Is This What America Wants?

Susan Estrich on Feb 22, 2025

"But isn't there really a lot of waste, abuse and fraud in all the government spending?" my Uber driver asked.

I don't bring up these topics with strangers. Too dangerous. But my Uber driver raised it, wanting to know what I thought of Elon Musk and Donald Trump's latest doings in D.C. I thought I'd avoid the topic by just telling him I was a longtime Democrat, but that didn't work. He actually wanted to know what I thought. Like many taxpayers, he worries that what he pays in doesn't get used wisely for what it's supposed to. And he doesn't know if Trump and Musk are really shaking up the system or just trying to destroy it.

Of course there is waste. How could there not be? Of course there are federal employees who, like members of Congress, are just determined to stay there. But you don't weed them out with mass firings. You don't eliminate waste by just destroying whole agencies.

The skies are not too safe. The air is not too clean. The food supply is not too secure, and the dangers of another pandemic are not too remote.

If Elon Musk wanted to root out fraud and waste, why didn't he bring in an army of auditors instead of a posse of kids with laptops and no experience or respect for public service?

Why fire everyone who has been hired in the last two years, without reviewing what they've been hired to do and whether they are critically needed?

Why pretend that you can slash the federal budget enough to give huge tax breaks to the wealthy without gutting Social Security, Medicare and Defense?

How dumb do they think we are? It can't be done. Something bad is going to happen. Another plane is going to crash. People are not going to get the checks they need to live. Bird flu is going to spread. Hate is going to boil over.

We are cruising for a bruising.

And this time, Trump and his buddy are going to be blamed.

The latest polls suggest that Trump is playing with fire.

According to a just-released Washington Post-Ipsos poll, 57% of all Americans say Trump has exceeded his authority since taking office. Some 43% say they support what Trump has done during his first month in office, with 48% saying they oppose. Those who strongly oppose outnumber those who strongly support by 37% to 27%.

Republicans overwhelmingly support him, while Democrats overwhelmingly oppose him. Trump continues to try to divide and conquer. Among independents, 1 in 3 support what he's done, half oppose and the rest are not sure. Who can blame them?

Perhaps the most positive number in the poll is the clear rejection of the Trump/Vance/Musk theory that Trump is above the law. If a court rules that what he has done is illegal, more than 8 in 10 Americans say Trump should follow the court ruling. That includes more than 9 in 10 Democrats along with roughly 8 in 10 Republicans and independents.

We are not looking for a king. No matter how many times he claims it, there is no support for a lawless administration that would ignore judicially imposed limits on his power.

What do these numbers suggest? They make clear what Democrats, the courts and any honest Republicans who are left need to do. Stand up to Trump. Stand up to Musk. Demand accountability and transparency. Put the public welfare first. Expose all of their mistakes. Put the lie to the argument that this is the way to cut back the fat in the federal budget.

Take on Elon Musk. Everyone is afraid of his money and his power on X. The poll finds 34% saying they approve of the way Musk is handling his job, with 49% disapproving and 14% not sure. They don't know if he is really cutting fraud or just wreaking havoc. We need to show them. If Musk becomes a true liability, Trump will cut him loose. That's his way. It can't happen soon enough.

These are frightening times. Fear can make you turn off the news and turn down the volume. That is what Trump is hoping for. Don't do it.

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To find out more about Susan Estrich and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.