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
112 quotes from Howard Lutnick
“Donald Trump has seen this, and he's going to stop it.”
— Howard Lutnick
April 6, 2025   •   Lutnick defending Trump's tariff policy.
CBS — Face the Nation
“Build greatness in America.”
— Howard Lutnick
March 3, 2025   •   Lutnick promoting domestic semiconductor manufacturing.
U.S. Department of Commerce
“I am tremendously proud of the lead role I played.”
— Howard Lutnick
April 1, 2026   •   Lutnick discussing his role in negotiating Trump administration trade agreements.
U.S. Department of Commerce
“We are the consumer of the world.”
— Howard Lutnick
April 6, 2025   •   Lutnick discussing U.S. leverage in international trade.
CBS — Face the Nation
“Which is just not going to happen.”
— Howard Lutnick
January 29, 2025   •   Lutnick rejecting a tariff strategy he believed would expose farmers to targeted retaliation.
Senate Commerce Committee Confirmation Hearing
“Millions and millions of those jobs.”
— Howard Lutnick
April 1, 2025   •   Lutnick predicting large-scale skilled-trade employment resulting from automated domestic manufacturing.
CNBC
“They're just going to love them.”
— Howard Lutnick
July 20, 2025   •   Lutnick expressing confidence that Americans would approve of Trump's trade agreements.
CBS — Face the Nation
“We can't build our own planes.”
— Howard Lutnick
April 6, 2025   •   Lutnick discussing domestic industrial capacity and national security.
CBS — Face the Nation
“If we want to make furniture in America, you have to protect furniture makers.”
— Howard Lutnick
February 10, 2026   •   Lutnick explaining the administration's rationale for tariffs on products and materials associated with domestic industries.
Senate Appropriations Committee
“We've got to stop having all the countries of the world ripping us off.”
— Howard Lutnick
April 6, 2025   •   Lutnick's characterization of U.S. trade relationships while defending Trump's tariffs.
CBS — Face the Nation
“The easiest way to find the fraudster is to stop payments.”
— Howard Lutnick
March 1, 2025   •   Lutnick discussing fraud detection in federal benefit programs.
All-In Podcast
“They produce factories being built here.”
— Howard Lutnick
March 11, 2025   •   Lutnick arguing that Trump's economic policies would encourage domestic manufacturing.
CBS News
“This is a separate tariff to create action from Mexico and action from Canada.”
— Howard Lutnick
January 29, 2025   •   Lutnick explaining Trump's threatened tariffs against Canada and Mexico over border security and fentanyl.
Senate Commerce Committee Confirmation Hearing
“Our farmers, our ranchers and our fisherman are treated with disrespect.”
— Howard Lutnick
January 29, 2025   •   Lutnick arguing that U.S. agricultural producers face unfair foreign trade barriers.
Senate Commerce Committee Confirmation Hearing
“I'm happy to tell you it is off.”
— Howard Lutnick
March 12, 2025   •   Lutnick discussing Ontario Premier Doug Ford's suspension of a threatened electricity surcharge.
CBS News Interview
“Whatever we don't want to make in America, we should try to do inexpensively.”
— Howard Lutnick
February 10, 2026   •   Lutnick acknowledging that tariff policy should distinguish between products the United States wants to manufacture domestically and goods it prefers to import inexpensively.
Senate Appropriations Committee
“That's just the way it's going to be.”
— Howard Lutnick
March 9, 2025   •   Lutnick expressing confidence in Trump's economic policies.
NBC — Meet the Press
“They have figured out ways to get around it.”
— Howard Lutnick
January 29, 2025   •   Lutnick discussing Chinese efforts to circumvent U.S. technology export restrictions.
Senate Commerce Committee Confirmation Hearing
“The tradecraft of America.”
— Howard Lutnick
April 6, 2025   •   Lutnick describing skilled American manufacturing and maintenance workers.
CBS — Face the Nation
“The greatest manufacturer of chips in the world is coming to America.”
— Howard Lutnick
March 3, 2025   •   Lutnick discussing TSMC's announced $100 billion additional U.S. investment.
U.S. Department of Commerce