The Tyranny of the Minority

Catering to a minority of a minority, President Trump and Elon Musk are pursuing an agenda that raises questions about the durability of American democracy.

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President Donald Trump and his alter ego, Elon Musk, act as if Americans overwhelmingly voted for them to dismantle the federal bureaucracy. They didn’t. The President’s policies don’t align with the people's desires on most significant issues, including mass firings of federal workers.

The president's barrage of executive orders in the first few chaotic weeks of his presidency obscures a revealing reality. The Make America Great Again (MAGA) faction, which cheers on Trump and Musk, represents a small fraction of the American electorate—about one in ten Americans—hardly a force that justifies the sweeping actions launched with much fanfare by the president and his billionaire partner.

First, let’s look at the numbers. President Trump won the election with a plurality of the votes, not a majority. According to numerous organizations that track election data, America had 245 million citizens of voting age in 2024. Candidate Trump garnered 77.3 million votes, about 31.9 percent of the American electorate. In simpler terms, just over three out of ten Americans eligible to vote cast ballots for him. That aligns with three other presidents since 1980 – Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and Ronald Reagan.

None of this is meant to diminish Trump’s incredible comeback from the political wilderness created by the January 6, 2021, riots he and his followers staged at the U.S. Capitol. Trump amazed even his political opponents with his campaign. However, the election's numbers have intriguing implications for the nation’s democracy. They suggest the tyranny of the minority holds sway in America.

According to USA Facts, a non-profit, nonpartisan organization that compiles data from various government agencies, about 36 million American voters register as Republicans, and it’s safe to bet that most of them voted for Trump. USA Facts also reports that roughly 45 million Americans register as Democrats, making Republicans the minority political party. About 32 million Americans are considered independents, and many are either unregistered or registered without declaring a party.

There are no precise figures for the number of Republicans who identify with the MAGA faction of the party loyal to President Trump. Numerous surveys suggest that MAGA represents anywhere from 36 to 70 percent of the party. Using the higher estimate to avoid understating the MAGA influence indicates that 25 million Americans align firmly with the MAGA policies that Trump and Musk champion. That’s about 10 percent of the broader American electorate.

Trump’s victory shows that many independent and disenchanted Democrats voted for him, too, and many no doubt back his positions on the issues. Nevertheless, Trump voters are far from a majority by anyone’s yardstick, and MAGA Republicans — not disaffected Democrats — are the ones moving the needle in Washington. Trump and his MAGA followers have neutered traditional Republicans with threats of primary election challenges from the right. Despite being a minority of a minority, MAGA Republicans dominate the political agenda for now.

Many political analysts don’t evaluate votes cast as a percentage of the entire electorate. Instead, they focus solely on voters who participated in an election. That’s a legitimate measure. However, such calculations obscure whether the nation’s politics reflect the overall will of the people captured in public opinion polling.

A deeper look at the broader base of voting data and polling on issues concerning Americans suggests President Trump has staked out positions catering to the MAGA minority. His positions raise questions about whether he and a faction of his party are out of step with the broader U.S. population, a posture that triggers concerns about the durability of the nation’s democracy. Democracy, after all, is supposed to reflect the will of the majority of voters.

Assessing the “will of the American people” is a tricky proposition. Americans change their opinions daily, and legitimate questions about the methods used in any poll can be raised. Generally, though, a cluster of polls does a credible job of taking the pulse of the American public, including those who chose not to vote.

When one compares President Trump’s positions on eight major issues that polling indicates are significant to the broader American electorate, the results are revealing. Only one of the eight policies embraced by the President and his Republican allies aligns with the will of most Americans.

• Trump opposes gun control. He and the Republican Party strongly support gun rights and closely align with the National Rifle Association’s agenda. In contrast, 58 percent of the public favors gun control.

• The comparison is even starker regarding climate change. Nearly 75 percent of Americans favor the U.S. participation in an international effort to control climate change. On January 20, 2025, as part of his blitz of executive orders, President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement, which is widely considered a proxy for climate change.

