The Dictatorship

Trump’s Indiana revenge mission is evidence of the rot within the GOP

Published

1 month ago

May 6, 2026

May. 6, 2026, 1:26 PM EDT

State senate primaries don’t usually attract as much attention as the ones Indiana held on Tuesday did. But President Donald Trump was on a mission of revenge. He deployed all the vindictiveness he could muster against a group of Republican state senators who had the temerity to vote against redistricting Indiana’s congressional map to give the GOP more than the seven of nine seats they already control.

He mostly achieved his goal: Of the seven apostate incumbents facing a Trump-approved challenger, five were defeated. Just one held on, and one race is still too close to call. But while Trump largely “won” these contests, did replacing conservative Republicans with other conservative Republicans really help him or the GOP? How these elections played out was evidence of the rot within the party — and the lengths it will go to in satisfying every one of Trump’s whims, no matter how self-destructive.

Republicans only reinforced the perception that they care more about holding on to power and kowtowing to Trump than doing much of anything to improve people’s lives.

This all started last year when Trump ordered Republicans in a number of states to perform a mid-decade redistricting to eliminate Democratic House seats ahead of this year’s midterms. Several state legislatures complied, including those in Texas, North Carolina and Missouri. But many Republicans in the Indiana Senate believed that their map — which already gave the GOP a 7-2 advantage — was good enough, and they didn’t like the idea of obeying orders from Washington.

This infuriated Trump, and even before the final vote, he began attacking these largely unknown legislators by name. Inevitably, bomb threats and swatting attempts soon followed. Vice President JD Vance made two trips to Indiana to pressure the Republican senators into voting for new maps, the White House political operation joined in, and Trump’s allies in multiple conservative groups including the political arms of the Heritage Foundation, Turning Point USA and the Club for Growth issued warnings to anyone who would dare say no to this president.

In the end, the redistricting bill failed by a vote of 31-19, with 21 Republicans joining 10 Democrats to reject it. The battle was over for purposes of the 2026 election — but not for Trump, who demanded primary challenges to the GOP senators up for re-election this year.

All of those targeted were, to be clear, Republicans who support a conservative agenda. But Trump wanted their heads, so his will had to be done, whatever the cost. Money poured in to defeat the incumbents: Primary spending on TV ads for state senate went from just $280,000 in 2024 to $13.5 million this year, an increase of more than 4,700%, according to AdImpact. It worked — even if in the process, Republicans only reinforced the perception that they care more about holding on to power and kowtowing to Trump than doing much of anything to improve people’s lives.

Keep in mind, replacing some Republicans with other Republicans won’t change Indiana’s maps this year, which means that at most it might come into play in 2028 or after. And let’s be honest: Trump doesn’t care who controls the House after he’s gone. This was always, and only, about him and his wounded pride.

No one around the president has the guts to say, “Wouldn’t it be better to concentrate on winning in November?”

One might argue that investing millions of dollars in taking vengeance on the Indiana Republicans will have a deterrent effect. Like a mob boss, perhaps Trump wanted to punish those who stepped out of line so no one in his party would get any ideas about showing independence. The problem, though, is that Trump will only be president for 2 1/2 more years. He is almost certain to lose the House this November, and perhaps the Senate as well, for the remainder of his presidency. Furthermore, the redistricting wars may be petering out: There are only so many seats even the most nakedly partisan state legislature can squeeze out of their maps.

In other words, there won’t be that many moments in the rest of his term in which Trump needs loyalty from Republicans, at least not for any practical purpose. What he does need it for, however, is to massage his fragile ego.

And when Trump wants something — including when it is politically pointless or even politically damaging — both the people who work for him and those who support his movement will swing into action, just as they did in Indiana. No one around the president has the guts to say, “Wouldn’t it be better to concentrate on winning in November?” Petty grievances always take priority.

