“Whenever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government; that whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them to rights.”  This quote from a Thomas Jefferson communication to Richard Price in 1789 frequently comes to mind when I read about social media misinformation and the myriads of conspiracy theories that infect right-wing political thought.

I believe a poorly informed electorate is a major reason why our democratic republic is being threatened by an autocratic-minded President Trump and his administration.  Unfortunately, the Republican-controlled Congress is their handmaiden and we cannot solely depend on the courts to protect our democracy, and certainly not the conservative majority on the Supreme Court.  Therefore, it will be up to every American to do their part to defend our democratic institutions and the first step in a strong bulwark is for all of us to stay well informed. 

So, today I want to present some facts and information that I believe every U.S. voter should know.

The Trump administration is being directed by his deputy chief of staff for policy, Stephen Miller, and the director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russel Vought.  Both are radical, far-right men with separate dangerous agendas.  Miller is directing immigration enforcement and he wants to deport every undocumented immigrant in America.  And, the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB)Trump signed on July 4 gives him the funding to do that.

Vought is a Christian nationalist who controls federal government downsizing.  He believes the Impoundment Act is unconstitutional.  This law prevents the president from refusing to spend funding that Congress has appropriated.   If it were repealed or overturned by the Supreme Court, he and Trump would take control of government spending, regardless of what Congress appropriates. 

Trump doesn’t seem to care about details and he is allowing these ruthless men to carry out their agendas.  So, while Trump is cosplaying a king, his henchmen are directing the draconian policies that will harm many of the MAGA faithful.  And I believe this will lead to Trump’s undoing.

Inflation was a big issue in the 2024 election.  Trump promised to immediately bring prices down if elected.  But I have seen no evidence that Trump has done anything this year that significantly reduced prices.  In fact, his tariffs are almost certain to increase prices – and now we know more about how much.

Trump claims tariffs are paid by exporting foreign countries.  Americans should understand, however, that tariffs are a tax paid by U.S. importing companies that either decreases their profits or increases prices for consumers.  The average tax on imports at the beginning of 2025 was 2.5%.  The Yale Budget Lab estimates that the effective tariff rate as of July 23 is 20.3%, which will cause a hit in yearly household incomes of $2,800. 

Because the stock markets are doing very well, I don’t believe Trump will back off imposing large tariffs across the board on August 1 if most trade deals have not been made by then.  Price increases passed on by importers haven’t significantly increased inflation yet for several reasons, but it is just a matter of time until they do.

The OBBB will increase federal budget deficits by $3.4 trillion over the next decade and cause 10 million Americans to lose health insurance, according to the July 21 estimate by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).  This law also cuts over $100 billion from the food stamp program that provides supplemental nutrition for 42 million Americans, 36% if which are children.  Republicans cut $1.1 trillion in health care and food stamp spending to help reduce the deficits caused by the tax cuts.  This will hurt them in 2026 midterms.

I have written before about how Medicaid cuts will likely bankrupt more rural hospitals, which provide numerous jobs and add greatly to the economies of the surrounding communities.  But how many voters know that Medicaid pays for around 40% of U.S. births – 40% – and over 50% of nursing home costs.  

But here’s the thing, cuts to Medicaid or Medicare will increase the cost of all other health insurance.  It just makes sense, medical facilities will have to treat more patients that can’t pay.  So, they must increase the cost to those who are insured to stay solvent and continue to operate.

Well, there is some encouraging news: Trump’s approval rating among U.S. adults hit a new low of 37% last Thursday, according to Gallup.  This is only 3% better than his lowest rating, which came at the end of his first term.  He continued to lose support among independent voters (29%), who rated him most poorly on his handling of the budget, Ukraine and trade policy. 

Trump highest job ratings were for his handling of Iran and foreign affairs, but still underwater at a little over 40%.  His lowest ratings were for Ukraine (33%) and the federal budget (29%).  His job on immigration, which has been a strong point for him until recently, was at 38% and even lower on the economy, 37%. 

Some percentage of Trump’s MAGA crowd will stick with him no matter how he hurts them but cutting social services to pay for tax cuts for the rich and increasing inflation will surely anger many of his 2024 voters in the 2026 elections and significantly reduce his power with Republican politicians.  This is what will styme a Trump autocracy.