"All or Nothing" is how a cult operates
Nobody owes President Trump any “loyalty” whatsoever regarding policy or interpretation of law.
If you follow right-wing populist accounts on social media, you might be shocked by this fact: Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett has sided with President Trump 82% of the time when cases have come up on the emergency docket. This is lower than some other Republican-appointed justices, but still a solid support for the administration.
That’s not how the most devoted parts of President Trump’s fan base sees it. Justice Barrett is a “disappointment” and a “traitor” who “betrayed” the President who nominated and stood up for her. She was condemned as “Amy Commie Barrett” by some of the more unhinged voices on Twitter. I explained a year ago why the MAGA hatred for Justice Barrett is completely deranged.
I know this is shocking to many people, but It simply does not matter whether Justice Barrett sided with or against President Trump on any given issue. What matters is what the actual text of the law and the Constitution says. Does the President have the authority to raise tariffs by himself without action by Congress? If Justice Barrett is wrong, then explain from the text of the law why she is wrong. I simply do not care whether she is opposed to or supportive of President Trump on the legal question. I only care about the text of the law and the Constitution.
When you make a Supreme Court case about “loyalty” to the President, you prove to me that you do not care about the rule of law or even your principles, but your personal loyalty and/or fandom of one man.
Some people even see basic governing responsibilities through the lens of personal loyalty:
Savannah Guthrie was very harsh on President Trump during her 2020 election town hall on NBC, accusing him of peddling conspiracy theories, and much more.
Trump is now mobilizing all of federal law enforcement to find her mother and bring her home.
A total class act.
The reason President Trump has had federal law enforcement investigate what is possibly a federal crime is because - I know this is shocking for some people - it is his job as President of these United States. Duh! Whether someone is a political adversary or a loyal supporter, they have the same protections under our laws. In fact, equal treatment under the law is legally mandatory under the Fourteenth Amendment. Would this person say that city government picking up my trash despite my political opposition to the Democratic Party represents a “class act?”
All of this needs to stop. It is fine to support President Trump as a governing figure and to generally support his policies. It is wrong to frame every political issue as a personal loyalty test to one man. If President Trump is right, explain why. Nobody owes him any “loyalty” whatsoever regarding policy or interpretation of law. Donald Trump is the President, not a king.