After Dwight Eisenhower was elected to the White House in 1952, the departing president, Harry Truman, predicted the former general would have a difficult time adjusting. “He’ll sit right here and he’ll say, ‘Do this, do that,’ and nothing will happen,” Truman said. “Poor Ike. It won’t be a bit like the Army. He’ll find it very frustrating.” Trump has made sure to remove any such frustration; when he says jump, his lackeys rush to turn any idea he has into reality, no matter how foolish. That is exactly why he and his party are in such terrible political shape.

Paul Waldman is a journalist and author focused on politics and culture.

The Dictatorship

Court denies request to immediately block DOJ ‘slush fund’

Published

8 hours ago

June 11, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Court denies request to immediately block DOJ ‘slush fund’

Jun. 10, 2026, 6:14 PM EDT

A federal judge in Washington has denied a bid Wednesday brought by a watchdog group to immediately block the Justice Department’s “anti-weaponization” fund, for now choosing to trust the department’s assertions that it is not moving forward with the fund.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled immediately, denying Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington’s request for a temporary restraining order that would have blocked the Department of Justice from taking steps to create the fund.

Throughout the 30-minute hearing, the DOJ reiterated that the administration was not moving forward with the nearly $1.8 billion fund, which seeks to compensate individuals who allege they have been politically targeted or victimized by the DOJ.

Andrew Block, the only lawyer present for the government, repeatedly cited Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s June 2 congressional testimonyin which he said the administration was “not moving forward” with plans to create the fund.

Leon indicated he agreed with the DOJ’s position that the case appeared to be moot, saying he was not persuaded there was an issue for the court to decide regarding the creation of the fund. He issued a stern warning to the DOJ, saying, “Don’t play possum with this court!” — meaning he does not want to be deceived.

The plaintiffs argued Blanche’s testimony did not amount to an official cancellation. Nikhel Sus, CREW’s attorney, said Blanche “refused to memorialize that rescission,” or in other words, put it in writing. Sus said that was “highly unusual.” Leon responded, “This whole case is highly unusual to say the least.”

Leon asked the government twice why they would not just rescind the order that established the fund. Block responded, “I don’t know,” and pointed again to Blanche’s public statements about the fund’s future.

Both Leon and Sus raised the issue of Trump’s continued public defense of the fund. “It can still be an important issue and also not moving forward,” Block said. “That isn’t a direction to move forward with the fund.”

Although Leon rejected CREW’s bid for an immediate block, he indicated he is still considering its request for a longer-term block against the fund.

A block order from a separate federal judge in Virginia remains in effect until at least Friday.

Fallon Gallagher is a legal affairs reporter for MS NOW.

The Dictatorship

Trump is accelerating our Social Security insolvency crisis

Published

8 hours ago

June 11, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Jun. 10, 2026, 5:50 PM EDT

The date when Social Security’s trust fund is expected to run out of money just got bumped up. The fund is now projected to empty in 2032according to a new report released by Social Security’s trustees.

The new depletion date isn’t an earth-shaking change — it’s only a quarter earlier than the estimate in last year’s report. But it illustrates how President Donald Trump’s policies are degrading a program he promised to never jeopardize — and accelerating an approaching crisis in how our government will assist the elderly and disabled.

The report names three factors that contributed to the earlier insolvency date. One is a declining fertility rate, but the other two drivers can be traced back to Trump: a drop in immigration into the country, and the “substantial effect” of the tax policies in the One Big Beautiful Bill he signed last summer.

Trump’s acceleration of the program’s insolvency comes atop his assaults on the program’s administrative capacities.

Reduced immigration during Trump’s second term — especially when coupled with a declining fertility rate — strains Social Security because the program is funded through payroll taxes. Those come out of people’s paychecks, and fewer workers supporting an aging population means the program receives less revenue. Indeed, Social Security already has been tapping its trust fund for the better part of the past two decades because the program’s costs have exceeded its cash income. And as the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities pointed out last yearlast year’s tax cuts were a boon to the rich but a bust for the solvency of the Social Security trust fund.

To be clear, if the fund is depleted, Social Security won’t go belly up. Benefits will continue to be paid out, but there will be a large drop in the amount. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that the “average monthly cut would total $500, which is more than what the average retired household spends on groceries each month.”

