Most people who claim to be against big government are really just opposed to the idea of the government restricting them, personally. If it's their friends wielding government to hunt and punish the right people then they're in support. You could see this well before the current turn, recall the overlap between small government support and pro-police, pro-military, pro-death penalty, pro-stop and frisk "law and order" types.

To steelman your argument and respond: 1) there is ample reason to believe that a Harris presidency would not have done any better on this front (that is, the choice was between big government and bigger government), and 2) the federal government being as big as it is already makes it hard for states and local governments to say no to requests like these. (You might recall how highway funding was used as a cudgel to "force" the drinking age to 21.)

There isn't a true (and viable) "weaker federal government, stronger state and local governments" party in this country at the moment. And the two party system being what it is, voters have to pick one out of two choices, neither of which will represent the voter's beliefs fully, or even mostly. Even the "pro-Trump MAGA camp" disagrees with itself on a ton of issues, perhaps more so than the camp on the opposite side[0]. I personally know many people who voted for Trump in 2024 and would describe themselves, ironically or not, as MAGA, who all did so for different reasons and are from very diverse backgrounds.

Though, if there indeed was a peep from any of them against this particular project, would you even hear it in today's fragmented informational spheres?

[0]: https://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bjso....

None of this holds a candle to just having a functional government that works for the benefit of the public.

Show up at town halls and vote.

Crowdsourcing tracking of government vehicles might prompt a more reasonable reaction from politicians.

Define the win condition.

Not once in human history has prohibition worked for any substance.

Working together legalizing drugs?