‘MAGA junkie' fired from government job now regrets voting for Trump
Jennifer Piggott of West Virginia told CNN she was one of 125 probationary employees fired from the Treasury Department 's Bureau of Fiscal Service last month as part of Trump's efforts to downsize the federal government.
Piggott is a self-described 'MAGA junkie' who voted for Trump three times — but has since lost faith in the Republican.
'I cried. It's scary, it's a really scary thing,' she said. 'I was embarrassed.'
When CNN asked if she regretted voting for the president, Piggott responded: 'Yes, I do.'
'To cut the knees off the working-class Americans just doesn't make sense to me,' she continued. 'I expected more from President Donald Trump.'
According to recent court filings, Elon Musk 's Department of Government Efficiency has fired at least 24,000 federal probationary employees. A federal judge has ruled that DOGE fired at least 16,000 of these employees illegally, but the Trump administration is appealing the decision to the Supreme Court.
Piggott said she was fired over poor performance, despite getting the 'highest rating' on a performance review less than three weeks before she was let go. She told Reuters that other voters she knows also didn't expect this level of 'devastation.'
"Nobody that I've talked to understood the devastation that having this administration in office would do to our lives," Piggott said. "As much as I think that President Trump is doing wonderful things for the country in some regards, I don't understand this at all.'
White House spokesperson Harrison Fields defended the firings to Reuters, claiming Trump has been given a popular mandate to carry out the mass layoffs.
"The personal financial situation of every American is top of mind for the president, which is why he's working to cut regulations, reshore jobs, lower taxes, and make government more efficient," Fields said.
CNN spoke to another Bureau of Fiscal Service employee who recently retired over fears she would lose her benefits if she were fired as part of the Trump administration's downsizing efforts. The unnamed employee also voted for the president.
When CNN asked if she would have supported Trump knowing what he would do, she responded: 'I'm not sure I would have.'
'The way that it's been done — I'm for balancing the budget, that type of thing, but not in this context,' she said. 'It's just not right.'
Piggott says Trump is 'creating a disaster,' and she doesn't know 'what America is going to look like if this continues.'
'I expected that you would do what was right and cut waste and fraud and all of those things that you promised us before we elected you in office,' she told CNN. 'But you're not doing that.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC News
28 minutes ago
- NBC News
A MAGA bot network on X is divided over the Trump-Epstein backlash
A previously unreported network of hundreds of accounts on X is using artificial intelligence to automatically reply to conservatives with positive messages about people in the Trump administration, researchers say. But with the MAGA movement split over the administration's handling of files involving deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the accounts' messaging has broken, offering contradictory statements on the issue and revealing the LLM-fueled nature of the accounts. The network, tracked for NBC News by both the social media analytics company Alethea and researchers at Clemson University, consists of more than 400 identified bot accounts, though the number could be far larger, the researchers say. Its accounts offer consistent praise for key Trump figures, particularly support for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. As often is the case with bot accounts, those viewed by NBC News tended to have only a few dozen followers, and their posts rarely get many views. But a large audience does not appear to be the point. Their effectiveness, if they have any, is in the hope that they contribute to a partisan echo chamber, and that en masse they can 'massage perceptions,' said Darren Linvill, the director of Clemson University's Media Forensics Hub, which studies online disinformation campaigns. 'They're not really there to get engagement. They're there to just be occasionally seen in those replies,' Linvill told NBC News. The researchers declined to share specifics on how they identified the accounts, but noted they shared a number of distinct trends. All were created, seemingly in batches, around three specific days last year. They frequently punctuate their posts with hashtags, often ones that are irrelevant to the conversation. They post almost exclusively by replying to other users, often to people who pay X for verification and by repeating similarly worded sentiments over and over in short succession. At times, they will respond to someone's post by repeating it back to them verbatim. It's unclear who is behind the network, or which of the multiple AI chatbots that are widely accessible to the public was used to power it. The bots have posted support for conservative figures since 2024, including supporting Trump and other Republicans on the ballot in the lead-up to the election, and then afterward posting that they were excited for Trump to take office. Though they would occasionally mix their messages — some have professed affection for MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, for instance — their messaging was consistently in favor of MAGA figures until the recent Epstein files controversy. A core constituency of Trump supporters voted for him on the belief that Trump, a former friend of Epstein's, would expose a list of supposed rich and powerful clients and bring justice to Epstein's victims. It's only since earlier this month, when Attorney General Pam Bondi announced she would not release additional Epstein files, that the accounts' messaging has become so split, with some accounts telling different users opposite opinions almost concurrently. During the same minute last Saturday morning, for example, one account in the network both cautioned a MAGA supporter from judging Bondi too harshly and told another that Bondi or FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino should resign over the scandal.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Most popular destinations for UK holidaymakers named
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference.
The National
an hour ago
- The National
'I'll be washing my hair', Stephen Flynn says of Trump visit
Speaking on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, the SNP Westminster leader made clear he had no interest in being part of Trump's Scottish tour, saying: 'I'll not be meeting with the president. 'I'll be busy getting a haircut or washing my hair – and finding any excuse possible to make sure I'm looking after my own toddlers at the time.' READ MORE: Farage wrecked Britain and risks Aberdeen's future, Flynn warns But while personally distancing himself from Trump's visit, Flynn defended First Minister John Swinney's decision to meet him. 'It's absolutely right that John does meet him as the First Minister of Scotland,' he said. Flynn noted that Trump is 'one of the most senior politicians on the planet' and is due to visit Aberdeen – Flynn's hometown – as well as his golf resort in Ayrshire. 'It's entirely appropriate that the First Minister meets him in a respectful fashion,' he added. However, the SNP MP drew a sharp distinction between diplomatic protocol and political endorsement. 'I don't think the UK should be rolling out the red carpet later on this year,' Flynn said, referring to the possibility of a more formal state-style welcome for Trump during a potential future visit. READ MORE: 'Misinformation' row erupts over demolition of historic Glasgow building Trump is expected to visit Scotland next weekend on a trip to his golf courses on the Menie and Turnberry estates, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer due to meet with him in Aberdeen. The National previously reported that an extensive policing plan had been put in place by Police Scotland for the US president. Meanwhile, Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie recently said he should 'absolutely not' be welcomed in Scotland. Trump is likely to be met with protests similar to those from his 2018 visit.
