I don’t think (and I don’t know of anyone else who thinks) that Republicans are maliciously trying to hurt anyone.
These things are often packed into an ideology that makes it seem like it’s not hurting people.
For example, there’s a belief that hardworking red states pay the taxes that support the freeloading blue states. So a tax bill that hits blue states harder is about fairness, not hurting people. Similarly, making healthcare unaffordable is about the free market. It’s about choice, not hurting people. And although the data indicates otherwise, there’s a belief that cutting taxes can increase government revenue, because a guy drew it on a napkin once, so we’ll increase those services the second all that extra revenue starts pouring in… any minute now, just wait. In the meantime, here’s another tax cut for rich people. Maybe if we cut them more it’ll work. This time for sure. And so on and so on until you’re Kansas.
I forget where I’d heard this phrase before: “So, you’re saying it’s a conspiracy?” “No, it’s worse than a conspiracy. It’s an ideology.”