KAKISTOCRACY FILES
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
“They expect that president to govern.”
— Russell Vought
October 3, 2026
Public remarks
“It does not surprise me, Senator.”
— Russell Vought
January 23, 2025   •   Vought responded after Senator Ben Ray Luján noted that two senators on the committee had attended Head Start.
Senate Budget Committee confirmation hearing
“The President did not have that authority.”
— Russell Vought
January 16, 2025   •   Vought was criticizing President Biden's student-debt cancellation policies.
Senate OMB confirmation hearing
“I'm a Christian.”
— Russell Vought
October 3, 2026   •   Vought discussing the term Christian nationalism.
Public remarks
“We have to take power away from the bureaucracy.”
— Russell Vought
October 3, 2026
Public remarks
“That's why this is such a paramount, fiscally responsible bill.”
— Russell Vought
June 8, 2025   •   Vought defending the legislation.
Sunday television interview / White House
“The stark reality in America is that we are in the late stages of a complete Marxist takeover of the country.”
— Russell Vought
October 3, 2026   •   Vought's political characterization of the United States under the Biden administration.
Center for Renewing America conference
“The President must choose appointees who are aligned with the President's agenda.”
— Russell Vought
October 3, 2026
Project 2025 — Mandate for Leadership
“Bureaucracies.”
— Russell Vought
January 23, 2025   •   Senator Tim Kaine asked whether Vought's earlier remarks about wanting the federal workforce traumatized referred to federal workers. Vought responded by narrowing his description to "bureaucracies."
Senate Budget Committee confirmation hearing
“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
“The President ran on an agenda of fiscal responsibility.”
— Russell Vought
January 1, 2025
Senate confirmation hearing
“The administrative state has become increasingly independent of presidential control.”
— Russell Vought
October 3, 2026   •   Vought's assessment of the federal bureaucracy.
Project 2025
“It reduces the deficit.”
— Russell Vought
July 2, 2025   •   Vought defended Trump's tax-and-spending legislation. Independent budget estimates differed from the administration's accounting and projected increased federal deficits under conventional scoring.
White House / OMB
“The relationship is great.”
— Russell Vought
July 1, 2024   •   Vought describing his relationship with Trump's political operation.
Centre for Climate Reporting undercover recording
“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
“We make decisions at OMB based on the policy grounds.”
— Russell Vought
January 16, 2025   •   Vought said OMB decisions would be based on policy and law rather than recipients' political affiliations.
Senate OMB confirmation hearing
“That's pretty close to Christian nationalism because I also believe in nationalism.”
— Russell Vought
July 1, 2024
Centre for Climate Reporting undercover recording
“Our founders would've envisioned it that way.”
— Russell Vought
January 16, 2025   •   Vought was discussing his view that executive-branch employees should ultimately answer to the president.
Senate OMB confirmation hearing
“This bill doesn't increase the deficit or hurt the debt.”
— Russell Vought
June 1, 2025   •   Vought defending the administration's tax-and-spending legislation. Budget estimates varied depending on assumptions and scoring methodology.
CNN State of the Union / White House
“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