The Bulwark

The Bulwark

Home
Shows
Newsletters
Special Projects
Events
Founders
Store
Archive
About

Share this post

The Bulwark
The Bulwark
‘Defund the FBI’—the MAGA Right’s Hypocritical New Slogan
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
User's avatar
Discover more from The Bulwark
The Bulwark is home to Sarah Longwell, Tim Miller, Bill Kristol, JVL, Sam Stein, and more. We are the largest pro-democracy bundle on Substack for news and analysis on politics and culture—supported by a community built on good-faith.
Over 818,000 subscribers
Already have an account? Sign in

‘Defund the FBI’—the MAGA Right’s Hypocritical New Slogan

An overnight switcheroo on ‘defunding’ or ‘abolishing’ law enforcement after the Mar-a-Lago search.

Will Saletan's avatar
Will Saletan
Aug 09, 2022

Share this post

The Bulwark
The Bulwark
‘Defund the FBI’—the MAGA Right’s Hypocritical New Slogan
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
Share
(Composite / Photos: GettyImages / Shutterstock)

Two years ago, in congressional and state elections, Republican candidates accused Democrats of supporting proposals to “defund” or “abolish” police. Actually, although anti-police slogans were widespread on social media and among protesters, very few Democratic officeholders supported these ideas. But Republicans didn’t let those facts get in the way. They smeared the whole Democratic party as an agent of crime and chaos.

Monday’s FBI search of Mar-a-Lago—reportedly in pursuit of classified documents that former President Donald Trump may have illegally kept when he left office—has turned this issue upside down. Now that law enforcement has targeted Trump, conservatives are denouncing the FBI. Some want to defund the bureau; others are demanding its complete abolition. Here are some of the more egregious reversals.

1. Defunding is a gateway to abolition. In 2020, activists on the left wanted cities to shift some money from police budgets to social services. They argued that mental health counselors and other non-police workers could better handle situations previously assigned to cops. Conservatives accused the left of trying to abolish police altogether. Now some of the same conservatives are calling for abolition of the FBI.

Twitter avatar for @Liz_Wheeler
Liz Wheeler @Liz_Wheeler
So we're already morphed from "reform the police" to "defund the police" to "disband the police." It's gonna be so fun for criminals next time a Democrat is elected president.
5:56 PM ∙ Jun 5, 2020
1,139Likes304Retweets
Twitter avatar for @Liz_Wheeler
Liz Wheeler @Liz_Wheeler
Abolish the FBI.
11:53 PM ∙ Aug 8, 2022
37,869Likes4,864Retweets

2. Defunding is an attack on all law enforcement. In 2020, when progressives criticized police departments in certain cities, conservatives accused them of rejecting law enforcement as a whole. Two years later, the defund-and-abolish movement has indeed moved on to federal law enforcement—but now the people leading the movement are on the right, not the left.

Twitter avatar for @w_terrence
Terrence K. Williams @w_terrence
The Democrats want to abolish law enforcement so they can continue to demolish America and get away with breaking the law.
8:24 PM ∙ Jun 10, 2020
12,399Likes2,598Retweets
Twitter avatar for @w_terrence
Terrence K. Williams @w_terrence
What happened to President Trump today is disgraceful and Un-American! The FBI is now officially a corrupt & criminal organization. Defund The FBI, Actually the FBI should be dissolved! Raise your hand if you Agree!
12:50 AM ∙ Aug 9, 2022
9,040Likes1,501Retweets

3. Defunding law enforcement leads to more crime. Republicans often made this point when the context was urban crime. But when the context is possible lawbreaking by Trump or his associates, they no longer show much interest in deterrence.

Twitter avatar for @RepMTG
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 @RepMTG
Crime is exploding in Democrat-run cities ... this is 100% the result of their left-wing policies of defunding the police, backing BLM / ANTIFA, destroying families, and coddling of criminals!
12:39 PM ∙ Jun 23, 2021
7,912Likes1,885Retweets
Twitter avatar for @RepMTG
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 @RepMTG
DEFUND THE FBI!
12:03 AM ∙ Aug 9, 2022
140,578Likes21,647Retweets

https://twitter.com/toddstarnes/status/1536006740327669765

https://twitter.com/toddstarnes/status/1556795781985730561

4. Defunding law enforcement leads to anarchy. In 2020, critics of certain police departments argued that the departments were unsalvageable. In these cities, the critics proposed to disband the departments and reinvent them. Opponents on the right said this idea was nuts and would produce chaos. But now the right is making the same case against the FBI.

