Trump spent $8.1T in first term
Scaramucci stated that Trump spent $8.1 trillion during his first presidential term, undermining the credibility of his second-term DOGE efficiency drive.
Snapshot · The Rest Is Politics: US
202. Is Trump Rigging the World Cup?
Explore episode
Jul 6, 2026
Where this was said
Why DOGE Was Doomed: Government Is Not a Business
At 35:35 · chapter starts 32:40
Scaramucci opens his DOGE autopsy with a sharp analogy: it was like a mouse standing in front of a bullet train of entrenched government spending. Musk came in with 'Potomac fever' — the billionaire's delusion that business genius transfers seamlessly to government — and quickly retreated from the third rails of entitlements and defence spending. [1] — Anthony Scaramucci "The structural reason DOGE failed: mandatory entitlements and defence spending are untouchable politically, and without pay-as-you-go guard…" 32:30 What remained was politically motivated cutting: DEI programmes, USAID, anything that could be filed under 'wokery'. Kay argues this was always the real agenda: Elon Musk had one goal, Stephen Miller had another, and Miller's goal won. DOGE's closure gets the 'holy trinity of lies' treatment from Scaramucci: Trump also promised to end forever wars and release the Epstein files, and delivered on neither. The budget context is damning — Trump spent $8.1 trillion in his first term and now accounts for 28.1% of the entire 250-year US budget deficit, making the efficiency rhetoric ring completely hollow.
The Real Point of DOGE Was Politics, Not Savings
Katty Kay argues DOGE had two separate agendas: Elon Musk's genuine (if naive) efficiency drive, and Stephen Miller's political agenda to gut diversity programmes and international development. The latter succeeded. The former failed completely.
DOGE: The Holy Trinity of Lies
DOGE closed on July 4th, 2026. Its own website claimed $215 billion in savings — a disputed fraction of the $2 trillion promised. Scaramucci calls it the third leg of Trump's 'holy trinity of lies': ending wars, releasing Epstein files, and making government efficient. None delivered.
Trump: 28.1% of total US deficit
Scaramucci claimed Trump, across six years as president, accounts for 28.1% of the United States' entire 250-year budget deficit.
$240B budget surplus in 2000
The US government ran a $240 billion budget surplus in 2000, the product of Clinton-era pay-as-you-go fiscal guardrails.
Cutting Malaria Research to Own the Libs
DOGE cut malaria and Ebola research grants as part of its international-development purge. Now the State Department is trying to rebuild exactly those programmes after realising they protect Americans too. The cost of rehiring will be double the original budget, Katty Kay's daughter witnessed this firsthand.
Similar snapshots
8 states have filed social media lawsuits
A total of 8 states have filed lawsuits against social media platforms, including an ongoing case in Tennessee, using product liability and public nuisance theories to seek accountability.
France built 56 nuclear plants in the 1970s
France built 56 nuclear plants in the 1970s and now has the cheapest energy in Europe, making it independent of Russian or Middle Eastern energy geopolitics.
Estonia has one tax form
Estonia has a single tax form, a law preventing the government from asking citizens for the same information twice, and a flat rate of tax — enabling competitive taxation.
Lisbon legalised drugs and slashed crime
Portugal's Lisbon, once a city with a major heroin problem, legalised drugs and redirected enforcement spending into rehabilitation and housing, dramatically reducing crime.
Boland Amendment vote: 411-0
The first Boland Amendment banning CIA and Defense Department funds for the Contras passed the House unanimously — yet the Reagan administration ignored it.
Saudi Arabia donated $32M to Contras
Over just two years, Saudi Arabia alone donated $32 million to the Contra rebels, giving loosely affiliated factions millions they had no way to spend on arms.
National Endowment: 52% program rate
The National Endowment for the Preservation of Liberty raised $6.3 million for the Contras but only $3.3 million reached them — a shockingly low 52% program expense rate.
Secord & Hakim marked up arms 300%
Richard Secord and Albert Hakim marked up their arms shipments to the Contras by as much as 300%, making enormous personal profits from the covert operation.
Oliver North had zero covert experience
Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North, tapped to run the entire covert Contra support operation, had no prior experience in covert operations whatsoever — he was learning as he went.
