential nominee, sidestepped the question, instead discussing homeless veterans.”
USA Today adds: “Carson told CNN Friday that the former president was referring to ‘people at the lower end of the economic scale, and that those frequently unskilled jobs are taken by people who come in here illegally, making them unavailable for our people.’ …
“Carson also dismissed concerns that Trump’s remarks came off as offensive. ‘What we really have to do is start not picking apart what people say but actually asking what is the meaning of what they’re saying,’ he said.”
This summary is based on an article from Democrats.org.