Donld Trump and maga Republicans checked off all revenge boxes the Democrats said he would and now his administratin is circiling the drain

Echo ABC televised Sunday interview with Charlamagne tha God. In the interview, he revealed what was most surprising to him about politics in 2025, pointing to what he called a lack of respect for the working class, in a critique of both parties.

Maine Writer- the quote I took away from this ABC interview should be made into a Republican mantra:  Charlamagne summarily put the entire Donald Trump incompetent administration into an easy to understand context.  He said, all thatDonald Trump had to do during his second administration, to be successful, was to "NOT do" what his Democratic opponents said he was going to do. Instead, Donald Trump checked all the boxes on revenge and weaponization of the justice department. Therefore, as a result, the Trumpzi administration is circling the drain. Just my opinion.

On ABC's "This Week," host Jonathan Karl asked the radio host what has surprised him the most on the political front this year.

"I was about to say the lack of respect for the working class. You know, because I always knew that America didn’t give a damn about poor people. America doesn’t care about poor people. America doesn’t really care about people who are just trying to make it every day, just trying to survive," Charlamagne said.

"But really, man, everything from the DOGE cuts earlier in the year to the government shutdown — like, people really have no idea, politicians really have no idea what their constituents are going through," he continued.

The radio host said people don't even talk about the lives the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) "ruined" earlier in the year, before he pivoted to the government shutdown that occurred in the fall.

"Then you fast-forward and get to the government shutdown. And I understand that they were taking a stand for people’s healthcare. But, just the fact that they weren’t even thinking about all the government workers that were also out of work, who are still right now, they’re watching this on television, trying to catch up," Charlamagne said.

He urged Democrats to side with Republicans in opening the government in November. (Sadly, I reluctantly agree with Charlamagne tha God about his position.😥)

"I feel for all those federal workers who have missed two paychecks already, especially when most of them are living paycheck to paycheck," Charlamagne said on his show, "The Breakfast Club," at the time. "People are not getting their SNAP benefits. It’s time to reopen the government. I don’t care whose fault it was. Let’s stop playing politics with people’s lives."

He added, "It’s time to open the government back up, y’all," before noting that "The premiums have already gone up."

"They are set for the year. It’s time to move on," Charlamagne said. "We appreciate the fight, the valiant effort, but come on, man. People got rent due. People got child care to pay for, light bills, car notes."

During the ABC interview, Karl also asked Charlamagne about where he thought Donald Trump was successful❓🤢

"I would say probably the border, but it’s the way that it’s happening, right❓ If the numbers are true, people aren’t coming across the border anymore," Charlamagne said.

"But, I mean, man, do you really want to see people who have been here for years — who are actual citizens, are trying to go through the process to get legal citizenship — do you really want to see them snatched off the street the way they are, do Latino people need to just live in fear❓" he added.

Karl noted that Trump has performed better among Hispanic voters than any Republican on record.

"I really just wonder what goes through their minds, and how are they going to vote come 2026, how are they going to vote come 2028❓" Charlamagne asked. "Because they bought into a dream, but that dream turned into a nightmare."

Democrats going public calling for Donald Trump impeachment because of egregious actions- public sign on letter

Echo opinion letter published in the Los Alamos County, New Mexico, Daily Post

By WILLIAM MEAD and TYLER TAYLOR Co-signed by:

Wendy Alexander, Susan Jo Eash, Barbara Mann, Dean Carstens, June Fabryka-Martin, Craig Martin, Cathy D’anna, Galen Gisler, Carol Mead, Tina Deyoe, John Kennison, Joyce Nickols, Skip Dunn, Robert Little, And Kim Taylor.

Instead of celebrating America’s independence from the king of England leading up to this 250th year of our nation's Revolutionary War,  we are, instead, outraged by Trump’s corruption, abuses of power, and attacks on American democracy.

Here is a brief list of some of Trump’s egregious actions.

• More than 100 Executive Orders, some illegally attempting to dismantle whole departments created by Congress and others attacking fundamental freedoms of Americans.
• Unilateral creation of DOGE with appointment of Elon Musk, who has enormous conflicts of interest, (was the largest contributor to the Trump election), resulting in disruption of government operations and numerous invasions of Americans’ privacy.
• Circumvention of Congressional and court checks and balances.
• Inappropriate pardons for “friends” and vengeful actions towards “enemies”.
• Numerous actions to enrich himself and his wealthy collaborators.
• Illegal deportations of many immigrants without due process, with inadequate evidence, assaults by ICE, and in violation of court orders.

