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There is a difference between definitions of "small government". To some it means limited interference, to others it could just mean small in size - ie powerful laws free of bureaucrats or subtlety or oversight.

These views are usually opposed, but people who are not philosophically grounded might flit between them without realizing.

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Ah, you mean some people actually want small as in "L'état, c'est moi!" - the smallest government there is?

Well, I can think of at least one person, unfortunately.

> There is a difference between definitions of "small government"

The traditional Republican definition of "small government" has been something like Norquist's: "I don't want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub."

Until Trump, I don't think there had been any Republican support for the "few people with a lot of authority and no oversight" definition. Now it seems pretty widespread, though.

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