Opinion - MAGA ‘Mean Girls' are Trump's loyal foot soldiers
Donald Trump 2.0 is the first 'I can do anything' president.
To facilitate that governing philosophy, his squad of four powerful female enablers mirrors his cocky, bullying leadership style of never backing down and never admitting mistakes.
These fine-looking ladies are always camera-ready for their frequent Fox News and social media appearances. They have the 'MAGA look,' with long hair, perfect makeup and stylish wardrobes, so pleasing to the president to whom they owe their jobs and influence.
But for anyone suffering from, or negatively affected by, the president's policies, these foot soldiers in designer heels might be called the 'MAGA Mean Girls.'
Although Trump declared April 2 'Liberation Day,' the women discussed below have been 'liberating' America from its Constitution every day since Jan. 20. At the behest of their boss, they are bullying into submission two of the three co-equal branches of government, resulting in the most powerful executive branch since President Franklin Roosevelt.
Several Mean Girls have issued on-camera finger-wagging threats, scolding and lecturing noncitizens, the media or anyone with alternative views concerned about Trump governing through executive orders and overreaching with his 'dare to stop me' modus operandi.
We begin with the most prominent MAGA woman, whose job traditionally has been administering the rule of law, balancing the scales of justice and upholding the Constitution.
Attorney General Pam Bondi: Age 59, Florida's attorney general from 2011 to 2019, served on Trump's first impeachment defense team in 2020, actively supported Trump's false claims of victory in the 2020 election.
Attorney General Bondi's long and friendly relationship with the president included some controversy while she served as Florida's attorney general. Overnight, she has turned the Department of Justice into Trump's weapon of mass retribution. Bondi is rebranding the Justice Department as the president's law firm, fighting for his all-encompassing MAGA agenda. Even Trump's former private criminal defense attorneys are Bondi's top deputies!
Most consequentially, gone is the critical post-Watergate divide between the White House and the sprawling Justice Department, which oversees the FBI and numerous sub-agencies.
On every front and issue, the president expects no pushback from Bondi. She mirrors Trump's 'fight-fight-fight' persona, denigrating judges and attacking the president's 'enemies.' That long-growing list includes former officials, the media, institutions, organizations, law firms and businesses that don't toe the line. Watch as Bondi relentlessly accommodates her boss's goal of testing the limits of executive-branch power before the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, Bondi's Justice Department is ground zero for immigration and deportation controversies, along with tariff challenges, trade wars, deregulation and fighting against rights enshrined in constitutional amendments. Less court time will be needed after Trump's retreat from white-collar criminal enforcement.
By design, our attorney general is among the most high-profile in history, spending an inordinate amount of time on Fox News. Bondi appears to enjoy her powerful hot seat, even if is careening toward a scalding constitutional crisis.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem: Age 53, governor of South Dakota from 2019 to 2025, House of Representatives 2011 to 2019, an ardent campaign surrogate for Trump in 2024.
Noem is best known for her time in front of cameras. She keeps America safe with heavy stage make-up and false eyelashes, no matter how dire the setting. Noem's long-flowing locks are often topped with 'tough girl' headgear, complementing Border Patrol battle garb.
For her now-infamous public service 'announcement' from the high-security Salvadoran prison in front of tattooed, bare-chested, shaven-headed inmates inhumanely stuffed into cages, the perfectly coiffed DHS Secretary wore skin-tight jeans, a clinging white jersey and a $50,000 Rolex watch. The universally slammed stunt will long be remembered as the most unprofessional and sadistic media performance by a Cabinet official.
This incident illustrates why the president hired Noem to be the beautiful Mean Girl face for self-deportation, including a slick ad campaign which could double as a Trump campaign video. It reportedly cost $200 million, but at least Noem saved $2.7 million this week by canceling two grants to Harvard.
Trump tapped Noem for DHS secretary as a consolation prize. She lost out on being named his 2024 vice presidential nominee after she earlier had said that 'in a heartbeat,' she would take the job.
On Monday, the Wall Street Journal criticized Noem for her publicity-seeking management of DHS, with its $172 billion budget for numerous sub-agencies. Immigration policy gets messier by the day, but horse-back and all-terrain vehicle rides, arrests and surprise dawn raids always make for better photo ops.
Sadly, a series of circumstances and threatening statements from the Mean Girls duo of Noem and Bondi could prompt one to recall this famous 1940s quote from German Pastor Martin Niemöller: 'First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a socialist.' It ends, 'Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.'
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt: Age 27, served as national press secretary for the Trump 2024 presidential campaign. Ran for a New Hampshire congressional seat in 2022, losing to the Democratic incumbent.
Displaying prideful Mean Girl confidence well beyond her years, Leavitt disseminates whatever the White House 'Department of Propaganda' has prepared, likely from the all-powerful Stephen Miller.
Comically, Leavitt is the Trump administration's version of 'Baghdad Bob,' boldly declaring alternative facts to fit the narrative or crisis du jour. Her 'boys will be boys' comment about top Trump advisors attacking each other could be the new euphemism for White House infighting. Leavitt is the tip of the spear for the daily media battle, heavily favoring Trump-friendly new media.
Laura Loomer: Age 31, right-wing conspiracy theorist, rabble rouser, attention seeker, two-time failed congressional candidate.
Loomer, a Trump personal friend, recently convinced the president to purge the four-star general who led the National Security Agency, along with his deputy. The NSA was 'Loomered,' likely leaving the U.S. more vulnerable to terrorist attacks.
Now that Loomer has proved her presidential influence, she is trolling for clients. Politico reported that 'Loomer launched a firm last month, Loomered Strategies, which she says offers personnel vetting, opposition research, and rapid response.'
After nearly 100 days, Trump's loyal Mean Girls are just warming up their 'don't mess with us,' in-your-face bravado — so effective and pleasing to their man.
Myra Adams is an opinion writer who served on the creative team of two Republican presidential campaigns in 2004 and 2008.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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