Given these high crimes and misdemeanors, we believe Congress should impeach and remove Donald Trump immediately. 

A more extensive and explanatory account of charges for Trump’s impeachment is presented at ImpeachTrumpAgain.org.

Recently, strong opposition by the Republican majority and the failure of some 130 Democrats to support Rep. Al Green’s measure have stalled impeachment proceedings, for now. All the Democrats and a few Republicans must say, “Enough is enough❗”

We believe that only enormous and sustained pressure from the American people can cause Congress to take necessary actions to end Donald Trump’s corrupt and dangerous behavior. The “No Kings” protests across the nation are a strong step forward: millions of people have demonstrated their opposition to Trump’s actions in office.

In honor of our 249- going on a quarter of a millennium years as a growing, thriving, and striving democracy, and in the hope of even better years ahead, let us keep our momentum. We urge every reader to face our current ominous reality and push hard for Trump’s impeachment and removal from office. Please, say “No❗” to corruption and tyranny.

Donald Trump accepts secondhand security-compromised junk airplane from Qatar! Boeing must respond!

The Department of Defense, on behalf of Donald Trump, last month accepted, and hopes to transform into Air Force One, a Boeing luxury 747-8 worth about $400 million from Qatar. 

Echo opinion published in Seattle Times by Robert Weiner and Coby Rinke

There are questions, but also very serious ethical concerns surrounding the gift. Its acceptance could potentially violate the Constitution’s foreign emoluments clause and put an American president under the influence of leaders of the oil-rich nation.

But, there is another issue at play: The plane is incapable of being Air Force One, in the first place.

Boeing, whose previous contract to deliver two Air Force Ones is about five years late and billions over budget, should take responsibility. Instead of allowing the U.S. government to spend a billion more of taxpayer dollars to essentially start over on another aircraft, the company should make it clear to the U.S. government that the Qatari jet was never meant to be an Air Force One, and cannot be made so in a timely manner. 

Making this clear would benefit Boeing and the nation.

First, as retired four-star Gen. Barry McCaffrey has explained, the Qataris would likely not hand over the jet unaltered.

“It will have hundreds of bugs in it; there’s no way to sort out the security of it,” McCaffrey told KING 5 Seattle.

Even some Republicans echoed McCaffrey’s concerns. When asked how much it would cost to ensure the plane is safe for the president, Sen. Rick Scott of Florida questioned if that was even possible.

“I don’t know how you would be able to do that if you don’t build it from scratch,” Scott said.

Second, while Trump has presented the plane as the pinnacle of luxury, this is far from the truth. Qatar has reportedly been trying to get rid of the jet since 2020, and the fact leaders were willing to give it away when the Trump administration asked shows how little they valued it. Furthermore, the plane was actually manufactured before the two planes originally intended to be the new Air Force Ones, meaning it is far from the most modern.

Finally and most egregiously, as Boeing knows, most of the cost of a new Air Force One is not building the jet itself. Instead, the cost comes from outfitting the plane to be able to refuel midair, communicate securely with the military — even in a worst-case scenario — and protect the president from attack.

Therefore, outfitting this new plane could cost the American taxpayers $1 billion. If the overrun costs on the earlier contract with Boeing are any indication, the final cost could be much higher. Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina acknowledged this when speaking to NBC News.

“Air Force One is not like every other Boeing, and it’s going to have to be put through a lot of paces and every square inch analyzed before the president should consider it his primary means of transportation,” Tillis said.

He further questioned whether outfitting the jet was even worth it.

“You have to work through the cost benefit of it; I mean we’re in a world of DOGE, so we’ve got to figure out whether it’s worth upfitting or selling it and writing a check to the Treasury and help us with our debt reduction,” Tillis said.

Most of the responsibility for the ethical and practical concerns surrounding the jet falls on the shoulders of the president, and his decision to accept it without Congress’ approval.

