After the election, and again on January 1, I predicted the following:
“[T]hey will overreach.
That overreach will include dangerous and disturbing actions early in 2025. It will involve policies that harm the lives and well-being of everyday Americans. It will involve words and actions that offend the sensibilities of most Americans. It will involve unforced errors. And it will involve decisions that prove to be politically toxic at the moment, or over time.
And this overreach after a very close election presents near-term opportunity.
In 2025, we must seize it.”
Then I wrote:
“For anyone paying attention, and experiencing the harm of these policies, it will not be deniable. For those not paying attention, including those who sat out the last election, it will be on us to proactively call it all out. To connect the dots. To communicate.
Sure, some won’t change their minds politically even with all that damage.
But others will. And others unmotivated to vote before will be motivated to vote next time, if we react effectively.
They will break it; in 2025, we must ensure they own it.”
Well, it’s happening.
They are overreaching in every way imaginable.
Those paying attention are already unhappy with what they are witnessing and experiencing.
And now there are huge opportunities to show those who are not paying attention how damaging these opening weeks have been.
Read on….
Early and Sharp Disapproval
To show you how much those paying attention aren’t happy, let me walk through some early polls.
Trump/Musk/Billionaires Ain’t Doing Well
Trump is underwater in every recent poll, falling from just a few weeks ago, with disapproval ratings higher than his approval ratings: CNN/SSRS had him at 47% approval, and 52% disapproval; Washington Post at 45-53.
Musk is even more underwater in every recent poll. A Pew poll found his ratings to be 54 percent unfavorable, and 42 percent favorable. 36 percent reported a very unfavorable view.
Most Americans believe Musk is playing too prominent a role in decisions about the federal government.
Back to the Post poll: “34 percent of respondents…approved of Musk’s role in the federal government, while 54 percent of respondents in the CNN poll said it was bad for Trump to have [Musk] play a prominent role in his administration.” (This was pre-chainsaw footage)
55% of Americans said Musk was playing too large a role in a Quinnipiac poll, versus 36% who think it’s the right amount.
These Musk responses aren’t surprising because most Americans are skeptical about billionaires, generally, playing a significant role in the direction of the federal government.
Only 12% of Americans support the president relying “on billionaires for advice about government policy”
60% oppose relying on billionaires
This sentiment is true for Republicans, Democrats and independents
Given these numbers, it was especially helpful that Trump featured the nation’s richest oligarchs in the front row seats of his inauguration. That transparency provided a very clarifying message of who’s guiding things:
Even more helpful was Musk’s photo-op this week. Americans just love oligarchs chopping up workers with chainsaws. A real winner at the polls, I hear.
Down on Trumponomics
But beyond the disastrous optics of billionaires at the helm of our country and its government, Americans are also displeased by the results they are already seeing and experiencing:
Costs: “62 percent of respondents — including 47 percent of Republicans — said the president has not done enough to try to reduce the prices of everyday goods.”
Tariffs: “69 percent of respondents in the Post poll said tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China would make products in the U.S. more expensive.”
Consumer sentiment is also tanking: “[C]onsumer sentiment in February slipped to 64.7 from 67.8 earlier in the month, the University of Michigan said Friday…Sentiment has fallen nearly 10% from January…Americans’ expectations for overall inflation over the next five to 10 years rose to 3.5% from 3.3% earlier in the month and from 3.2% in January. This is the largest month-over-month increase since May 2021.”
Wrong track: Reuters found that “the share of Americans who think the economy is on the wrong track rose to 53% in the latest poll from 43% in the January 24-26 poll.”
Only 39% approve of Trump’s handling of the economy.
Stepping on Other Mines
No surprise, given these datapoints, Americans also oppose most of the major directions Trump/Musk are taking at the moment:
Mass layoffs: “58 percent of respondents opposed laying off large numbers of federal workers.”
Department of Education: “Fifty-eight percent of voters oppose the elimination of the Department of Education, with 30% supporting the department's elimination.”
U.S. AID: “44% of voters opposed the decision to eliminate the USAID with 36% supporting the decision and 20% unsure”
A Navigator poll found a number of other policies to be highly unpopular:
The executive order making it harder for Medicare to negotiate for lower prescription drug costs: 20 percent support, 66 percent oppose
Federal freeze of grants and loans: 26 – 59
Jan. 6 pardons: 33 - 59
Gag Order on CDC/NIH info: 25 - 59
Mexico and Canada Tariffs: 36-51
Birthright citizenship ban: 37-53
Bottom line: as you find yourself appalled, day after day, by what is happening, never let the far right convince you that you are somehow in the minority.
Most Americans agree with you.
Let that knowledge propel you to keep boldly speaking out, while also gearing up to make our majority views heard and felt at the ballot box in EVERY special election, in November 2025, and then again next year.
Go on offense!
Day 82 — February 21, 2025
Some of the paramount positions in the federal government have long been independent and above presidential politics, with leaders remaining in place even as presidents change.
One such position has been the FBI director. Thursday, in violation of that tradition, the Senate confirmed Kash Patel as Trump’s hand-picked director.
A second such position is the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Like clockwork, giving no reason, Trump today fired Joint Chiefs Chairman CQ Brown, a 4-star general and 41-year Air Force veteran from the post…
…and announced his intention to replace him with a three-star general, who would skip over numerous four-star generals.
This occurred amid a broader purge of top military leaders:
Former military leaders raised alarm bells about the purge:
Removing top lawyers of each branch is deeply disturbing:
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