Twitter avatar for @RepJeffDuncan
Rep. Jeff Duncan @RepJeffDuncan
It’s a sad and scary day in America when we have citizens calling to defund and dismantle the police. This dangerous call to action would NOT make our communities safer. It would only weaken law & order and cause far more chaos than we’ve already seen. (1/2)
5:43 PM ∙ Jun 8, 2020
40Likes7Retweets
Twitter avatar for @RepJeffDuncan
Rep. Jeff Duncan @RepJeffDuncan
The FBI has proven time and again that it is corrupt to the core. At what point do we abolish the Bureau and start over?
1:01 AM ∙ Aug 9, 2022
201Likes51Retweets
Twitter avatar for @LisaMarieBoothe
Lisa Boothe 🇺🇸 @LisaMarieBoothe
How do these morons not see that the defund the police movement both in practice and in rhetoric creates a lawless environment? We are all going to be less safe because of your idiocy.
1:24 PM ∙ Jun 21, 2020
7,196Likes1,082Retweets
Twitter avatar for @LisaMarieBoothe
Lisa Boothe 🇺🇸 @LisaMarieBoothe
The federal government needs to be dismantled entirely. Abolish the IRS and the FBI, for starters. Take it down to bare bones and give the power back to the states. Otherwise, America is finished, if we aren't already.
11:59 PM ∙ Aug 8, 2022
8,327Likes1,630Retweets

5. Don’t defund or abolish law enforcement over a few bad apples. In 2020, conservatives rejected broad-brush accusations against police departments, noting that most cops were honest. But in the conflict between Trump and the FBI, that point has been abandoned.

Twitter avatar for @MattRinaldiTX
Matt Rinaldi @MattRinaldiTX
Defunding the police is idiotic. We need strong law enforcement to protect liberty & the vast majority of officers perform their jobs admirably & deserve praise. But many of us have proposed common sense reforms to address overreach for years & meeting strong resistance.
6:01 PM ∙ Jun 8, 2020
Twitter avatar for @MattRinaldiTX
Matt Rinaldi @MattRinaldiTX
Abolish the FBI.
2:14 AM ∙ Aug 9, 2022
954Likes102Retweets

6. Democrats are the party of defunding. For two years, conservatives branded Democrats as the party of defunding and abolition. Now they’re adopting the same language.

Twitter avatar for @EWErickson
Erick Erickson @EWErickson
Stacey Abrams sits on the board of a group that supports defunding and abolishing police.
1:34 PM ∙ Jun 23, 2022
66Likes29Retweets
Twitter avatar for @EWErickson
Erick Erickson @EWErickson
I'm struggling to form an opinion about what happened. I'd like to know why the FBI raided. But I do think given the general distrust of the FBI, raiding the former President's home all but assures they'll be in line for defunding right behind the IRS.
11:38 PM ∙ Aug 8, 2022
483Likes51Retweets
Twitter avatar for @RealCandaceO
Candace Owens @RealCandaceO
I have said for years that @AOC is a gift to Republicans. She is deluded by publications like Vanity Fair to believe in her own popularity— in reality, she is a cancerous cell to the Democrat Party. We should always encourage her insane proclamations like, “DEFUND THE POLICE!”.
Twitter avatar for @RonnaMcDaniel
Ronna McDaniel @RonnaMcDaniel
With the win in #CA48, Republican candidates have flipped 9 Dem House seats so far – 7 are GOP women – and we are on track to pick up even more!
5:16 PM ∙ Nov 11, 2020
24,085Likes3,472Retweets
Twitter avatar for @RealCandaceO
Candace Owens @RealCandaceO
The FBI must be legally and formally dissolved. What happened to President Trump is positively stunning and a mark of unchecked government power. I no longer recognize the country I live in. Left or right, we must all come together to fight this evil.
12:08 AM ∙ Aug 9, 2022
85,967Likes18,453Retweets

7. Defunding law enforcement is bad only when it’s for Black Lives Matter. But apparently when the defunding is for Trump and MAGA, it’s virtuous and urgent.

Twitter avatar for @mschlapp
Matt Schlapp @mschlapp
Nancy Pelosi led a kneel in at the Capitol for the BLM organization that wants to defund the police. @Varneyco @FoxBusiness
7:39 PM ∙ Feb 14, 2022
188Likes72Retweets
Twitter avatar for @mschlapp
Matt Schlapp @mschlapp
I urge MAGA and conservatives to be outraged. We have to defend the country and the Constitution from this coup. But it starts with channeling the anger into firing every socialist at every level of government. Get the power back and use the power to defund the attack on America.
11:53 PM ∙ Aug 8, 2022
7,187Likes1,887Retweets

8. Don’t let Democrats run away from their record. When President Joe Biden and other Democrats have made it clear that they oppose defunding police, Republicans have accused them of trying to shift positions. But the same Republicans are now blatantly shifting their own positions.