Nevertheless, Boeing must accept responsibility for failing to deliver the original Air Force Ones on time and within budget. To prevent taxpayers from funding a billion-dollar fantasy that this secondhand, security-compromised Qatari jet could be fit to carry the president of the United States, Boeing should finally finish what it started back in 2016. For the sake of itself and the nation, it must complete work and meet the latest deadline on the two original Air Force Ones.

Would love to be the fly in the "ketchup on the White House wall" during Donald Trump's Elon Musk tantrum

Commentary | Ya' Think❓ Bromance: Bruised Musk brand is his (horrible❗) DOGE legacy

Opinion by Maureen Dowd published in the Santa Cruz Sentinel news: 

"Oh but it's sad when a love affair dies
But we have pretended enough
It's best that we both stop fooling ourselves", Evita.

Elon Musk came to Washington with a chain saw and left with a black eye.

Shrinking government is hard, particularly when you do it callously and carelessly — and apparently on hallucinogens.

As with Donald Trump’s tax tariffs, the Department of Government Efficiency has created more volatility than value.

A guy who went bankrupt six times doesn’t really care about spending. And Trump certainly didn’t want to see the headline, “Trump Cuts Social Security.”

He just wanted to get revenge on “the bureaucracy” by deputizing Musk to force out a lot of federal employees and give the impression that they were cutting all the waste.

It is sickening that the Justice Department is considering settling a wrongful-death lawsuit by giving $5 million to the family of Ashli Babbitt — who was shot on January 6, 2021, by a Capitol police officer, when she ignored his warnings and tried to climb through a smashed window into the Speaker’s Lobby in the Capitol.

If Babbitt was trying to help Trump claw back a “stolen” election by breaking into the Capitol, then breaking into the Capitol must be a good thing to do, and any police officer who tried to stop her and protect lawmakers cowering under desks must be in the wrong.

To abet Trump’s fake reality, the craven House Republicans refused to put up a plaque honoring the police officers and others who defended the Capitol that awful day.

I take it personally because my dad spent 20 years as a police inspector in Washington in charge of Senate security. He would run to the House whenever there was trouble. So if on Jan. 6 Mike Dowd had been preventing insurrectionists from assaulting lawmakers, he would now be, in Trump’s eyes, not a hero deserving of a plaque, but a blackguard who was thwarting “patriots,” as Trump calls the rioters he pardoned.

It is a disturbing bizarro world.  Trump was rewriting reality again Friday afternoon as one of the most flamboyant, destructive bromances in government history petered out in the Oval Office.

It had peaked last winter when Musk posted on social platform X, “I love @realDonaldTrump as much as a straight man can love another man,” and again when Trump tried to reciprocate by hawking Teslas in the White House driveway. Nevertleless, even these grand master salesmen couldn’t sell the spin that Elon had “delivered a colossal change.”

Musk has acknowledged recently that his dream of cutting $1 trillion had been a fantasy. He said changing Washington was “an uphill battle” and complained that Trump’s “big, beautiful” budget bill, which could add over $3 trillion in debt, undercut his DOGE attempts to save money.

As Trump said, Musk got a lot of “the slings and the arrows.” His approval rating cratered and violence has been directed toward Tesla, a brand once loved by liberals and in China, which is now tarnished.

Musk cut off a reporter who tried to ask about a Times article asserting that he was a habitual user of ketamine and a dabbler in ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms even after Trump had given him enormous control over the government.

That could explain the chain saw-wielding, the jumping up and down onstage, the manic baby-making and crusading for more spreading of sperm by smart people and the ominous Nazi-style salutes.

When a reporter asked Musk why he had a black eye, he joked about the viral video of Brigitte Macron shoving her husband’s face. Then he explained that while “horsing around” with his 5-year-old, X, he suggested the child punch him in the face, “and he did.”

The president and the Tony Stark prototype tried to convey the idea that they would remain tight, even though Musk would no longer be getting into angry altercations with Scott Bessent outside the Oval, sleeping on the floor of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building and hanging around Mar-a-Lago. (Trump wants the $100 million Musk has pledged for his political operation.)

Musk, wearing a black “DOGE” cap and black “Dogefather” T-shirt, looked around the Oval, which Trump has tarted up to look like a Vegas gift shop and gushed that it “finally has the majesty that it deserves, thanks to the president.”

