Week 64 - The Return
What happened to Greenland? Trump loses control of the narrative.
Experts in authoritarianism advise to keep a list of things subtly changing around you, so you’ll remember.
What happened to Greenland? What happened to the Epstein files? That’s the story within the story this week: how effective Trump has become in driving the media, and hence the narrative, until he is not.
What it took this week was another tragedy: federal immigration agents in Minneapolis murdered another U.S. citizen as part of their so-called immigration sweep or fraud sweep — the rationale for the occupation seems ever-changing. The murder came as half the country was facing a severe winter storm, and hence at home watching television, and on a weekend when Trump was at the White House for the launch of the documentary “Melania,” and, according to the NYT,also watching the news coverage obsessively. Immigration, once Trump’s strongest issue, has now become an albatross, of which he has many. Polling shows not only record low approval on his handling of immigration, but also growing support for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement altogether, as Trump and his regime’s tactics have become increasingly lawless and cruel.
Notable this week is a continuing trend of our allies moving on without us, and expressing grave concern about Trump and his state of mind. Republicans have started to speak out, but only at the edges and meekly. Trump has intimidated corporate America from publicly opposing him and his agenda, filing a lawsuit against JP Morgan Chase and its chief executive, shortly after Jamie Dimon made comments at Davos in support of NATO. But by the end of the week, even corporate titans were speaking out against immigration tactics, and called for de-escalation.
The country feels as if it’s in non-stop chaos. Consumer confidence is plunging, and Americans are expressing broad disapproval of Trump and his handling of key issues. All the while, many of the broken norms this week illustrate changes to the fabric of our country, and decay at federal agencies meant to serve and protect us.
On Wednesday, a federal judge blocked the Justice Department from accessing devices seized from WAPO reporter Hannah Natanson, saying the extraordinary search “flouts the First Amendment and ignores federal statutory safeguards for journalists.”
On Wednesday, AP reported an internal ICE memo authorized federal agents to enter homes without a judge’s warrant, a sharp reversal of longstanding guidance, which advocates claimed violated Fourth Amendment protections.
A Reuters analysis found that in six violent encounters with ICE, senior immigration officials invented narratives of what occurred, which were later contradicted by video or other evidence, raising questions about the credibility of senior officials and their willingness to investigate.
On Wednesday, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump did a complete reversal, backing down from his threat to take Greenland by force, and claiming he had “formed the framework of a future deal,” without providing any details.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a press conference that he did not know what was in the “framework” Trump mentioned. His comments make clear that Trump had sought an off ramp with the reference.
Politico reported Slovakia Prime Minister Robert Fico, a Trump ally, told European leaders that he was shocked after a conversation with Trump, expressing concern about the Trump’s “psychological state,” and using the term “dangerous” to describe how Trump came across.
Trump hosted a signing ceremony for his Board of Peace in Davos on Thursday, after being snubbed by European leaders and others. Just 20 countries of 50 invited accepted Trump’s invitation, including 11 of which were banned by the regime from obtaining immigrant visas.
On Thursday, Trump sued JPMorgan Chase and its CEO, Jamie Dimon, for closing accounts belonging to Trump and related entities in early 2021, shortly after the Jan. 6 insurrection. The lawsuit came the day after Dimon said the world needed a stronger NATO at Davos.
Bloomberg reported that Wall Street leaders, including Europeans, largely stayed quiet on Trump and his policies at Davos, a form of self-censorship seen in authoritarian regimes to avoid having their companies or themselves targeted.
Also at Davos, Trump said in an interview with Fox News about NATO, “Will they be there, if we ever needed them? And that’s really the ultimate test,” adding, “I know that we would have been there…but will they be there?” The U.S. invoked Article 5 after 9/11, the only country to do so.
