PUNISHMENT IS ALL THEY WANT

This tweet from a little-known Illinois congresswoman has 21,000 likes and counting:

The first person to be sent to Alcatraz should be Anthony Fauci. pic.twitter.com/7UanlfiVE2

— Rep. Mary Miller (@RepMaryMiller) May 5, 2025

We're told that Americans care primarily about issues that affect their wallets, but many Americans seem unconcerned about economic uncertainty because they're more focused on President Trump's ability to punish the people they despise.

Harry Enten notes that Trump has good polling numbers on crime:

CNN’s chief data analyst Harry Enten on Tuesday argued that President Donald Trump’s proposal to reopen the notorious former federal prison at Alcatraz is tied to his favorable polling when it comes to tackling crime.

“Yes, I know it’s late-night fodder for a lot of different folks. But what it actually speaks to is Donald Trump focusing the American people’s attention on an issue in which they actually do like what he’s doing,” Enten told CNN’s Kate Bolduan.

... Enten ... turned to Ipsos numbers showing Trump with a net approval rating of two percentage points when registered voters were asked about his handling of crime last month.

This figure, Enten noted, is “far better” than one from Joe Biden, who had a net approval rating of - 26 percentage points with registered voters on the same issue last year.

... Trump’s net approval rating on handling crime also rose by 15 percentage points between March 2024 to April of this year, according to Ipsos polling.

There's no evidence that crime is actually dropping. But Trump is talking tough on crime, and claiming that the immigrants he's deporting and renditioning without due process are all vicious gangbangers. It's true that half the country believes that Kilmar Abrego Garcia should be returned to America according to a recent Economist/YouGov poll, while only 28% believe he should remain in a Salvadoran prison. But Senator Chris Van Hollen and Americans protesting on his behalf have humanized Abrego Garcia in the eyes of Americans. The other men who have been expelled are apparently seen exactly the way Trump wants us to see them, as cartoon thugs.

(I assume that much of Trump's base believes that undocumented immigrants commit the majority of violent crimes in America. I'm certain that they commit the majority of violent crimes that are mentioned on Fox News.)

To Trump's base, and probably to quite a few swing voters, the idea of punishment is emotionally satisfying. It won't bother them that the vice president regards cruel and unusual punishment as a big joke. Here's J.D. Vance talking about the 2026 soccer World Cup, which will take place largely in the United States:

VANCE: We'll have visitors from close to 100 countries. We want them to come, we want them to celebrate, we want them to watch the games. But when the time is up, they'll have to go home, otherwise they'll have to talk to Secretary Noem AUDIENCE: 🦗😳🦗😳

[image or embed]

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) May 6, 2025 at 4:26 PM

Trump followed up on this:

Asked whether people who have taken part in pro-Palestinian protests should be concerned about attending the World Cup in the United States, Trump said: “I think people are allowed to protest. You have to do it in a reasonable manner, not necessarily friendly, but reasonable. Otherwise, [Attorney General] Pam [Bondi] will come after you, and you’re going to have a big problem.”

I'm surprised that he even recognizes the possibility of a peaceful pro-Palestine protest, but the cold-bloodedness with which he and Vance invoke the specter of renditioning foreign tourists to an escape-proof torture prison is shocking. Or apparently, if you're a Republican or a swing voter, amusing.