An unlikely group is driving Trump's biggest reckoning

U.S. President Donald Trump and lady Melania Trump depart for travel to Texas to tour areas affected by deadly flash flooding, from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 11, 2025.

Regular readers know I used to talk a lot about conservatism, fascism, authoritarianism, totalitarianism – all those multi-syllabic schools of thought that attempt to explain politics in America today. But I don't talk about them in depth these days. I have come to a conclusion.

Highfalutin concepts in the same breath as Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth, Scott Bessent, Stephen Miller and Robert F Kennedy Jr – c'mon. These are small men who are trying to make nearly everyone in America smaller, meaner, sicker and poorer. So the words we use to talk about them should be just as small, to wit: Kennedy is a pervert; Miller is a jerk; Bessent is a snob; Hegseth is a bully; and Trump is a criminal. You could say it's the politics of authoritarianism, but you could also say it's the politics of liars, cheats and thieves.

I choose the latter.

Some will say my choice is merely name-calling. I don't think it is. It is a verifiable representation of reality. Others will say I'm failing to persuade anyone who doesn't already agree. I don't think that's right either. If we want to defeat maga, we must do more than defeat the Republicans in November. We must entirely discredit maga as an idea. That means going for the jugular. The president and his men said they would make America great again, yet America is worse in every way. Why? Because this is the best that whiteness can do.

Consider.

At the G20 Summit Tuesday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox Business that voters who favor "socialism here in the US" are "over-educated and under-earning." He said: "These are underachievers who are jealous of those who want to go and work every day."

That's rich, because the goal of maga is the perpetuation of a gigantic government-funded welfare program for mediocre white men. They are the real underachievers, not college-educated young people who are struggling to launch their careers. These men complain about affirmative action and DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), but their real complaint is competing for wealth and status with people whom they believe are inferior to them, namely women and minorities. Their cause sounds just, but it's the opposite. They're too lazy to work hard, too cowardly to speak truthfully, and too average to distinguish themselves.

Bessent whines about socialism but the white-power order is totally socialist. It is the society-level organization of money, status and resources that aims for the exclusive use, privilege and benefit of white men. Justice and decency are also socialized, as we are given endless benefit of the doubt, even after acting horribly toward women and minorities, even after raping, robbing and murdering them. There is always something or someone else to blame for our choices. When Bessent accuses the Democrats of “socialism,” it is projection.

The Republicans are often compared to a big club, because whiteness is The Club. My skin color covers a multitude of sins and deficiencies, such that I don't really need to know anything about any given subject in order to be put in charge of it. Indeed, actually knowing something about a subject might be a liability, as expertise suggests accountability, which might put me at odds with the main point of club membership: freedom from consequences.

This is why Americans who believe in learning and self-improvement, in hard work, fairness and determination, in trying to live a righteous life – for yourself, your family and your community – are fundamentally threatening. The Club lauds merit, but merit is dangerous. The Club venerates character, but character is destructive. The Club celebrates morality, but morality is risky. Merit, character, morality – these are detribalizing, which makes them enemies of the tribe. It does not want men of honor and integrity. You can be a pervert, a jerk, a snob, a bully, or a criminal – no problem as long as you're also weak and obedient, and never break the first rule of whiteness: no one talks about whiteness.

The last election was determined in part by men being drawn to the so-called masculinity of maga. The irony, therefore, is that maga's greatest threat might be found in righteous men who benefit from whiteness but also feel contempt for the liars, cheats and thieves whom whiteness unfairly turns into "winners"; men who believe in and act with integrity, in brotherhood, and who are determined to make something of themselves; men who are masculine in ways that lead and serve and enable others to hold them accountable.

In other words, for maga, the call might be coming from inside the house. Whiteness is everything right now – the Congress, the presidency, the Supreme Court, the media, the universities, the law firms, the tech platforms. Every level of power is controlled by The Club, and yet everything is terrible for everyone except for the very obscenely rich. White men put their hopes and dreams on the line for whiteness, yet the inflation, the war, the lawlessness and corruption, the chaos and disorder – this is it. This is the best that whiteness can do.

Maga was a lie told by losers for losers, and we should treat it as such, rather than with fancy names like authoritarianism, therefore chasing away those who need to hear about its deceptions while flattering those who profit from it. Kennedy is a pervert; Miller is a jerk Bessent is a snob; Hegseth is a bully; Trump is a criminal. Small words for small men.

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