Defiance.News is a daily e-mail disseminated by Defiance.org and Miles Taylor.
I'm a subscriber, and in today's e-mail Taylor made some noteworthy observations regarding U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi's statement that Trump is "The Greatest President in American History!" at a House Judiciary Committee hearing two days ago on February 11, 2026.
In the e-mail, Taylor provides a transcript of a verbal exchange between House Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-California) and Bondi:
REP. ZOE LOFGREN: …So I really think that is a disgraceful approach to the homicides of American citizens and really does nothing to bring credit to your department. And, Mr. Chairman, I would yield back.
CHAIRMAN JIM JORDAN: The Gentlelady yields back.
ATTORNEY GENERAL PAM BONDI: May I answer?
JORDAN: The attorney general can respond.
BONDI: I find it interesting that she keeps going after President Trump, the greatest president in American history! And if they could maintain their composure…
(THE ROOM FILLS WITH LAUGHTER)
BONDI: … this isn't a circus! This is a hearing! I find it interesting she keeps going after Donald Trump!
Here's some of what Taylor said regarding this exchange (bold added for emphasis):
Increasingly, members of his administration and allies in Congress echo the formulation reflexively. Stephen Miller says Trump "has literally saved America." Rep. Lauren Boebert calls him "the greatest president of my lifetime." Rep. Elise Stefanik says he's "the strongest president in modern history." And not to be outdone, Sen. Lindsey Graham argues he is "the greatest president of all time." DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, without a hint of sarcasm, even lauds the president for having the supernatural power to stop hurricanes from hitting the United States.
In democracies, this kind of praise feels almost intentionally comical. But in autocracies, it's the price of admission.
Political theorists have long observed that authoritarian systems are sustained by fear and ritualistic praise of the leader. If you want a job in government — or even to receive your welfare benefits on time — loyalty must be performed in public and genuine caution must be exercised in private. You never know who will rat you out. The lavish, over-the-top, "dear leader" language becomes something of a passphrase required for continued survival.
It's easy to deny what's happening in our country. I get it. Admitting that America — the light of the free world for 250 years — might be fundamentally at risk of democratic failure is scary, to say the least. Very scary. But denial is what will turn our fears into self-fulfilling prophecies. I promise you that.
The most revealing aspect of Bondi's absurd praise for Trump this week was that it was reflexive. It wasn't part of a pre-planned speech. She was a pull-string doll on a loop, programmed to say what she needed to say to survive. That's because Bondi knows something that many of us don't. To stay afloat and thrive in this new America, you must love the leader and love him loudly, just in case he's watching.
Attorney General Pam Bondi showed us all the new pledge of allegiance.
In systems organized around one figure's approval, silence is dangerous. As Bondi knows, even insufficient enthusiasm carries real consequences — from loss of access and influence to potential dismissal and even persecution. That's why Trump's cabinet meetings have turned into bizarre, self-aggrandizing spectacles, with each senior official trying to outdo the next in their glorification of the president's greatness, while he nods off comfortably, knowing that he's not only captured the attention of his minions but also their souls.
The question facing us is not whether Donald Trump is the greatest of all time or just the best in modern history. The question is why so many public officials now feel compelled to offer up such foolish, maximalist assessments at all. In political cultures that are confident in their institutions, leaders are evaluated on performance and fired for their failures. In political cultures that begin to orbit a single personality, leaders are exalted — no matter what — and are never questioned.
Which one do you sense we are living in today? Or veering toward?
Commentary:
If you've been paying attention, you know that what Taylor is saying is spot on.
For so long now Trump sycophants have nothing but praise and adoration for Trump, elevating him to some kind of supernatural being selected by God. Of course, their praise and adoration is the largest, most pathetic pile of B.S. ever perpetuated on America and the world, but when you're so deep into the cult of Trump you are compelled by it's depth to unconsciously "kiss the ring" of the "dear leader."
Taylor is correct when he says that statements like Bondi's are a "reflexive" reaction. Bond's immediate, reflexive pivot from the "homicides of American citizens" to praising Trump is way beyond pathetic, or as I like to say "B-squared F" (beyond, beyond FUBAR).
Bondi's behavior is not going unnoticed, as many Republicans and conservative commentators have called out her disgusting public display.
What Bondi wasn't aware of when she impulsively spoke (and most likely still isn't) is that her "performance" at the hearing is only helping Democrats. When you're so wrapped up and blinded by a cult it's impossible to see objective reality. That lack of awareness and blindness then becomes an anchor and a force that constantly works against whatever it is you're trying to accomplish.
As I've commented on ad nauseam on this HWR website, Trump and MAGA sycophants are way more into what they believe to be true versus objective reality. To them, objective reality is something they focus on if it supports their politics, and something they ignore, dismiss, and reject if it doesn't.
When beliefs supersede objective reality, that's the start of decent into theocratic rule. When you add to that a healthy dose of authoritarianism, democracy begins to die.