Marjorie Taylor Greene Just Wrecked the Cult of Trump

Indeed, if you think about it, even Trump’s sudden about-face, at bottom, is really about maintaining that perception of mastery. Faced with certain defections, what Trump feared most was the spectacle of Republicans not doing his express bidding. In calling for release himself, Trump was not primarily concerned with appearing transparent; rather, he was making an eleventh-hour effort to create the impression that he—and he alone—is dictating this GOP outcome.

It’s a key tell that the most determined of pro-Trump propagandists are suddenly pushing that line, that Trump is the one responsible for the vote to release the files. Look at this insane exchange between a New York Times reporter and MAGA Congressman Troy Nehls, in which Nehls struggles to explain why he’s been calling the files a “hoax” but will now vote to release them:

“It is a hoax by the Democrats against Trump,” Mr. Nehls said, lighting a cigar on the steps of the Capitol.
So then why support it?
“Why not?” he replied. “Trump said just release the damn files. He said do it—release the damn files.”

Get it now? Trump wants us to do this, and that’s why it’s happening. Mark this down: It won’t be long until Trump’s propagandists start pushing the line that by ordering the files released, Trump totally owned the Democrats. Oh, wait: As Matt Gertz shows, MAGA media has already started saying this.