Trump’s threat, posted to Truth Social on Wednesday, makes it clear that anyone who sends a dime to Haley will never be accepted into his red hat movement. The post came on the same evening when Trump released a video statement outlining his plan to remove “rogue bureaucrats,” saying, “I will wield that power very aggressively.” Then he ticked off his intentions to liquidate security officials, intelligence agents, and justice officials, whom he says are targeting “conservatives, Christians, or the left’s political enemies.”

Trump is making it clear that if he is elected, being MAGA will be a requirement of government employment. His threat to Haley drives home that only unwavering, slavish devotion to Trump makes one MAGA.

This echoes Trump sycophant Marjorie Taylor Greene’s call for “completely eradicating” from the Republican Party anyone who doesn’t support Trump. The representative from Georgia also recently said that Trump supporters “will not forget” Haley’s failure to fall in line behind Trump.

MAGA is not a philosophy. It’s not a political platform. It’s a loyalty oath to one man over everything else.

There is a month remaining until the South Carolina primary, where Haley hopes that her home state will rally to keep her in the presidential race. But Trump is making it absolutely clear to Republicans that the time in which they might support someone else is over. Anyone who contributes to Haley is going on a blacklist for life. He’s not quite threatening to sew a giant red or yellow “H” on their clothing … but it’s close.

Give it time, and a good MAGA rating might soon also be required to get a government contract. Or to travel freely around the country. Or to stay out of the massive internment camps Trump is planning. Trump has dropped all pretenses. Anyone who wants a future in Trump’s America had better get in line, and they better get in line now.

And that’s exactly what Senate Republicans are doing.

Within the past 10 days, Senate Republicans were praising a new deal on immigration, with conservatives like Sen. James Lankford calling it “by far, the most conservative border security bill in four decades.” Senators warned Republicans in the House that they wouldn’t get a better deal.

“To those who think that if President Trump wins, which I hope he does, that we can get a better deal—you won’t,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham. “You got to get 60 votes in the United States Senate.”

“The Democrats will not give us anything close to this if we have to get 60 votes in the United States Senate in a Republican majority,” said Sen. John Thune. “We have a unique opportunity here. And the timing is right to do this.”

Then, on Wednesday, Trump told Republicans to kill the deal so that he could continue to talk about the border for his campaign. And just like that, what Republicans were calling a crisis and an invasion became something that could be put off. Because nothing, nothing, nothing matters more to them than pleasing Trump. “I think the border is a very important issue for Donald Trump. And the fact that [Trump] would communicate to Republican senators and congresspeople that he doesn't want us to solve the border problem because he wants to blame Biden for it is really appalling.” But it is already clear that Romney is never getting his MAGA hat.

That’s what it means to live in a dictatorship, doing what the dictator says even when you know it’s wrong. Republicans are there already. Now they want to bring America with them.