Trump gave Musk a golden ceremonial White House key, the kind of thing small-town mayors give out, and proclaimed: “Elon’s really not leaving. He’s going to be back and forth, I think.” Trump said that the father of (at least) 14 would never desert DOGE completely because “It’s his baby.”

Musk brought the Silicon Valley mantra “Move fast and break things” to Washington.

But the main thing he broke was his own reputation.

Maureen Dowd is a New York Times columnist.

Donald Trump is worse than anyone expected: An inteview in German media with Der Spiegel

Harvard Professor Steven Levitsky*
"Right Now, the U.S. Is Ceasing to Be a Democracy"

Echo interview published in Der Spiegel by Claus Hecking (Cambridge)

Donald Trump is currently transforming the U.S. into an authoritarian state, argues Harvard Professor Steven Levitsky, author of "How Democracies Die." And he is using an unexpected twist in the authoritarian playbook to do so.

DER SPIEGEL: Mr. Levitsky, Donald Trump is seeking to single-handedly abolish rights enshrined in the Constitution, is dissolving government institutions by decree and has begun talking about impeaching judges that would dare stand in his way. Is American democracy in danger?

Levitsky: We are currently witnessing the collapse of our democracy. Under Donald Trump, the U.S. is sliding into a form of authoritarianism. This will probably not be irreversible. But, the fact is: Right now, the U.S. is ceasing to be a democracy.

DER SPIEGEL: What form of authoritarianism are you talking about?

Levitsky: I call it competitive authoritarianism: Formal democratic institutions will be maintained, but the democratic substance is eroding. There is still democratic competition, but it is unfair because the incumbents are manipulating the game in their favor using state resources. We probably won't see tanks in the streets, our Constitution will remain in place, the opposition will not be banned, and elections will be held again. But, in those elections, there will no longer be a level playing field between Republicans and Democrats.

DER SPIEGEL: Where have you already seen indications of this development in the U.S❓

The Supreme Court ruled 9-0 ataings Trump: Donald Trump and the Repubican adminisitration must facilitate the return of wrongly deported Kilmer Abrego Garcia who was put in an El Salvador prison with other illegally deported migrants. 

Levitsky: Donald Trump and his Republican administration are staffing government bodies like the judiciary, the intelligence services and regulatory agencies, such as the Federal Communications Commission, with loyalists and instrumentalizing them to pressure and wear down political opponents, thereby diminishing their chances of winning an election. 

At the same time, they are trying to subdue or silence critical voices like the media, academics and other civil society actors. Within just a few weeks, Trump and his people have already massively increased the costs of opposition.

DER SPIEGEL: When comparing the moves Trump has made since his inauguration with those of established autocrats, where do you see the similarities❓

Levitsky: What is striking about the first two months of the Trump administration is not that it reminds me of Viktor Orbán in Hungary, the Law and Justice (PiS) party in Poland, Narendra Modi in India or Hugo Chávez in Venezuela. It’s worse. Trump and his allies have been much more openly authoritarian than any of these figures. 

They are eagerly embracing authoritarianism. See, for example, the apparent enthusiasm with which they are refusing to comply with court orders and attacking justices.

DER SPIEGEL:  Deos freedom of opinion appear to still be guaranteed in the U.S.❓

Levitsky: In a free, functioning democracy, the media, entrepreneurs, academics and politicians should be able to speak out openly against the government without fear of personal repercussions. But now, more and more people, from journalists and university presidents to protesting students, are having to consider whether or not to oppose Trump because they might have to pay a price for doing so. And there is mounting evidence that Republican members of Congress are being put under massive pressure to vote with Trump on crucial issues that go against their convictions. Among other things, Trump supporters are said to be threatening them with violence against them and their families. We've only ever seen this kind of thing in other parts of the world until now.

DER SPIEGEL: Are Trump and his people following a script❓

Levitsky: There's a classic pattern: First, a would-be autocrat must gain control of the institutions responsible for investigations, prosecutions and the like. Trump's first step in office was precisely to replace these "referees" with his followers. He appointed his former lawyer Pam Biondi to head the Justice Department, and Kash Patel to head the FBI.

"It's bizarre: the Donald Trump and his followers are using the strategy employed by the ruler of little Hungary. They are trying to copy the Hungarian model."

DER SPIEGEL: ... who has written children's books portraying Trump as a king ...

