"Trust in Trump"
That's it. That's the plan.
"Once you grasp Trump as an elected monarch, his full rebuke to the very idea of America comes into clearer view. He is precisely — almost uncannily — what this country was founded to oppose: an arbitrary, corrupt, mendacious, and utterly incompetent king."1 — Andrew Sullivan
“Trust in President Trump” — White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt
Well, at least that clarified things. As markets roiled and investors dumped US bonds, the president’s spox was asked: why was consumer confidence so low? Why was the world losing faith in America?
Her answer was as revealing as it was opaque: She offered no economic plan; no strategy. No roadmap through the chaos. Consumers, she said, were going to go through some things (she didn’t say exactly what) but insisted that there were “a lot of reasons for people to feel optimistic.” But not because they had faith in America, or the dollar, or the economy that The Economist described last fall as “the envy of the world.”
Instead, she offered a simple mantra of faith. “Trust in Trump.”2 The world smirked. Cult leaders blushed, and somewhere the Founders cringed.
Happy Saturday. And once again, thank you for your support.
Even though we launched the podcast only two months ago, the “To the Contrary” newsletter had more than 3.8 million views in the last 30 days and now has more than 73,000 subscribers.
Thank you.
As you may have noticed we have also added cross-posts of some of the best and brightest posts on Substack; and this week we’ll be adding live chats for paid subscribers.
I know there are lots of claims on your time and resources. But please consider joining us as we navigate these extraordinary times.
To the Contrary is a reader-supported publication. There are no investors. No sugar daddies. We’re not affiliated with any PACS. Or parties. Just me. And the dogs.
So we can’t do this without you.
To receive new posts — including cross-posts, podcasts and videos— please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. (And I’m immensely grateful for your generous support.)
Nota bene
Dispatch Editorial: Slouching Towards Tyranny
To the extent that Trump’s true nature was ever a mystery, it no longer is: As a White House aide recently said, the president is “at the peak of just not giving a f— anymore” and “going to do what he’s going to do.” Since retaking office in January, he has pardoned violent felons solely because the violence they committed was on his behalf. He has all but flipped the United States’ official position on Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. He has allowed Elon Musk to cripple government functions and agencies enacted and authorized by Congress—some of which do literally lifesaving work. He has threatened and vilified judges who—yes, sometimes in excess—are attempting to uphold laws written by Congress or constitutional safeguards enshrined by the Founders. Just yesterday afternoon, he directed the Justice Department to open an investigation into Chris Krebs, a widely-respected public servant who ran the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in Trump’s first administration, because Krebs “falsely and baselessly denied that the 2020 election was rigged and stolen.”
Again, we have not yet arrived at unalloyed tyranny. But we are getting closer, and that is bad enough.
There was a time when conservatives in elected office would object to such usurpations of power and abuses of authority by the president. That time was approximately four months ago.
BONUS: This seems like a good time for a refresher course on the Declaration of Impendence. Some relevant excerpts:
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offenses
ICYMI: A week of contrarianism
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
*
PLUS these cross-posts:
Hands Off for Them. But Our Hands Still Hold Tight — Viktor Kravchuk
Tim Haugh’s Firing Is a Red Alert for the Nation—and Your Privacy — Olivia Troye
This Administration's Mercurial Trade Policy Injures Our Economy and Our Democracy — Emily Chamlee-Wright
How to Undo Trump’s Growing Dictatorship and the Damage it Is Inflicting — Larry Diamond
Saturday dogs
Five years ago today. Auggie, Pete, and baby Eli (who now weighs 140 lbs.)
Sullivan shares this quote from Benjamin Franklin:
“It will be said, that we don’t propose to establish Kings. I know it. But there is a natural inclination in mankind to Kingly Government. It sometimes relieves them from Aristocratic domination. They had rather have one tyrant than five hundred. It gives more of the appearance of equality among Citizens, and that they like. I am apprehensive therefore, perhaps too apprehensive, that the Government of these States, may in future times, end in a Monarchy,” – Benjamin Franklin at the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
The guy who declared bankruptcy six times.
It’s come to this: if you’re “ok” with this malign administration, and the illegal and inhumane policies that it is enacting, I do not respect your opinion and actively oppose what you support.
You are complicit in unwarranted pain and suffering, the denial of basic human rights, and theft and criminality by public officials. You are complicit in the destruction of our constitution, the abandonment of the rule of law, and disenfranchising millions of citizens.
You support a psychotic, sociopathic monster. When you come to your f@cking senses, let me know.
We need a cadre of great political, economic and legal minds to form a think tank to help this country survive until 2026.
Barack Obama, both Clintons, George Conway, George Soros, Mark Cuban, Marc Elias, Marc Weissman, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Janet Yellin, Andrew Ross Sorkin, General Mark Milley, Corey Booker, Letitia James, Adam Schiff, Pete Buttigieg, Joyce Vance, Jamie Dimon, Elizabeth Warren, Chris Murphy, Governor Pritzker, Governor Shapiro, Tim Walz, Jon Meacham, and former Vice President Harris to name a few!