Week 15 - The Return
Experts in authoritarianism advise to keep a list of things subtly changing around you, so you'll remember.
Another frenzied week, a continuation of Trump’s efforts to flood the zone using Project 2025 as his roadmap to destruction. There were three major themes to Week 15: an error-ridden ‘Valentine’s Day Massacre’ of tens of thousands of federal workers, a remarkable shift in U.S. foreign policy, and a Watergate-like crisis at Trump’s Department of Justice over his effort to dismiss criminal corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
In addition to the overwhelming importance of these themes, this week’s list is full of examples of our media reporting instances of a lawless and unbridled Trump, who is rapidly consolidating power. In one of his audacious statements this week, Trump posted “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,” suggesting even if he unambiguously breaks the law, it would not matter if he says his motive is to save the country. His post came after a string of resignations, many of whom were conservative prosecutors, over his brazen quid pro quo with Adams. He was letting us know that he can do whatever he wants now, including using his position to enrich himself, his family and the broligrachs, without any consequences.
Republicans remain silent and impotent. Even after Trump betrayed our alliances in Europe over Ukraine, and cozied up to Putin — an extraordinary and inconceivable shift away from U.S. foreign policy for the past 80 years—not a single elected Republican uttered a word. Truly shocking and shameful! Elected Democrats have also yet to find a way to show impactful opposition to Trump. Trump now finds the only check on his power is an overwhelmed court system, which has slowed his roll in a number of ways, but he remains undeterred in testing them further. This week he attempted to bring a case to the Supreme Court over the firing of a government lawyer who led a watchdog agency, the outcome of which could have major implications for the scope of executive power.
A brief housekeeping note: as we get further into this second regime, as I continue documenting the broken norms, I am able to start piecing together patterns, and discerning what I believe Trump is up to behind the headlines. These observations are best communicated in greater detail in notes that I will publish separately. You can subscribe to my notes, along with the lists and podcasts on Substack (here). My first two notes explore What is Trump up to with Ukraine? and Trump’s new Gilded Age.
In closing, any of the themes this week, on their own, would be front page, top of the hour for weeks on end in normal times. Trump is transforming the country at a dizzying pace, and it is more important than ever to take the time to stay informed and involved. My hope is this project will give you a means to read and digest a weekly summary, see what you missed, and take on the gravity of it all at once. Then use that outrage, anger, disappointment, fright, embarrassment — every, and all emotions — to galvanize yourself to get in gear and push back, in whatever ways you can. I noted a shift a few weeks ago of the awakening Democrats, getting back into gear: taking to the streets, hanging signs over roadways, boycotting, and other mobilization actions. This trends continues, and it is of the upmost importance that we all be the guardians of our young country’s experiment with democracy, because that experiment has gone awry and is failing.
NYT reported that in Trump’s first month in office, he has carried out an unprecedented campaign of retributionagainst his perceived enemies, many who worked in his first regime.
His retribution has gone beyond high profile individuals to lower ranks of the government and media. Some conservative groups have made target lists public of federal workers. Unlike past presidents, Trump has not been curbed in any way by the Legislative branch.
On Wednesday, Elon Musk attacked Reuters after an article saying “DOGE cuts based more on political ideologythan real cost savings so far.” Musk falsely claimed Reuters was getting paid millions in a contract for “social deception.”
Trump amplified Musk, tweeting, “Radical Left Reuters was paid $9,000,000 by the Department of Defense to study “large scale social deception.”” The truth was the contract was signed during the first regime, and was for help defending against cyberattacks.
On Wednesday, the executive editor of the Associated Press called on the White House to stop blocking its reporters from press events, accusing the regime of violating the First Amendment.