The first few months of Trump 2.0 have been a cascade of cruelty, both verbal and physical. More on the varieties of that cruelty below, but the headline-grabbing moment recently was when Iowa Senator Joni Ernst’s replied at a Town Hall to an anguished woman. Ernst was “MAGA-splaining” how the Medicaid cuts in the “big, beautiful bill” would only affect the legally ineligible (gliding over the fact that the bill will tightens eligibility requirements to save the government money). The woman had hollered “people will die.” So Ernst answered, “We’re all going to die.”
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (the CBO) projects that if the “big beautiful bill” becomes law, 10.9 million more people will be uninsured by 2034 due to changes in Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provisions. Some analyses, accounting for related policy changes and the expiration of enhanced ACA subsidies, estimate the total could reach up to 16 million additional uninsured.
https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61461
So, Sen. Ernst was stating an obvious truth; “all men are mortal” (women and children, too, as the carnage in Gaza proves). But she was not being responsive to the woman’s concern; she needed to explain why she thought the proposed cuts were fair. Instead, she acerbically said “We’re all going to die.” The next day she issued a video “apology” which many saw as awkward at best, and condescending at worst. Here it is:
“I made an incorrect assumption that everyone in the auditorium understood that, yes, we are all going to perish from this Earth. So, I apologize. I’m really, really glad that I did not have to bring up the subject of the Tooth Fairy as well.” She concluded her video with a personal message:
“For those that would like to see eternal and everlasting life, I encourage you to embrace my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
The video was delivered with a sarcastic tone, and in some versions, she was reportedly walking through a cemetery, further fueling criticism and making the apology appear less sincere to many observers.
Remember compassionate conservatism? George W Bush pronounced a “kinder, gentler” conservatism that is now passe. As Adam Serwer pointed out in the Atlantic during Trump’ first term, “the cruelty is the point.” The subtitle to Serwer’s article was “President Trump and his supporters find community by rejoicing in the suffering of those they hate and fear.”
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/10/the-cruelty-is-the-point/572104
Why is compassion out, and cruelty in? With Trump, the world is a zero-sum game, and what you gain must be at someone else’s loss. As Elon Musk stated, “The fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy.” Musk made this remark during an episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast on February 28, 2025.
The explanation he later made about that comment is that he has nothing against empathy but that others (not specified) could manipulate our empathetic response in ways that benefit them and cost us dearly. But again, this is part of the notion that you’re only smart if you make sure that no one ever takes advantage of you come whether as an individual, an institution, or as a nation. Being hyper-wary fits nicely with a view of the world in which everyone is a potential enemy, and you really can’t count on friends to have your back because they will inevitably take advantage of you. That’s the zero-sum mentality.
So, to be bona fide MAGA with the proper Trumpian mentality, showing concern and empathy is for “suckers.” Ernst, in her presentation at the Town Hall and her subsequent “apology,” had to sound “tough” and “realistic” or lose ground with the “movement.” (Maybe that’s why she mentioned the ‘tooth fairy’ –– to project hard-headed realism.)
So, harden your hearts, good MAGA-folk, and be tough! The MAGA faithful love the tough authoritarian who can “take charge” and “fix things.” The stern and harsh father figure is a pillar of MAGA authoritarianism. As Lauren Boebert once proudly said when Trump resumed office, “Daddy is back.” Meaning, Daddy’s home now and is going to kick some empathetic liberal asses by tearing out USAID, cutting Medicaid, and re-claiming white, male privilege, and dispatching illegal immigrants (and others) to horrendous prisons in El Salvador.
It’s that stern and harsh father that MAGA loves; it fits with the vengeful Lord of Hosts, who will seek retribution on enemies of all that is holy and good. So a talk show host like Dan Bongino, one of many Fox commentators in the new “administration” has railed against “commie liberals” –– evidently that qualified him to be Deputy FBI director, even without any law enforcement experience. But, never mind all that: he “gets it” that cruelty is the point, and will happily kick whoever’s ass Trump identifies.
Cruelly, this Administration ignores our own global treaties against torture, deports U.S. citizens who speak up for Palestinian rights, totally trashes the USAID, and makes getting U.S. asylum from persecution almost impossible. New executive orders have reinstated indefinite expulsion policies and forced asylum seekers, including children, to remain in dangerous conditions in Mexico while awaiting U.S. court hearings, despite previous court rulings that these practices likely violate asylum law.
Trump has used executive power to investigate, threaten, and retaliate against political opponents, critics, and organizations, including law firms and higher education institutions, contributing to democratic backsliding and a chilling effect on dissent. The administration has issued anti-trans policies, weakened sexual and reproductive rights (including abortion access), and fostered a climate of discrimination against marginalized groups. His proposed budget cuts threaten programs vital to low-income families, while tax plans disproportionately benefit the wealthy.
But, back to Joni Ernst. In her apology, she made clear that she didn’t have much empathy for the anguished woman’s cry. Of course we’ll all die, and (along with taxes) that is certain. But the Medicaid cuts are concerning to many voters, and her response was a non sequitur. Her apology was worse. There was a certain evangelical arrogance in that, an arrogance that is revealing of the attitude toward the poor and marginalized. It’s an old trope among Republicans that if you’re poor, it’s your own fault. Hence, agreement among GOP politicians that “work requirements” for Medicaid is a good idea.
The Republican suspicion about poor people ripping off the system (think of Reagan’s “welfare queens”) are not reflected in a clear-eyed assessment of how the wealthy rip off the system; corporate welfare (to people like Elon Musk) are seldom critiqued. Anyway, God wants you to be rich, and if you just accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you’ll be fine. Who needs government, right?
Which raises the question of why so many like Joni Ernst want to be a public official if public goods like Medicaid are optional and government is pointless? She must be perfectly legal –– after all, she is an elected Senator. But her zero-sum, only Jesus can save you posture is dead wrong for America.