Conservatives Are Turning Against Government Weaponization and Overreach
Across the country, Americans — and even Republican leaders — are rejecting the Trump administration’s escalating pattern of abuse of government power, from the politicization of the Department of Justice to the unprecedented use of the National Guard against U.S. cities.
Republicans Push Back
Two Republican governors broke ranks to condemn the administration’s decision to deploy National Guard troops into blue states and cities without gubernatorial consent. Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, chairman of the National Governors Association, warned that “Oklahomans would lose their mind” if another administration sent troops into a red state. Vermont Governor Phil Scott called the move “unconstitutional and corrosive to federalism,” underscoring growing unease — even within the GOP — over the use of state and federal power for political purposes.
And after Donald Trump publicly and privately pressured prosecutors to indict longtime foe James Comey, despite a lack of evidence, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski warned that the Justice Department’s independence is “called into question” and stressed that prosecutions must remain free of political interference. Former Republican Governor and Trump ally Chris Christie echoed those concerns, highlighting how the administration has turned the Department of Justice into a “capo regime” that “executes hits” on the president’s ideological opponents.
Former Trump White House lawyer Ty Cobb did not mince words about the weaponization of the Department of Justice against political opponents, reminding AG Pam Bondi that “the loyalty there is supposed to be to the Constitution” and that presidents don’t dictate criminal prosecutions.
Not Just Elected Officials - Conservatives are Pushing Back
In the conservative publication The Free Press, longtime conservative nonprofit leader Sean Noble cautioned that efforts to weaponize government against opponents risk “creating a monster we cannot control” and warned conservatives that a Democratic administration could wield the same powers. The conservative think tank CATO echoed those warnings, reminding conservatives that when you protect your opponents’ rights, you protect your own.
And when Jimmy Kimmel was suspended due to pressure from the administration, conservative pundits and comedians rallied around Kimmel. In a podcast episode released on Sept. 23, Joe Rogan, who supports Trump, called it “crazy” for the government to control “what a comedian can or cannot say in a monologue." These sentiments were also shared by Clay Travis and Ben Shapiro.
Public Opinion Is Shifting
A new Pew Research Center survey finds that two-thirds of Americans (66%) believe the Trump administration has improperly used its power to punish people for speech it dislikes, while 62% (including 40% of Republicans) say it has improperly encouraged federal investigations of political opponents. Nearly half (49%) agree the administration is trying to exercise more presidential power than its predecessors — and that this is bad for the country.
A separate Gallup poll released this week finds a record-high 62% of Americans now believe the U.S. government has too much power — the highest share in the two decades Gallup has tracked the question
The Bottom Line
The data and bipartisan pushback point to the same reality: conservatives are wisely starting to question the path our country is heading down and what may come next. Americans are on high alert and incredibly concerned with the administration weaponizing its power to target Americans and anyone they deem to be an ideological opponent.