Levitsky: ... and Trump also staffed the military and key regulatory agencies with loyalists. Hugo Chávez once did something similar in Venezuela, followed later by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Turkey and, above all, Viktor Orbán in Hungary. Orbán was once a center-right democratic politician, but after returning to power in 2010, he weaponized the state and established an authoritarian system. He taught Trump and the Republicans that the state can be a useful tool – by using it as a weapon for one's own political and ideological purposes. It's bizarre: Donald Trump and his followers are using the strategy employed by the ruler of little Hungary. They are trying to copy the Hungarian model.

DER SPIEGEL: Will Trump really be able to dominate the U.S. the way Orbán dominates Hungary❓

Levitsky: I don't think so. It's far more difficult to change the Constitution in the U.S. than in Hungary. Doing so requires two-thirds majorities in both houses of Congress, after which three-quarters of the states must ratify the amendment. Furthermore, the opposition in Hungary was much weaker than the Democrats are here. There is a significant chance that Trump will lose control of the House of Representatives in the 2026 congressional elections.

DER SPIEGEL: Isn’t the U.S. democracy resilient enough to withstand Trump? After all, checks and balances – the separation of powers – have existed for over two centuries.

Levitsky: Unfortunately,😔😓😒😰 I have to say: The much-vaunted Constitutional checks are failing😢. Our Founding Fathers wanted to prevent an all-powerful tyrant. To this end, they created a series of institutions over 200 years ago: the Electoral College for electing the president, the separation of powers with an independent, bicameral legislature, and a largely independent judiciary. Not to mention a federalist system that grants far-reaching powers to the states. But they didn't foresee that one day there would be two strongly polarized parties, one of which is completely loyal to the incumbent president. To my knowledge, no U.S. president has ever had more control over a party than Trump has today over the Republicans – a party that holds a majority in both houses of Congress. 

This means that Congress, our legislative branch, is ceding its power to Trump.

DER SPIEGEL: And during his first term, Trump was already able to appoint three justices to the Supreme Court, who now often rule in his favor. Are we seeing a coup from the top❓

Levitsky: I would call it an attempted coup: abuse of power on a grand scale. I would only call it a coup if Trump openly violated the Constitution and openly refused to comply with Congress or the Supreme Court.

DER SPIEGEL: Even before Trump was sworn in for his second term, you warned that the U.S. could slide into authoritarianism.

Levitsky: It's been worse than expected. First, the new administration is acting much faster and more comprehensively than foreseen. Second, we didn't expect Elon Musk. He is a new element in the authoritarian playbook. I've never seen such a concentration of political, economic and media power in a democratic system as Musk currently combines. And he has never been elected to any office. Now, with his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), this man is wreaking havoc on our state. He's most likely violating our Constitution and numerous laws, but he's not even being monitored.

DER SPIEGEL: The president is granted numerous powers in the U.S., and Trump is taking advantage of this by ruling with countless executive orders.

Would such a concentration of power be possible in a parliamentary democracy like Germany❓

Levitsky: In principle, it's more difficult for outsiders like Trump to rise to the top of a traditional party and win it over. But, even in parliamentary democracies, there can be a dynamic where traditional parties weaken and an outsider gains majorities with his own party. See Berlusconi in Italy. And if an authoritarian politician gains control of a traditional party, like Orbán in Hungary, he can cause great damage even in a parliamentary system. 

I'm worried about the United Kingdom right now, because Nigel Farage's so-called Reform Party is leading in the polls there. The UK has a much more centralized, majoritarian political system. If Farage in the UK were to win a parliamentary majority, he could cause even more damage than Trump.

Elon Musk has no oversight what he is doing with DOGE is very likely unconstitutional. His ghoulish photo op taken with a chain saw has become an iconic rallying symbol for the RESISTANCE.

DER SPIEGEL: In contrast to Trump’s first term, there has so far been very little public resistance. (But it is beginning, Senator Corey Booker's 24 hour filibuser speech to the Senate was amazing;  Hands Off❗ and No Kings❗ rallies attracting millions of people, Town Hall meetings with legislators are filled to capacity- all are contributing to building anti-Trump  coalitions, Maryland Senator Van Hollen's trip to El Salvador to meet with the  wrongly deported Kilmer Abrego Garcia.)

