Who Voted for This?

Rural Farmers?

When U.S. President Trump and Elon Musk shut down the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, they hit MAGA farmers’ pocketbooks. American farmers provide more than 40% of the food aid that USAID and the U.S. Department of Agriculture send throughout the impoverished world—$2.1 billion in 2020.

“USAID plays a critical role in reducing hunger around the world while sourcing markets for the surplus foods America’s farmers and ranchers grow,” according to the senior director of government affairs at the American Farm Bureau Federation.

But Elon Musk declared—without evidence—that USAID is a “criminal organization.” He is proud to have spent a weekend “feeding USAID into the wood chipper,” telling thousands of employees that they no longer had jobs. Farmers learned that a critical market for their product had now disappeared.

As the consequences of the Trump administration’s incompetence ripple through the country, even the most dedicated MAGA supporter will actually feel the impact personally.

North Carolina—a Trump stronghold—was one of the top recipients of USAID dollars.

“I will be very blunt. The freeze has been devastating,” according to the executive director of the North Carolina Global Health Alliance. “Already we are seeing mass furloughs and mass layoffs. Hundreds of people have already lost their jobs…” The impact “will reach people in every corner of our state.”

Palestinians?

Michigan is home to a large number of traditionally Democratic Palestinians who sat out the 2024 election, cast ballots for third-party candidate Jill Stein, or voted for Trump. They believed that the Biden administration was too gentle with Israel and too dismissive of their concerns about Gaza’s ongoing destruction. Apparently, they thought that Trump would do better.

It was magical thinking.

A week after Trump was sworn into office, he signed an executive order to “Combat Antisemitism.” Among other provisions, it calls for canceling student visas of foreign students who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

And now Trump—who views the world in potential real estate development terms—has called for ethnic cleansing. That war crime is the only path to his desired conversion of Gaza into the “Riviera of the Mideast.” Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu—who is on trial, hoping to avoid prison, and trying to save his political skin—is all for Trump’s plan.

People Who Fly on Airplanes?

After three significant airline crashes in the month since Trump took office, Musk’s response has been to fire hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees who worked as maintenance mechanics, aeronautical information specialists, environmental protection specialists, aviation safety assistants, and management and program assistants.

Another 1,000 employees, including rocket scientists, are scheduled for termination at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Musk’s company, Space X, gets its mission approvals from the FAA.

Anyone Concerned About Nuclear-Weapons Safety?

The Trump administration scrambled to undo the termination notices that went to more than 300 employees at the agency responsible for managing America’s nuclear weapons.

According to CNN, “Some of the initially fired employees included NNSA staff who work at facilities where nuclear weapons are built, oversee contractors who build nuclear weapons and who are responsible for inspecting those weapons. Many of the employees affected hold a ‘Q’ security clearance within the Energy Department, meaning they have access to nuclear weapons design and systems. It also included employees at NNSA headquarters who write requirements and guidelines for contractors who build nuclear weapons.”

Anyone Concerned About Veterans?

The Trump administration fired more than 1,000 employees at the Veterans Administration.

Anyone Interested in Visiting a National Park?

The Trump administration fired 3,000 U.S. Forest Service employees.

Anyone Interested in Consumer Protection?

The Trump administration began the process of dismantling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)—until a federal court stopped that effort. An unknown number of terminations is planned for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), which oversees banks. Apparently, no one in Trump’s circle remembers the bank-related financial crash of 2008.

Anyone Seeking a Timely Tax Refund?

The Trump administration has slated 7,500 Internal Revenue Service employees for termination.

Anyone Who Could Become a Victim of Terrorism or a Natural Disaster?

Hundreds of employees are set for termination at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Anyone Interested in Public Health?

The Trump administration fired more than 1,000 workers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as well as an unknown number at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—including staff members involved in reviewing Musk’s brain implant company, Neuralink. Another 1,300 CDC employees got the ax—including a group responsible for training public health laboratory staffers and supporting outbreak response efforts.

And all of that is just the tip of an ugly and growing iceberg that already includes thousands of employees: FBI agents, prosecutors, investigators, and other Justice Department personnel; 19 inspectors general—watchdogs who assured agency accountability; the Department of Education; the General Services Administration; and anyone connected to diversity, equity, or inclusion (DEI).

Just wait until Trump’s clown car of cabinet members begins asserting itself:

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has spent his adult life opposing vaccines, is now in charge of vaccines;

Tulsi Gabbard, who has consistently spouted Vladimir Putin’s talking points, is in charge of national intelligence;

Pete Hegseth, who is now the ultimate poster child for on-the-job training, is trying to run the 2.2 million-member Defense Department.

And orchestrating the decimation of the federal workforce is Elon Musk, whose conflicts of interest are staggering.

Who Voted for This?

As the consequences of the Trump administration’s incompetence ripple through the country, even the most dedicated MAGA supporter will actually feel the impact personally. And then the answer will finally become clear:

No one voted for this.