Profiles in Cowardice: The Hypocrisy Hall of Fame
When the history books are written about this era in America, the villains will be plentiful. Some are obvious, but others have slithered into power with quieter acts of betrayal. It's time to name names and ensure their legacies are sealed — not in glory, but in treachery.
What follows is the opening chapter of our rogues' gallery — the enablers who helped gut democracy and hand the country over to oligarchs and authoritarians. They didn't just betray the Constitution; they actively worked to shrink the public sector's ability to serve all Americans, preserving power for the wealthy few and corporate giants.
They lied, distorted facts and peddled false narratives about the government. To them, every public expenditure is "waste, fraud and abuse" — except for things serving their self-interests. They've treated the power of the purse as both a weapon and a bargaining chip, using it to erode rights and sideline anyone who stood in their way.
This list is long — very long — but let's start with some of the most shameless. These are the people who once saw Trump clearly but, in the name of self-interest, chose to look away.
Trump Administration Officials on Trump: What They Once Said
Vice President J.D. Vance.
Before the 2016 election, Vance was highly critical of Trump, stating that “Mr. Trump is unfit for our nation’s highest office.” He also said he “can’t stomach Trump,” argued that Trump “can’t fix America’s growing social and cultural crisis,” and, in a since-deleted text to a former roommate, wrote, “I go back and forth between thinking Trump is a cynical asshole like Nixon who wouldn’t be that bad (and might even prove useful) or that he’s America’s Hitler.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
During his 2016 presidential campaign, Rubio called Trump “a con artist,” likened him to a “third-world strongman,” and predicted, “For years to come, there are many people on the Right, in the media and voters at large that are going to be having to explain and justify how they fell into this trap of supporting Donald Trump because this is not going to end well, one way or the other.”
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
While working as a Fox News commentator in 2015 and 2016, Hegseth stated, “[Trump is] all bluster, very little substance. He talks a tough game. But then when pressed he’s an armchair tough guy.” Hegseth also criticized Trump for seeking his “own five military deferments” and for his positions on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
A longtime Trump critic before endorsing him midway through the 2024 election, Kennedy previously said, “Donald Trump was a terrible President,” described his foreign policy as “absurd and terrifying,” and argued, “In many ways, he’s discredited the American experiment with self-governance.” He also accused Trump of breaking his campaign promises, stating, “After promising to drain the swamp, instead, he hired swamp creatures to regulate their own industries.”
Ambassador to the United Nations Nominee Elise Stefanik.
As a member of Congress, Stefanik was highly critical of Donald Trump from 2015 to 2016 and in the early days of Trump’s first term. Back then, Stefanik said, “I think [Trump] has been insulting to women” and condemned his comments in the Access Hollywood tape as “inappropriate,” “offensive” and “just wrong.” She opposed the Trump Administration’s Muslim ban, asserting, “This is not who we are as a country… This is not according to our constitutional principle,” as well as Trump’s plan to build a wall on the southern border, indicating, “I don’t think that’s realistic.”
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
According to an NBC News report, “Trump’s actions as President came in for harsh criticisms from Gabbard, who slammed his plan for a wall on the southern border, his policies on Iran and his support for Saudi Arabia in its war with Houthi rebels.”
The Record Speaks for Itself
The individuals on this list once saw Trump for what he was — unfit, self-serving and dangerous. Yet, in pursuit of power, they abandoned their principles, embraced hypocrisy and enabled the dismantling of our democracy. Their words remind us that they knew better. Their actions prove they chose betrayal.
History will place them in a prominent position in a rogues gallery of those who turned their backs on their country. And this is just the beginning.
Next up: the Senate.