Levitsky: I was always convinced that attempts to abuse power would meet with considerable resistance in the U.S. After all, we have such a rich, diverse democracy, a strong, prosperous private sector and independent, financially strong universities. But in the first weeks of Trump II, we are witnessing an unexpectedly high degree of self-censorship, capitulation or even subordination. Some of the richest and most powerful business leaders are bowing down to Trump. Leading media outlets are being pressured by their owners to accommodate Trump. Leading universities have been silent about the devastating attack on our universities and science. If this continues, Trump will be able to do far more damage than I recently thought possible.

DER SPIEGEL: Why is that❓

Levitsky: Many Americans are naive. They take democracy for granted in our country. With the exception of a handful of immigrants, we don't know what it's like to live in an autocracy. This is a huge disadvantage we have relative to, for example, Germany, Poland or South American societies. Furthermore, the election results had a demoralizing effect on Trump’s opponents. They are disillusioned and exhausted. I get paid to talk about democracy; I've been talking about Trump constantly for nine years. When he was re-elected in November, all I wanted to do was go home, eat ice cream, and watch hockey on TV. But people are now recovering from this shock, and we're seeing the first nationwide protests – in front of Tesla dealerships, for example.

DER SPIEGEL: Why have Democrats remained largely silent in the face of Trump’s deportations and executive orders, many of which have been of questionable legality❓

Levitsky: The Democrats are still dominated by a generation of older politicians who were politically socialized in the 20th century within tried-and-true democratic norms. Many of them seem quite disoriented. They are counting on the system to protect them. And following Trump's first term, they expected his second administration to not be that bad.
DER SPIEGEL: They’ve been caught off guard❓

Levitsky: I compare it to a 15-round boxing match where a boxer charges in the first round and throws a thousand punches. He may be exhausted by the fourth round, but in the first round, he lands so many punches that his opponent lies stunned in the corner. That's what's happening to the Democrats now. They've been hit by a barrage of unexpected blows.

DER SPIEGEL: Many Democrats are still advocating for a wait-and-see approach – until Trump has caused so much damage in the U.S. that voters turn away from him and toward the Democrats.

Levitsky: It's possible that the Democratic Party could win elections in the future if its people simply keep quiet and hide in the corner. Trump is already massively weakening our economy with his trade policy. But the interests of the Democratic Party are not the same as the interests of our society. And Trump is currently ruining our country and our democracy.

DER SPIEGEL: Can Trump still be stopped❓

Levitsky: Yes. Autocrats are most destructive when they enjoy high levels of popular support: Politicians like Putin or Chávez sometimes have or have had 70 or 80 percent support. Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, on the other hand, was able to do much less damage because he lacked this backing. And Trump is not a popular president. He didn't reach 50 percent in the election – and now his approval ratings are clearly below that mark and falling. More than half of the country rejects him. And Trump is making many new enemies, whether with the civil service layoffs or his erratic trade policy.

"I think we can still restore our democracy."

DER SPIEGEL: What happens next❓

Levitsky: It may sound a bit clichéd, but ultimately it's true: Citizens must defend democracy. This isn't just about taking to the streets. We must begin building a committed opposition together with civil rights organizations, universities, businesses and politicians from the Democratic Party.

DER SPIEGEL: Is there anything that gives you hope?

Levitsky: The form of authoritarianism Trump is pursuing isn't irreversible. I think we can still restore our democracy. But, we Americans have to take action.

DER SPIEGEL: Mr. Levitsky, thank you very much for this interview.

*Steven Levitsky, born in 1968, is a professor of government and Latin American studies at Harvard University. He is also the director of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard. His research focuses on democracy and authoritarianism, parties and institutions. His book "How Democracies Die," co-authored with Daniel Ziblatt, has been translated into more than 30 languages and has received numerous awards, in addition to being on the DER SPIEGEL bestseller list. In 2024, Levitsky and Ziblatt published "The Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point."

Elon Musk never put a dime into Social Security but creating fear among beneficiaries who earned their pension

 An unelected South African immigrant and billionaire is gunning for Social Security. Get Musk out, now. | Echo opinion published in USA Today by Rex Huppke.

No reasonable person will disagree with the idea of targeting actual waste or fraud, but Musk's half-trillion-dollar estimate is outlandish.

