President Trump has unleashed a scorched earth policy against the people who once hailed him as a hero, but now he sees as disloyal. His revenge tour is leaving a trail of collateral damage among the very Republicans who helped him return to power.
Since taking office for his second term, Trump has been using the levers of government to reward loyalty and punish perceived betrayal. Universities that didn't toe his line were threatened with investigations or funding cuts. Media companies and law firms that represented his opponents were targeted for harassment. But now he's turned his attention to deep-red communities and MAGA diehards who believed that their loyalty would shield them from consequences.
In a stunning move, Trump vetoed bipartisan legislation to complete the Arkansas Valley Conduit pipeline, which would have brought clean drinking water to farms and homes across southeastern Colorado - an area that voted overwhelmingly for him in 2024. The bill passed Congress unanimously, but Trump's veto was not about policy, as his White House claimed, but a personal vendetta against Republican election official Tina Peters.
Peters was convicted of tampering with voting machines in an effort to support Trump's claims that the 2020 election was stolen. Her crime was not courageously trying to stop Democrats cheating, as Trump insists, but orchestrating a breach of her county's election system and handing access to votes and voter data to an associate of conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell.
Trump issued a full pardon for Peters, which had no legal effect, and threatened "harsh measures" if she wasn't released. He also denied Colorado's request for federal disaster funding to help rural counties recover from wildfires and record-breaking flooding.
The latest salvo in Trump's revenge tour has left many of his former supporters reeling. Representative Lauren Boebert, who sponsored the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act, was caught off guard by Trump's veto and vowed that "this isn't over." But history suggests that Republicans will hesitate before eventually caving to Trump's will.
The consequences of Trump's revenge tour are far-reaching and devastating. MAGA voters are learning that loyalty to him is an illusion, and those who have been burned will be punished. The president's actions are leaving a trail of burned power lines, flood damage, and clean water denied to his own voters.
For years, Trump's supporters told themselves they would be the exception - they excused his cruelty as a solid strategy, his corruption as shrewdness, and his lies as necessary to combat imagined enemies. Now the leopard is licking their faces, and they are bewildered.
As the stakes rise, it remains to be seen whether Republicans will find the courage to stand up to Trump's wrath and deliver clean water to their own voters.
Since taking office for his second term, Trump has been using the levers of government to reward loyalty and punish perceived betrayal. Universities that didn't toe his line were threatened with investigations or funding cuts. Media companies and law firms that represented his opponents were targeted for harassment. But now he's turned his attention to deep-red communities and MAGA diehards who believed that their loyalty would shield them from consequences.
In a stunning move, Trump vetoed bipartisan legislation to complete the Arkansas Valley Conduit pipeline, which would have brought clean drinking water to farms and homes across southeastern Colorado - an area that voted overwhelmingly for him in 2024. The bill passed Congress unanimously, but Trump's veto was not about policy, as his White House claimed, but a personal vendetta against Republican election official Tina Peters.
Peters was convicted of tampering with voting machines in an effort to support Trump's claims that the 2020 election was stolen. Her crime was not courageously trying to stop Democrats cheating, as Trump insists, but orchestrating a breach of her county's election system and handing access to votes and voter data to an associate of conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell.
Trump issued a full pardon for Peters, which had no legal effect, and threatened "harsh measures" if she wasn't released. He also denied Colorado's request for federal disaster funding to help rural counties recover from wildfires and record-breaking flooding.
The latest salvo in Trump's revenge tour has left many of his former supporters reeling. Representative Lauren Boebert, who sponsored the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act, was caught off guard by Trump's veto and vowed that "this isn't over." But history suggests that Republicans will hesitate before eventually caving to Trump's will.
The consequences of Trump's revenge tour are far-reaching and devastating. MAGA voters are learning that loyalty to him is an illusion, and those who have been burned will be punished. The president's actions are leaving a trail of burned power lines, flood damage, and clean water denied to his own voters.
For years, Trump's supporters told themselves they would be the exception - they excused his cruelty as a solid strategy, his corruption as shrewdness, and his lies as necessary to combat imagined enemies. Now the leopard is licking their faces, and they are bewildered.
As the stakes rise, it remains to be seen whether Republicans will find the courage to stand up to Trump's wrath and deliver clean water to their own voters.
this dude trump is crazy lol he's like a big ol' boy who can't take no for an answer 
i mean what's next? him revoking oxygen to people who don't believe in his conspiracy theories 
his 'revenge tour' is just a bunch of BS, ppl r getting burned and now they're not even sure if trump will do the right thing anymore 
he's like a toxic ex who just won't leave, and republicans are stuck in this toxic relationship 
I'm so sad for Tina Peters, she must've been going through such a tough time 
. But honestly, President Trump's actions are just cruel 
. I hope more people will speak up and stand with the Arkansas Valley Conduit pipeline project - it's not just about policy, it's about people's lives 
. We need to look out for each other, especially when our leaders turn on us 
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. Like, I get that he's mad at Tina Peters for her voting machine shenanigans, but come on, a full pardon and threatening "harsh measures"? That's not loyalty, that's abuse of power 
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. And those rural counties in Colorado? They're getting stuck with nothing because of his ego 
, but it looks like they're just as shocked and confused as everyone else 
. So here's the question: will Republicans find the courage to stand up to him? Only time (and some good old-fashioned journalism) will tell 
this whole thing is just wild 
... like, what's the deal with this arkansas valley conduit pipeline? 
and then there's tina peters, who was basically trying to sabotage democracy 
... trump's just making a huge mess of everything 
i mean whats next?? targeting farmers and small businesses with funding cuts? that bill to bring clean water to farms in colorado was unanimous and passed both parties but trump just vetoed it to spite election official tina peters who got caught trying to tamper with voting machines 
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. I'm not sure how much more of this we can take 
. so maybe this is a wake-up call for them to take back control and demand better from their leaders 
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. They thought they were part of something special, but really they're just being played by a master manipulator. I hope some of them wake up and realize what's going on soon 
. Newsflash, guys: loyalty isn't about being rewarded when it's convenient but about standing up for what's right 
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. This revenge tour of his is just gonna end in a total collapse of his own party 
. Newsflash, buddy: your base isn't as loyal as you think they are... they're just scared to speak out against you when it counts 
. Maybe someone needs to take him down a peg (or two) 