Below are posts associated with the “Donald Trump” tag.
🔗 linkblog: The Far-Right Is Convinced Kari Lake Won: ‘Now Is the Time to Fight’'
The midterms could have been a lot worse, but this is a reminder that there’s still real danger lurking out there.
🔗 linkblog: Trump Is Already Boosting Election Conspiracies Ahead of the Midterms'
I’ve been worrying about 2024, but 2022 is going to be bad enough. GOP needs to do something about this.
🔗 linkblog: Trump Rally Plays Music Resembling QAnon Song, and Crowds React - The New York Times'
Trump’s leaning into Q is not a good sign for the future.
🔗 linkblog: On Truth Social, QAnon Accounts Found a Home and Trump’s Support - The New York Times'
I don’t know that any of this is surprising, but it remains worrying.
🔗 linkblog: Trump is Being Investigated for Potentially Violating the Espionage Act'
On one hand, I strongly believe Trump should be held accountable for all laws he’s broken or flouted. On the other, I believe that the Espionage Act has been used as a crude cudgel by several presidential administrations, and it’s really important not to be sloppy here. The second doesn’t outweigh the first, but just like one can defend the FBI raid without putting the FBI on a pedestal of infallibility, we need to be critically minded about all this.
🔗 linkblog: FBI Standoff Suspect Posted ‘Call to Arms’ on Trump's Truth Social'
Interesting development here.
🔗 linkblog: It’s Not Just Trump — LBJ Took Classified Documents Too'
I was not aware of this episode of history, and I feel more informed for it. It’s an example of where a Democratic president should be held to the same standard as Trump is being held right now—not out of any kind of whataboutism, but because both presidents crossed lines. In fact, “both” isn’t right here: Nixon comes out of this looking as bad as (if not worse than) Johnson.
🔗 linkblog: Republicans Are Suddenly Very Eager to Defund the Police'
I’ve been thinking this since yesterday. It’s telling how so many “law and order” conservatives who make a big deal about being pro-police reverse on those positions as soon as law enforcement is inconvenient for them.
🔗 linkblog: Even Before the FBI Search, MAGA World Was Saying It's at War'
A worrying look at CPAC. What is happening to the Republican Party?
🔗 linkblog: Trump Supporters Are Calling for Civil War After FBI Search of Mar-a-Lago'
McCarthy isn’t saying the same thing as these Telegram channels, but he’s making it easier for them to say what they’re saying.
🔗 linkblog: Kentucky candidates struggle when describing 2020 election | Lexington Herald Leader'
Disappointing but unsurprising.
🔗 linkblog: Study Says Trump’s Truth Social Is Much More Aggressive, And Much More Arbitrary, In Moderating Content | Techdirt'
Unsurprising, but still a valuable read.
🔗 linkblog: With midterms in sight, few Republicans are defending Trump as they did in 2019 : NPR'
Look, there may be less of a coordinated defense, but ignoring the Jan. 6th hearings is almost as bad as defending Trump from them.
🔗 linkblog: Amid Jan. 6 Revelations, Election Lies Still Dominate the G.O.P. - The New York Times'
This is more worrying to me—and more damning for the GOP—than anything that happened on January 6th.
🔗 linkblog: 4 takeaways from the third Jan. 6 hearing : NPR'
Pence deserves credit for the steps he took on January 6th, but I agree that he has responsibilities to do more right now.
🔗 linkblog: Trump Attorney Eastman Admitted His Jan. 6 Plot Was Illegal—and Asked for a Pardon'
All of this is worrying, but not as worrying as the possibility that it won’t make a difference in the minds of people who should be outraged.
🔗 linkblog: Trump’s ‘Free Speech’ Social Network, Truth Social, Is Banning People For Truthing The Truth About January 6 Hearings | Techdirt'
This is a peak example of what performative concerns about “free speech” boil down to.
🔗 linkblog: Pence, Tiptoeing Away From Trump, Lays Groundwork for ’24 Run - The New York Times'
I don’t think I want a Pence presidency any more than another Trump one, but I do want to see the GOP wrestle with what it’s going to be going forward.
🔗 linkblog: How Trump’s 2020 Election Lies Have Gripped State Legislatures - The New York Times'
Glad that there hasn’t been much conversation about this in Kentucky, but it’s still really worrying stuff.
🔗 linkblog: Trump says he won’t leave Truth Social, despite Musk’s Twitter takeover - The Verge'
The quotes in here underline how often ‘free speech’ is used to mean ‘problematic right-wing talking points.’
🔗 linkblog: McConnell and McCarthy’s Jan. 6 Fury at Trump Faded by February - The New York Times'
Disappointing that G.O.P. leaders so quickly did an about face. January 6th was a terrible event, and it’s cynical and irresponsible to pretend anything otherwise.
🔗 linkblog: Trump as a Modern-Day Party Boss: Hoarding Cash and Doling Out Favors - The New York Times'
Very interesting read. I have never been a Republican, but I frequently voted GOP prior to 2016. Because my personal political views have shifted since then, it’s hard to say whether I would vote for a GOP that throws off the Trump baggage, but I do hope such a party one day re-emerges. I may not agree with it, but we certainly need it.
🔗 linkblog: Trump Thinks Putin Is a ‘Genius’ for Invading Ukraine'
There is no denying that Putin is smart and strategic, but expressing awe instead of concern is typically Trump in its idiocy.
🔗 linkblog: Russia's ‘Idiotic’ Disinformation Campaign Could Still Lead to War in Ukraine'
This is terrifying on so many levels. Besides the possibility of war, the thing I’m most spooked by is the sheer cynicism of Russian efforts here. It doesn’t matter how bad the disinformation is if you can count on enough people to believe it. Trumpian, but turned up to 14.