Americans must demand Elon Musk’s removal from the federal government, before his slash-and-burn nonsense and warped views about Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid cause a spike in the sale of pitchforks❗🔱

In a recent interview on Fox Business, the federally funded billionaire Donald Trump put in charge of a made-up thing called the Department of Government Efficiency said: “The waste and fraud in entitlement spending, which is most of the federal spending, is entitlements, so that’s like the big one to eliminate, that’s the sort of half-trillion, maybe six or 700 billion a year.”

That garbled sentence is just the kind of clarity you want from an unelected rich guy who has taken a “break it first” mentality to the federal government. The most charitable interpretation of Musk’s comment is that he’s saying “waste and fraud” – a favorite blanket term for Republicans who want to get rid of programs that help people – need to be eliminated from programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

The 'waste and fraud' seems to be coming from Musk's mouth 😮❗

No reasonable person will disagree with targeting actual waste or fraud, but Musk’s half-trillion dollar estimate is outlandish. 

As The Associated Press reported: “Musk’s estimate for the level of fraud in entitlements far outpaces figures from watchdogs like Social Security’s inspector general, who previously said there was $71.8 billion in improper payments from fiscal years 2015, through 2022. That’s less than 1% of benefits paid out during that time period.”
So, to ballpark, that’s about $10 billion a year compared with Musk’s highest estimate of 💲700 billion a year.

The bottom line is this: He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. And he's already demonstrated his animosity toward Social Security, calling it "the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time."

If you have paid into Social Security, or if you rely on Social Security checks, or if you benefit from Medicare or Medicaid, the last thing you want is an ignorant billionaire who can’t comprehend budgeting on a fixed income using the word “eliminate” or the term "Ponzi scheme" around any of your federal programs.

Musk-O-Vite's DOGE has been calamitous, and he's just not a nice guy.💥

The cuts and firings that have happened under Musk’s DOGE operation have already shown themselves to be ham-handed.

They’ve fired people who perform crucial jobs, then had to turn around and rehire them.

They’ve wildly overinflated (aka "lied" about) the amount of money they claim they’re saving.

And this team of unknown techies has been fighting to get access to some of the most carefully guarded private data – YOUR data – the government holds.

On top of all this, Musk has proved himself time and again to be an absolute jerk.

In his Fox Business interview, he repeated the ludicrous white-nationalist lie that federal programs like Social Security are "a mechanism by which the Democrats attract and retain illegal immigrants, by essentially paying them to come here, and then turning them into voters."

The "Democrats are importing voters" line is conspiratorial garbage, and the notion that undocumented immigrants are collecting Social Security is a long-ago debunked claim.  😪🤥

The purpose of Musk's comment is simply to demonize immigrants and spread the insidious "great replacement theory."
Musk calls combat veteran Sen. Mark Kelly a 'traitor'

If you need additional proof of Musk's oafishness, he recently labeled Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona a “traitor” on social media after the senator posted a photo of his recent visit to Ukraine.

As a U.S. Navy pilot, Kelly flew 39 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm. He’s also a former NASA astronaut.

Musk is a South African-born (aka "immigrant") billionaire who routinely peddles conspiracy theories on the social media platform he bought and, most recently, ushered in the firing of tens of thousands of U.S. government workers.

Kelly is the opposite of a traitor. (IMO Senator Kelly is a national treasure.)

Musk, on the other hand, is obviously a poster boy for jerks.

If you trust him, you’re not paying attention. And if you value the so-called entitlements you’ve worked for, you’d be wise to join the other Americans loudly demanding that Musk be stripped of the power nobody ever voted to give him.

Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on Bluesky at @rexhuppke.bsky.social and on Facebook at facebook.com/RexIsAJerk

Elon Musk has a dangerous free pass to destroy our government but he is an unqualified-unelected South African immigrant !

Making America miserable again?

Echo opinion letter published in the Penn Bay Pilot, published in Rockland Maine. 


We are only seven weeks into the Trump Presidency, and most of what he promised on the the campaign trail is evidently all lies😝😡😱❗

Instead of a stronger economy, the markets are crashing in response to Trump's tariffs, inflation is up 3%, and jobless claims are up 242,000.

