“They are who we thought they were,” NFL coach Dennis Green famously exclaimed, in complete meltdown mode. However, his sentiments might equally apply to President Trump, Elon Musk, and the slew of Republicans who have wreaked havoc in recent weeks.
If you’re watching Musk gut USAID like it’s a Black Friday sale, Trump going full Bond villain on Gen. Mark Milley, or appointing white racists like he’s creating a nasty Justice League, I understand. I do. However, don’t act astonished.
Trump launched his 2024 campaign with the phrase “retribution.” That was the pitch. Not unity, not optimism, not even a catchy jingle—just pure vengeance.
And, guess what? He is delivering. He stated he was going to burn everything down, and now people are surprised there is smoke?
Amazingly, Trump (or, more correctly, his followers) drafted the entire playbook. According to CNN, 36 of the 53 executive orders and measures taken by Trump during his first week in office came directly from Project 2025, a Heritage Foundation paper that was widely touted throughout the campaign.
As a friend of mine (who is not renowned for pulling punches) put it, it’s like “Mein Kampf” meets an oil lobbyist’s PowerPoint. The game plan is set. And now it’s just execution time – figuratively, of course.
Say everything you want about Trump, he never tried to hide his agenda or manner. Despite his complete transparency — and the fact that he has already provided us with a four-year preview of what he will be like as president — some people appear astonished. This is similar like dating a stripper named Cashmere and being surprised to hear that she is seeing other people on the side.
Indeed, according to CNN’s Harry Enten, only 1 to 2 percent of those polled believe Trump should focus on tariffs, and more people searched for “tariffs” than Taylor Swift.
But why? Throughout his campaign, Trump repeatedly mentioned hiking tariffs, claiming that it would reinvigorate the auto industry and pay for childcare. “We will be taking in trillions of dollars. And, as much as child care is discussed as being expensive, it is quite inexpensive in comparison to the numbers we’ll be bringing in,” he remarked at the Economic Club of New York in September.
Perhaps the only surprise was when, after threatening to impose taxes on Canada and Mexico, he backtracked and decided not to. Folks, that’s the classic bait and switch.
But here’s what truly bothers me: it wasn’t only inexperienced voters who didn’t see this coming. It’s the ones who saw it coming and are still freaking out whenever he does something crazy.
I get it; remaining offended keeps the opposition going. But at some point, fury begins to sound like Captain Renault from “Casablanca”: “I’m shocked — shocked — to find that gambling is going on in this establishment!” Meanwhile, Trump is distributing chips to his fans.
That is not to mean that everyone should join in on the craziness, or that we should simply roll over and tune out in order to keep our minds clear. There may be some planned strategic benefit to “performative outrage.” If nothing else, it may slow Trump down little. Perhaps it will position Trump’s adversaries to profit if and when an exogenous event disrupts MAGA’s best-laid plans.
My primary point, however, is that whether you were stupid, naive, or completely terrified of the prospect of another four years of Trumpian crazy, nothing that is happening now should come as a shock.
If you were expecting “norms” and “institutions” to keep him in check, you weren’t paying attention to the numerous warnings we issued, emphasizing that Trump and his staff would be better positioned in a second term to circumvent such norms and institutions.
And if you thought sensible Republican politicians would be able to stop him, you were clearly not paying attention to how Trump had systematically purged or tamed them all. They appear to be on track to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard as Cabinet members.
We are now receiving precisely what we voted for, exactly what was promised, and (hopefully) exactly what we deserve.
And if you’re wondering why I can make fun of such terrible and new events, it all happened on Election Day in November.
Everything after that? Just a slow-motion automobile wreck. That day, the die was cast. I’ve had three full months to accept reality, and you know what? I’m genuinely not furious at Trump for accomplishing what he always intended to do. “Impressed” is a more appropriate term. The only thing that disturbed me was that even knowing who Trump was, the American people prioritized egg pricing.
So if you’re looking around now, thinking, “Wow, how did this happen?” — well, Trump’s got a poem for you . You knew damn well he was a snake before you took him in.
Matt K. Lewis is a columnist, podcaster and author of the books “ Too Dumb to Fail ” and “ Filthy Rich Politicians .”