Twitter avatar for @laurenboebert
Lauren Boebert @laurenboebert
Is the entire Democrat Party going to act like they didn’t just defund and demonize the police for the last 2 years? #SOTU
2:54 AM ∙ Mar 2, 2022
28,754Likes5,613Retweets
Twitter avatar for @RepBoebert
Rep. Lauren Boebert @RepBoebert
The GOP majority must defund all forms of tyranny throughout Biden’s government. @FBI
12:56 AM ∙ Aug 9, 2022
6,430Likes949Retweets

9. Republicans would never let anyone defund or dismantle law enforcement. Unless, of course, the people who propose to defund or dismantle law enforcement are Republicans.

Twitter avatar for @RepGosar
Rep. Paul Gosar, DDS @RepGosar
.@Heritage_Action You are welcome. I unequivocally #BackTheBlue and will oppose any bill, resolution, or movement that calls to “defund the police.
Twitter avatar for @Heritage_Action
Heritage Action @Heritage_Action
Thank you @RepGosar for signing the police pledge and standing with our nation's law enforcement officers! We appreciate your leadership and example in opposing any bill, resolution, or movement that calls to “defund the police.” #PolicePledge
11:14 PM ∙ Sep 14, 2020
64Likes25Retweets
Twitter avatar for @DrPaulGosar
Paul Gosar @DrPaulGosar
I will support a complete dismantling and elimination of the democrat brown shirts known as the FBI. This is too much for our republic to withstand @charliekirk11 @JackPosobiec @kelliwardaz @KariLake @andybiggs4az @GOPLeader @DonaldJTrumpJr
11:52 PM ∙ Aug 8, 2022
16,773Likes4,037Retweets
Twitter avatar for @ACTforAmerica
ACT For America @ACTforAmerica
President Trump will never defund our great police heroes!
5:21 PM ∙ Jul 17, 2020
278Likes62Retweets
Twitter avatar for @ACTforAmerica
ACT For America @ACTforAmerica
DEFUND THE FBI!
1:34 AM ∙ Aug 9, 2022
8,303Likes1,357Retweets

10. How dare Democrats accuse Republicans of defunding law enforcement. These accusations are a slimy attempt at deflection, says convicted felon Dinesh D’Souza, who now advocates abolition of the FBI.

Twitter avatar for @DineshDSouza
Dinesh D'Souza @DineshDSouza
The Left knows how unpopular "defund the police" is. So now Jen Psaki says Republicans - not Democrats - are doing it.
2:52 PM ∙ Jun 29, 2021
2,569Likes675Retweets
Twitter avatar for @DineshDSouza
Dinesh D'Souza @DineshDSouza
It should now be a central plank of the Republican platform in both 2022 and 2024 that we will abolish the FBI, clean out the agency from top to bottom, and rebuild it from the ground up #AbolishtheFBI
11:48 PM ∙ Aug 8, 2022
16,782Likes4,071Retweets

These are just a few of the shameless backflips by Republican lawmakers and conservative media figures since the Mar-a-Lago search. I found these on Twitter; there are more on TV, and others will follow.

If the trend continues, defunding law enforcement may turn out to be more popular among Republican politicians than it is among Democrats. Americans who care about law and order should vote accordingly.


Subscribe to The Bulwark

Tens of thousands of paid subscribers
The Bulwark is home to Sarah Longwell, Tim Miller, Bill Kristol, JVL, Sam Stein, and more. We are the largest pro-democracy bundle on Substack for news and analysis on politics and culture—supported by a community built on good-faith.

Share this post

The Bulwark
The Bulwark
‘Defund the FBI’—the MAGA Right’s Hypocritical New Slogan
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
Share
The American Age Is Over
Emergency Triad: The United States commits imperial suicide.
Apr 3 • 
Jonathan V. Last
5,351

Share this post

The Bulwark
The Bulwark
The American Age Is Over
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
1,470
How to Think (and Act) Like a Dissident Movement
AOC, solidarity, and people power.
Mar 24 • 
Jonathan V. Last
4,119

Share this post

The Bulwark
The Bulwark
How to Think (and Act) Like a Dissident Movement
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
1,170
“How Can You Look at Yourself in the Mirror?”
George is furious.
Apr 3 • 
Sarah Longwell
2,116

Share this post

The Bulwark
The Bulwark
“How Can You Look at Yourself in the Mirror?”
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
349
49:37

Ready for more?

© 2025 Bulwark Media
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share

Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More