Instead of improving the health and safety for U.S. citizens, there is an unprecedented and deadly measles outbreak, 36 million Americans' health insurance is at risk due to GOP Medicaid cuts, and both airline safety and critical weather forecasting are threatened by DOGE cuts.

Instead of protecting U.S. veterans, veteran services, jobs, and healthcare are under attack. Instead of protecting the elderly, Social Security checks are at risk of interruption.

Meanwhile, Trump has played golf on 13 of the 48 days he has been back in office, costing U.S. taxpayers $18 million.

And Musk has had a free pass to destroy and reconstruct Government Agencies in ways that result in expanded contracts with his companies — Tesla, SpaceX, and Dogecoin — enhancing Musk's personal fortune manifold.

Waste and fraud, you say❓

From Karin Lockwood lives in Rockport Maine

#FireElonMusk❗

Elon Musk is a non-elected super rich narcissistic South African immigrant

Democrats must unit to gleefully but forcefully resist❗
Echo letter to the edtor of teh Penn Bay Pilot newspaper in Rockland Maine:

"stagecraft of Elon Musk’s hyperactive dancing with his obscene chainsaw"

Gleeful cruelty is the despicable scene being played out as Trump and his minions pursue their evil DOGE initiative.

Their purpose claim of rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse is undermined by their indiscriminate and illogical actions:

• Providing lifesaving food and medical care to starving children and families around the world is not waste.·

• Supporting medical research for cancer treatments, other diseases, and in studying preemptive strategies for evolving potential future epidemics is not fraud.

• Upending the lives of dedicated civil servants and the consequential impacts of restricted or unavailable vital services is not efficient or humane.

• The withdrawal of funding for low-income Medicaid services so that tax breaks are extended for corporations and the wealthy is not efficient or humane.

This depressing list of DOGE’s recent targets could go on, but these attacks simply represent gleefully cruel and evil abuses of executive power informed by a non-elected, super-rich narcissist leading Trump around by the nose.

The stagecraft of Musk’s hyperactive dancing with his obscene chainsaw while MAGA loyalists clap and cheer tells us all we need to know about motivation and intent.

In this moment of anxiety and trauma we need more than ever to have bipartisan leadership stand up, say no, and assert their constitutional authority. While Maine’s congressional delegation is mostly on board with this, Senator Collins remains unresponsive.

In DOGE world, it is not simply vital agencies and personnel that are being fed into the ‘woodchipper’, it’s the treasured soul of our democracy.

Gleefully but forcefully resist❗

From Neal Guyer who lives in Thomaston Maine

Hey Hey! Ho Ho! Elon Musk has go to go! Republicans must impeach Trump-Musk evilism NOW!

Echo opinion the editor of the Los Angeles Times: First, Trump illegally froze the distribution of funding allocated by Congress. He has no authority to do this. This alone is a huge breach of the Constitution.

Next, Elon Musk’s unelected “DOGE” minions entered the Office of Personnel Management and gained access to private information about millions of federal employees. They locked senior OPM managers out of their own agency’s computers.

Then Musk and his DOGE folks took control of the U.S. Treasury payments system. They now have the power to stop funding, have access to information about Musk’s competitors, and — worst of all — they have access to our personal Social Security and Medicare data.

None of us, not even the most ardent Trump voter, elected Musk. How is this happening? How is this legal? How is anyone OK with this?

Everyone should be speaking out about this cold, calculated, illegal and blatantly unconstitutional power grab. Everyone should be furious about Musk’s intrusion into our government, our data and our lives. This is not normal. This is not constitutional. We need to stand up, speak out and demand that this stop now.

Marilyn Green, in Malibu California

P.S. ......and wait, there's more:  Published in Your Tango:

Elon Musk gets away with his illegal actions, all free of consequences. there's no doubt that Musk has never had to truly answer for his less-than-tasteful comments on a variety of issues, using his platform to rile people up instead of truly using his influence to make a difference.

As the richest person in the world, with a net worth of $267.3 billion, he's free from worrying about paying fines, owning up to his controversial comments, and using his wealth to squash the narrative of those who oppose him.
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He effectively bends reality to convince others that he isn't wrong, and god forbid anyone disagree. According to a former Tesla executive, "Elon has an uncanny ability to tell a story he wants to be true, convince himself that it has to be true, and then convince others." ☠️