That would be a huge blow to the budgets of many older Americans. Social Security is a major source of income for most retirees, and roughly 40% of beneficiaries over the age of 65 rely on it for most of their income. And it would mark the destabilization of the sole source of retirement security for most Americans that is supposed to be insulated from ups and downs — unlike 401K plans. As the CBPP has pointed outSocial Security is “most workers’ only source of guaranteed retirement income that is not subject to investment risk or financial market fluctuations.”

Trump’s acceleration of the program’s insolvency comes atop his assaults on the program’s administrative capacities. His cuts to the Social Security Administration have left offices understaffedincreased wait timesand reduced quality of customer service.

Ultimately, Trump is exacerbating a colossal social safety net problem that predates him, and the trust fund will hit dire straits after he has left office. Democrats need to have clear plans for shoring up the program and making it robust for the future — which will require not being sheepish about taxes as a tool for renewing the social contract. And when Republicans try to claim that they, too, are champions of Social Security, all Democrats need to do is point to the truth.

Zeeshan Aleem is a writer and editor for MS NOW. He primarily writes about politics and foreign policy.

The Dictatorship

Wednesday’s Mini-Report, 6.10.26

Published

8 hours ago

June 11, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Today’s edition of quick hits.

* The latest from Northern Ireland: “The family of a man who lost an eye in a knife attack appealed for calm on Wednesday after the incident triggered a wave of anti-immigrant violence in Belfast overnight, with masked men burning families out of their homes and torching vehicles. The appeal ‌came as a Sudanese man appeared in court charged with attempted murder and as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and politicians in Northern Ireland condemned the violence by ‘masked thugs’ that had targeted ethnic minorities.”

* In related news: “The British government hit out at X owner Elon Musk Wednesday, accusing him of whipping up tensions online ahead of disorder in Belfast.”

* The tenuous state of a dubious ceasefire: “Trump said the U.S. is going to hit Iran ‘hard’ today when pressed by reporters in the Oval Office about his statement earlier that Tehran will ‘pay the price’ for taking ‘too long’ to reach a peace agreement. ‘Well, we’re going to be attacking them and attacking them very hard, resuming bombing,’ he said.”

* The latest casualty figures from Lebanon: “Israel’s military offensive in Lebanon has killed at least 3,666 people, including 131 healthcare workers, and injured more than 11,300 since the U.S. and Israel began their war with Iran in late February, the Lebanese health ministry reported yesterday.”

* The changing nature of modern warfare: “Ukraine is wreaking havoc on unarmored trucks and trains in the battlefield’s rear, using drones with upgraded engines and batteries, integrated Starlink communication systems and new artificial-intelligence capabilities. The ramped-up attacks are causing fuel shortages, complicating troop rotations and reducing Russian military activity on the front.”

* This seems like a reasonable request: “Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee demanded Wednesday that Bill Pulte, President Donald Trump’s controversial pick for acting director of national intelligence, submit to a full security check before assuming the post, including an examination of his financial holdings and foreign contacts.”

* Some market trends can’t be stopped despite the White House’s best efforts: “Even as President Donald Trump boosts coal over clean energy, solar power is hitting new milestones in the U.S. and remains the leading source of new power. Data released Wednesday by global energy think tank Ember, along with a report by the Solar Energy Industries Association and analytics firm Wood Mackenzie, show the continued growth of solar and decline of coal in the United States despite federal policy. In May, for the first time, solar supplied more of the nation’s electricity than coal, or 12.8%, Ember said.”

* A bizarre schedule for a nonemergency vanity project: “Federal officials are laying more groundwork to begin construction on President Donald Trump’s planned 250-foot-tall triumphal arch, sharing additional documents that detail the project’s scope and an aggressive timetable for potentially completing work before Trump’s term ends. According to National Park Service documents posted this month, the administration envisions 20 hours per day of construction on the arch, year-round, in hopes of completing the project within two to three years.”

See you tomorrow.

Steve Benen is a producer for “The Rachel Maddow Show,” the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He’s also the bestselling author of “Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans’ War on the Recent Past.”