But at the time, journalists and political leaders largely took the Tea Partiers at their word, and both parties strained to show that they believed in cutting spending. This misunderstanding would prove consequential in the coming years, as Republicans kept trying to rein in spending and wondering why their base was not appeased—until Trump came along and gave them what they apparently really wanted: not spending cuts, but anger, nostalgia and racism.
The notion that the Tea Party supported reducing federal spending was just a placebo.
