Mary Rooke Commentary and Analysis Writer
Americans are demanding action. Anything less will lead to political chaos.
“Long Live The King,” The New York Times wrote in February when President Donald Trump posted a picture of himself as Napoleon Bonaparte alongside a quote attributed to the French emperor, “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.” It was this level of boldness to do the right thing for our country, no matter the costs, that led millions of Americans to vote for Trump’s second term.
The Trump administration started strong. Americans wanted deportations, a rollback on every left-wing ideological policy implemented during the Biden years, and an all-out assault on government fraud and bloat that had become all too common in D.C. He took immediate action on the most critical issues voters mandated in the 2024 election. For a brief moment, it felt like the power we had given Trump and Republicans was paying off in Americans’ favor. Some even dared to say that we had finally gotten our country back. (Sign up for Mary Rooke’s weekly newsletter here!)
But something happened over the summer. As left-wing judges blocked the Trump administration at every turn, refusing to let deportations continue, and Republicans in Congress failed to codify most of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts that were made, the momentum had shifted back to the bureaucratic blob. This is not to say that the Trump administration has stopped working on these issues, but the rapid-fire successes Americans saw in the first 100 days seemed to have come to an abrupt halt.
Congressional Republicans resumed their backdoor dealing, ensuring that important voter wishes were dropped from legislation before it even reached the floor. Americans couldn’t afford to take their eye off of Congress even for a moment lest their elected representatives would secretly be selling their birthright off to BlackRock and Vanguard behind their backs.
We don’t need to sell federal land and turn our wilderness into housing developments. If we need more housing, let’s round up all the illegals who don’t belong in this country and evict them. That’ll free up millions of housing units in one fell swoop. Leave the federal land…
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) June 20, 2025
Then Trump came out and called the face of government corruption – The Epstein List – a hoax. We saw that Democrats were trying to weaponize the human trafficker to own Trump. Still, there was an understanding that Trump would save this country no matter the cost. But Americans were told not to look at it. Attorney General Pam Bondi paraded influencers out with binders of useless pages that did nothing to bring any of the bad actors to justice. Still, we were told to trust the plan.
The economic strains on Americans persisted as the summer months passed. Trump flew all around the world settling foreign wars for countries that wouldn’t hesitate to ignore our calls should something kick off here at home. While some of these trips were crucial to ensuring our national economic security, the optics of them, while Americans suffered back home, were less than helpful to his mission. And unless you were clued into the political world, it’s unlikely you saw these trips as anything but an administration focused more abroad than on its citizens.
Unsurprisingly, Trump’s polling trended downwards. Americans wanted more relief, action, signs of life. Regardless of what it was, they expected to see more from this administration, which had promised an end to D.C. corruption. Instead, they got a government shutdown, brought on by the same slimy officials who have never hidden their contempt for their constituents. If there was ever a black pill forced down the throats of voters, watching this circus play out live was the ultimate one.
Gallup poll | 11/3-11/25
President Trump approval
Disapprove 60% (+6)
Approve 36% (-5)https://t.co/RFvzrLjT6Z https://t.co/treMZzeKK9 pic.twitter.com/PsH6z5Im0p— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) November 28, 2025
When the November elections came and Republican voters who had turned out in droves just one year before sat home, the GOP should have had a wake-up call. Instead, they complained about low-propensity voters and harped about New York City being a hotbed for socialism. However, the writing on the wall is clear: if Republicans don’t act now, there is nothing that will stop a midterm bloodbath, which will return their power to Democrats.
However, hope has come in the most unlikely of places. Like Gandalf arriving at Helm’s Deep at first light on the fifth day, emerging from the east with Erkenbrand, rescuing the Rohirrim soldiers and turning the tide of the battle against Saruman’s forces, Somalis in Minnesota were caught defrauding billions in federal funds.
Trump has been given the chance to turn back the last eleven months. The anger that even everyday Americans not clued into the political system feel toward the massive fraud uncovered in Minnesota provides almost unlimited leeway to get back to work. But real action has to be taken.
MINNESOTA FRAUD: @NickShirleyyy’s work has helped show Americans the scale of fraud in Tim Walz’s Minnesota. @TheJusticeDept has been investigating this for months. So far, we have charged 98 individuals – 85 of Somali descent – and more than 60 have been found guilty in…
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) December 29, 2025
It’s not enough for Bondi and other agencies and officials to post their supposed arrest and conviction stats as proof they are working when more and more fraud is being uncovered, not by them but by citizen journalists. Nothing less than massive arrests and deportations in every state will satisfy Americans looking for action. The focus shouldn’t just be on Somalis or other immigrant groups gaming the corrupt system. Elected officials and their bureaucratic allies need to be taken down with them.
Trump needs to use the bully pulpit voters have given him. If Republicans are standing in the way of enacting the will of the people, call them out. Let the voters help take the obstinate D.C. swamp rats out with the trash.
Americans want their country back. Kill the fraud. If the Trump administration and GOP Congressmen do not produce adequate results, why would voters ever give them power again? The Democrats will come in and ruin Trump’s legacy. Whatever work he has completed will be torn down, as if this past year never even happened. (A Reckoning In Waiting? — Countries All Around World Fed Up With Their Leaders)
It’s not every day you get the chance to turn the tide in a battle for the greatest country ever created. Don’t waste it.
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