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Just dropped · Trial Balloon · Ep. 195

Shake Up

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Trial Balloon · Ep. 195: Shake Up

Red States Follow Trump’s Lead

February 5, 2025 · 8:53 am ET · Leave a Comment

“Republican governors and state lawmakers are rushing to explicitly align themselves with or mimic some of the most prominent actions President Donald Trump has taken since he was sworn in,” NBC News reports.

“As state legislatures have convened across the country in recent weeks, elected GOP officials have sought to advance bills designed to help facilitate Trump’s mass deportation plans — some of which are named after or specifically reference the president. And governors and lawmakers in at least 11 states have attempted to create their own version of the Department of Government Efficiency, the outside advisory commission that Trump put tech billionaire Elon Musk in charge of to find ways to cut federal spending.”

“The moves, largely centered in solidly red states, at the outset of Trump’s second term underscore the political grip he has on the GOP base and the desire of elected officials in the party to be seen as nothing less than loyal to him.”

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Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.

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