Sunday Issues-February 2, 2025
How long will the Trump offensive continue?
Trump promised to start his second term in office with a blitzkrieg of actions, and he has kept that promise. But some Trump supporters are now shaking their heads and mumbling, “This isn’t what we expected.”
The least popular Trump action was pardoning the January 6 insurrectionists. All of them were pardoned or had their sentences commuted. Some have promised to seek retribution against those they believe fought “lawfare” against them. Surprisingly, many of the insurrectionists, like Trump, claim that they did “nothing wrong.”
It remains to be seen if any newly freed insurrectionists will engage in violence. Some are likely to seek compensation from the government associated with their “unlawful incarceration.” In normal times, that claim would be laughable, but Trump is president, and he has already demonstrated that he will turn the Department of Justice into an organization that will never prosecute him again.
The transformation of the Department of Justice from an entity charged with enforcing the law to Trump’s private, taxpayer-funded law firm is underway. DOJ leadership involved in prosecuting Trump for January 6-related activities has been fired, and an investigation into the activities of hundreds of other DOJ attorneys and staff is underway. Dozens, if not hundreds, more firings are likely.
The Trump DOJ will be a smaller organization than before. The fired attorneys will be replaced with Trump loyalists. It will be a time of opportunity for recent graduates from conservative law schools. Trump allies will also benefit from the new DOJ, worrying less about the prosecution of any crime that is consistent with Donald Trump’s sense of ethics and justice.
Will Trump slow down?
I had expected that after Trump signed a couple hundred Executive Orders on Inauguration Day, he would rest, return to his regular golf schedule, and work on the paint scheme for the new Air Force One. That hasn’t happened. Trump is enjoying the praise he received on Fox and other right-wing news outlets, which comes with his emerging as a feared strong man. MAGA believes it has Democrats, progressives, and, frankly, anyone who isn’t for Trump scared.
More news.
I deferred a couple of items on Friday because Friday Insights was getting too long. I’m including them here.
Republican retreat at a Trump property.
Donald Trump appears obsessed with recovering the money he has been ordered to pay E. Jean Carroll in the New York defamation case. He is attempting to have the judgment reversed under the Constitution’s Immunity Clause, but his argument is a stretch. So why not make as much money as possible by leveraging the presidency?
Republicans held their annual retreat at Trump's Doral golf course. I wonder who suggested that location. Nobody in the GOP appeared worried about the ethics of the action.
Guantánamo Bay.
Immediately after President Trump announced the mass deportation of “migrant criminals” as a top administration priority, many wondered where the deportees would be housed between their arrest and return to their countries of origin. Some, including myself, wondered whether Trump would build huge “deportation camps.” The answer is yes. And now we know where the first of what may be multiple camps will be located.
The decision was not well received in all quarters. Lucas Guttentag, who served in the Justice Department in the Biden administration, commented: Guantánamo Bay.
Guantánamo is a black hole designed to escape scrutiny and with a dark history of inhumane conditions. It is a transparent attempt to avoid legal oversight that will fail.
Truth Social/Trump Media.
Trump continues to market his book Save America on his social media site, Truth Social. That site is replacing the official White House Press Room page as the go-to place for presidential statements and comments. Trump knows an opportunity when he sees one, so he posts an ad for his book in the same feed as statements about cabinet nominees, the tragic plane collision in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night of last week, and nasty attacks on his perceived political enemies.
Trump Media, publicly traded as DJT, announced last week that it is entering the financial services business, including cryptocurrency and EFTs. This is an apparent conflict of interest. What is the chance that the administration's “new regulations” for crypto will hurt DJT?
Democrats are not talking much about DJT and the appearance of a Mount Rushmore-sized conflict of interest. They have so many other things to focus on, like Gabbard, Kennedy, and Patel. Democrats are not going to give Trump a pass on using the government to line his own pockets. Just watch.
Thank you.
Trump’s 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico, as well as 10% tariffs on China, went into effect yesterday. I expect an immediate disruption to supply chains, retaliatory tariffs by all three countries, and a lot of economic uncertainty. Trouble is coming.
I continue to watch for news about the Trump budget and the coming campaign to extend and expand the 2017 tax cuts. That legislative action is likely to be more important to the future than Trump’s nominations or his general buffoonery.