• Historically, Americans have expressed skepticism toward government employees, but that doesn’t imply they support the widespread layoffs and dismissals. Not much recent polling exists on this issue. However, a Washington Post-Ipsos poll released Thursday offers a clue. The poll indicates that a majority (54 percent) disapprove of President Trump’s handling of the federal government, while only 34 percent approve of how Elon Musk, his point man in the assault on the federal bureaucracy, is doing his job. Earlier polls reinforce the Post-Ipson results.

• No one supports inflation. In the 2024 election, American voters punished the Democrats for rising prices during Joe Biden's presidency. A significant majority of Americans—75 percent—believe sweeping tariffs, like those proposed or enacted by President Trump, will lead to inflation. However, President Trump continues to push or impose tariffs, even though he backed off once the implications of the proposed 25 percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada became clear. The Post-Ipsos poll says 53 percent disapprove of the President’s handling of the economy.

• Trump’s position on abortion shifts with the political winds. He opposes a federal abortion ban and says the states should decide the issue. Nevertheless, he takes credit for the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of the Roe vs. Wade decision, a widely popular move among Republicans and abortion opponents. Polls say 63 percent of Americans say abortion should be legal.

• Regarding the controversial Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies for the federal workforce—an issue heavily targeted by Trump and Musk—polling results indicate that a majority (51 percent) of Americans oppose closing federal DEI offices and terminating employees involved in DEI initiatives, while 44 percent support such measures. Considering the enthusiasm with which Musk and Trump have approached this topic, I was surprised that most Americans don’t support firing people over DEI policies.

• I wasn't shocked that the only policy most Americans endorse is the position of Trump and his Republican allies on immigration: 56 percent support reducing immigration, up from 41 percent a year ago.

• President Trump and Elon Musk dismiss concerns about conflicts of interest, even though the policies they advocate create conflicts for both men. The President brazenly profits from the policies he supports by promoting cryptocurrencies after creating a coin that benefits him and his family. Musk’s ventures into government databases give him access to information about his commercial competitors. A wide range of surveys show the public takes a dim view of even the appearance of conflicts of interest.

When policies aggressively pursued by elected leaders in a democracy do not consistently reflect the will of the American majority, something is amiss. Leadership doesn't mean a public official's goals must always align with the people's wishes. Some political figures become great leaders by going against the grain. Democrats also enact policies that a majority of voters oppose. However, catering to one’s party by widely disregarding the desires of most citizens suggests the primacy of minority rule, a development more characteristic of an autocracy than a democracy.

Many factors undoubtedly influence America’s recent voting dynamics. Gerrymandering plays a significant role. Additionally, the Electoral College contributes to minority empowerment; many political observers believe this idea has outlived its usefulness. Propaganda on social media sites such as Musk’s ‘X’ amplifies the voice of the minority.

The lack of an effective, loyal opposition doesn’t help. With a few exceptions, members of the Democratic party seem unable to create policies that generate widespread support among voters. Apathy, represented by the block of Americans who don’t vote, is the most significant enabler of minority rule. Lastly, there’s the persistent issue of candidates misrepresenting—or reneging on—their campaign policies once elected.

During the last campaign for the White House, candidate Trump denied that the Heritage Foundation’s Project 25 initiative reflected his agenda. The document, created and authored by many of Trump's allies, detailed numerous issues the President is aggressively implementing despite his statements on the campaign trail. He is making good on promises detailed in Project 25 through executive orders. For four years, the country must live with the government it elected, whether it represents the majority’s will or not. Voters can weigh in, starting with the midterm elections next year. Meanwhile, the consequences of America’s current situation could be dire.

There are plenty of examples worldwide of governments where a minority rules. The minority tends to thrive by implementing repressive policies that deny significant numbers of its citizens fundamental rights. That’s not what makes America great.