“Trump’s assault on the premises of democracy is not only unique in modern American history but unique in the annals of modern liberal democracy”
Trump’s assault on the premises of democracy is not only unique in modern American history but unique in the annals of modern liberal democracy. No duly elected leader of any mature democratic state has gone on repeated public rants against his enemies, fed cries of “lock her up” directed at a political opponent, or routinely […]continued…
“For evangelicals, voting in the macro is the moral thing to do, even if the candidate is morally flawed”
Does Mr. Trump have moral failings? Yes. Critics will suggest a hypocrisy coming from evangelical leaders who are quick to denounce the ethical failings of others who don’t have an “R” next to their name. But the goal of evangelicals has always been winning the larger battle over control of the culture, not to get […]continued…
“The sessions are extraordinary for the rare glimpses they provide of unscripted conversations at the White House on critical issues”
The chief executive sits at a long wooden table, putting his invited guests on the spot to defend their positions, occasionally needling them with biting comments, often shocking them with blunt talk — all for a rapt television audience. The tableau was a routine occurrence on President Trump’s reality show, “The Apprentice,” punctuated each week […]continued…
“Trump’s innovation is to have mined a deeper vein of cynicism, exhausting the weary tropes of polite political discourse”
…Trump is pivoting constantly. Or perhaps more accurately, the man is so erratic that he has no baseline of behavior against which to pivot. For instance, Trump seemed to change his mind last month on the war in Afghanistan, adopting a very Obama-like policy of deploying more troops into the country. While he once presented […]continued…
“Every day, Trump wakes up and erodes the dignity of the Presidency a little more”
Trump is hardly the first bad President in American history—he has not had adequate time to eclipse, in deed, the very worst—but when has any politician done so much, so quickly, to demean his office, his country, and even the language in which he attempts to speak? Every day, Trump wakes up and erodes the […]continued…
“Trump began his national ascendancy by hoisting the racist banner of birtherism. Since then, as candidate and as President, he has found countless ways to pollute the national atmosphere”
Trump began his national ascendancy by hoisting the racist banner of birtherism. Since then, as candidate and as President, he has found countless ways to pollute the national atmosphere. If someone suggests a lie that is useful to him, he will happily pass it along or endorse it. This habit is not without purpose or […]continued…
“The guiding principle in Mr. Trump’s government is to turn the politics of white resentment into the policies of white rage…”
If there is one consistent thread through Mr. Trump’s political career, it is his overt connection to white resentment and white nationalism. Mr. Trump’s fixation on Barack Obama’s birth certificate gave him the white nationalist street cred that no other Republican candidate could match, and that credibility has sustained him in office — no amount […]continued…
“Leaks are most often an outsider’s tool, and they look different from a vantage of power”
Leaks are most often an outsider’s tool, and they look different from a vantage of power. As a candidate, Trump mentioned WikiLeaks frequently and approvingly at rallies, in interviews and in two out of three presidential debates. As president-elect, Trump responded to news of Barack Obama’s offer of clemency to Chelsea Manning, WikiLeaks’s first major […]continued…
“As a candidate, Trump told his followers that he would fulfill ‘every dream you ever dreamed for your country.’ But he is a plutocrat. His loyalty is to the interests of the plutocracy”
Trump may operate a twenty-first-century Twitter machine, but he is still a frontier-era drummer peddling snake oil, juniper tar, and Dr. Tabler’s Buckeye Pile Cure for profit from the back of a dusty wagon. As a candidate, Trump told his followers that he would fulfill “every dream you ever dreamed for your country.” But he […]continued…
“Mr. Trump has admitted that being president is harder than he thought. He does not, however, appear to be humbled by this discovery”
Mr. Trump has admitted that being president is harder than he thought. He does not, however, appear to be humbled by this discovery. More likely, he is, in keeping with his understanding of politics, resentful because his opponents — his predecessor, the elites, the establishment — have made things so complicated. If they had not, […]continued…