KAKISTOCRACY (noun) — Government by the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous people.
In Their Own Words

Quotes

A searchable collection of documented public statements from people covered by the Kakistocracy Files.

5,728Total Quotes in the Archive
AllAlex JonesAlina HabbaAndrew ClydeAnn CoulterAnthony ScaramucciBill BarrBrendan CarrByron DonaldsCharlie KirkChristine O’DonnellChuck GrassleyCorey LewandowskiDan BonginoDonald TrumpDonald Trump Jr.Doug BurgumElise StefanikElon MuskEnrique TarrioEric TrumpGeorge SantosGreg GutfeldHerschel WalkerHillary ClintonHope HicksHoward LutnickIvanka TrumpJack PosobiecJacob ChansleyJames ComerJames ComeyJD VanceJeanine PirroJenna EllisJesse WattersJim JordanJohn EastmanJosh HawleyKari LakeKaroline LeavittKash PatelKayleigh McEnanyKellyanne ConwayKimberly GuilfoyleKristi NoemLaura LoomerLauren BoebertLindsey GrahamLouie GohmertMadison CawthornMarco RubioMarjorie Taylor GreeneMark RobinsonMatt GaetzMehmet OzMichael CohenMichael FlynnMike JohnsonMike LindellMike PenceMo BrooksNancy MaceNewt GingrichPam BondiPaul GosarPete HegsethPeter NavarroRick ScottRobert F. Kennedy Jr.Roger StoneRon DeSantisRon JohnsonRonna McDanielRoy MooreRudy GiulianiRussell VoughtSarah Huckabee SandersSean HannitySean SpicerSebastian GorkaSharron AngleSidney PowellStephanie GrishamStephen MillerSteve BannonSteve KingSteve ScaliseTed NugentTim ScottTom HomanTommy TubervilleTucker CarlsonTulsi GabbardVivek Ramaswamy
161 quotes from Russell Vought
“The President must set and enforce a plan for the executive branch.”
— Russell Vought
October 3, 2026
Project 2025 — Mandate for Leadership
“We have blown far past the target.”
— Russell Vought
December 1, 2025   •   Vought said the administration had exceeded Trump's stated 10-to-1 deregulation target.
White House / OMB
“You cannot delegate everything.”
— Russell Vought
October 3, 2026   •   Vought discussing lessons from his first tenure at OMB.
Heritage Foundation
“When they wake up in the morning, we want them to not want to go to work.”
— Russell Vought
October 3, 2026   •   Vought discussing career federal employees he viewed as obstacles to a future conservative administration.
Public remarks
“I'm not here to defend it.”
— Russell Vought
January 23, 2025   •   Vought distinguished a Center for Renewing America budget proposal from the incoming Trump administration's policies.
Senate Budget Committee confirmation hearing
“There's no think tank, no policy organization, no battle plan creator other than us for the worldview that I think Donald Trump has and that JD has.”
— Russell Vought
July 1, 2024   •   Vought describing the Center for Renewing America's relationship to Trump's and Vance's political philosophies.
Centre for Climate Reporting undercover recording
“We are writing the actual regulations now.”
— Russell Vought
October 3, 2026   •   Part of Vought's description of preparations for a second Trump administration.
ProPublica / Documented
“I think it was a sound policy.”
— Russell Vought
January 16, 2025   •   Vought was defending Schedule F, a Trump-era policy designed to make certain policy-related federal employees easier to dismiss.
Senate OMB confirmation hearing
“We greatly appreciate your cooperation.”
— Russell Vought
January 30, 2026   •   Vought addressing federal agencies and employees in an OMB memorandum concerning shutdown procedures.
Office of Management and Budget memorandum M-26-06
“I'm not going to continue to break the law.”
— Russell Vought
January 16, 2025   •   Vought responded to Senator Gary Peters during his OMB confirmation hearing after Peters questioned his record involving congressionally appropriated funds.
Senate OMB confirmation hearing
“One that ends the funding of our decline.”
— Russell Vought
May 2, 2025   •   Vought's political characterization of the Trump administration's fiscal year 2026 budget proposal.
White House / Office of Management and Budget
“The trust level will be there.”
— Russell Vought
July 1, 2024
Centre for Climate Reporting undercover recording
“I would probably be Christian nation-ism.”
— Russell Vought
July 1, 2024   •   Vought discussing how he describes his political and religious philosophy.
Centre for Climate Reporting undercover recording
“We are living in a post-constitutional time.”
— Russell Vought
October 3, 2026   •   Vought's characterization of contemporary American government.
Public remarks
“Even our best outside organizations are generally not prepared to go that deep.”
— Russell Vought
October 3, 2026
Heritage Foundation
“He is not running against any institutions.”
— Russell Vought
July 1, 2024
Centre for Climate Reporting undercover recording
“That comes out to 30-for-1.”
— Russell Vought
August 26, 2025   •   Vought describing the administration's claimed ratio of deregulatory initiatives to new regulations.
White House Cabinet meeting
“The Constitution envisions that the bureaucracy would work for the President.”
— Russell Vought
January 16, 2025   •   Vought explained his interpretation of Article II and presidential control of the executive branch.
Senate OMB confirmation hearing
“I'm giving you my commitment to uphold the laws of this land.”
— Russell Vought
January 16, 2025   •   Vought responded to concerns about whether he would comply with federal spending laws if confirmed as OMB director.
Senate OMB confirmation hearing
“The President would never ask me to do something along those lines.”
— Russell Vought
January 16, 2025   •   Vought was responding to a hypothetical involving politically motivated withholding of disaster assistance.
Senate OMB confirmation hearing