Tax-Payer Funded Terrorism

Trump wants to give your money to his insurrectionists.

In less than 90 days back in office, Donald Trump has pioneered a new form of government welfare: the “Patriotic Protestors Fund” — not for the poor, the elderly, or the working class, but for domestic terrorists who beat police officers and smeared feces in the halls of Congress.

Yesterday, in an interview with the right-wing propaganda news outlet Newsmax, Trump casually announced that his administration is “looking into” compensating those who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021 — not for damages they suffered, but for the “injustice” of having faced prosecution. This isn’t just absurd; it’s the political equivalent of setting fire to the rule of law and then billing the fire department. Or charging Secret Service to stay at your hotels to protect you.

The same party that once called Sandy Hook parents "crisis actors" and claimed school shootings were “false flags” is now demanding we bankroll convicted seditious criminals. Why? Because, in Trump’s own words, “people in government really liked that group” and “I talk about them a lot.” Translation: these weren’t criminals, they were loyalists — and loyalty in Trump’s America is the only currency that counts.

On Day One, Trump pardoned all 1,500+ January 6 defendants — many of whom assaulted police officers, destroyed federal property, and have since reoffended (including one arrested for a child sex crime). Instead of reconsidering this sweeping absolution, Trump is now doubling down — not just pardoning insurrection, but paying for it. His message is clear: if you commit political violence in my name, not only will I forgive you — I’ll reward you.

Let’s be clear: a presidential pardon is not an exoneration. It doesn’t reverse a conviction. It doesn’t imply innocence. And it certainly doesn’t entitle you to taxpayer-funded reparations. There is no legal or constitutional precedent for compensating people for crimes they were rightly prosecuted for and politically pardoned from. This is not clemency. It’s patronage.

In authoritarian regimes, the use of civilian mobs as a political tool is standard operating procedure. In Putin’s Russia, for instance, the Kremlin funneled money into "Nashi," a supposedly anti-fascist youth group that functioned as a de facto paramilitary — beating up journalists, intimidating dissenters, and silencing critics. But even Putin had the tactical sense to keep it subtle. Trump? He’s admitting it on TV.

By proposing post-hoc restitution for insurrection, Trump is constructing a retroactive incentive structure for political violence. His message to future militants is unmistakable: if we win, you walk free — and you might just get a payout, too. This isn’t governance. It’s a loyalty rewards program for authoritarian foot soldiers.

Let’s not forget: when Trump told the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by,” they heard it as a green light. The public may have been fed spin and deflection, but the loyalists — like Enrique Tarrio — heard the signal. Years later, Tarrio helped author the memo that became the tactical blueprint for a domestic coup attempt.

This is not just another offhand Trumpism, not just another legally hollow trial balloon. It is a message — loud and clear, encoded in the language of cash and clemency:

To Donald Trump, nothing matters but loyalty.
Not law. Not the Constitution. Not democracy. Not public safety.
Not even your tax dollars.

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