Category: Politics

What We Learn About Trump in His Rare Moments of Self-Reflection

about, rare, learn, Moments, Trump, SelfReflection0 comment

This article was featured in the One Story to Read Today newsletter. Sign up for it here. For a guy who had just been rushed out of a ballroom at the sound of gunfire, he seemed remarkably calm. For a president who regularly attacks the press, he seemed unusually gracious. For a fleeting period on Saturday night, Donald Trump appeared introspective, or at least as introspective as he’s capable of being in public. “It’s always shocking when something like this happens,” he told reporters in the White House briefing room,…

Read More...

The Posting Will Continue Until Morale Improves

Posting, Morale, Continue, until, improves0 comment

On Monday morning, CNN reported that the United States and Iran had been on the verge of striking a deal to end the war when Donald Trump made a series of comments to reporters and on social media that undermined the talks. “The Iranians didn’t appreciate POTUS negotiating through social media and making it appear as if they had signed off on issues they hadn’t yet agreed to, and ones that aren’t popular with their people back home,” complained one source, who apparently pleaded with his boss to stop. This…

Read More...

The Problem With Hasan Piker’s Einstein Story

Problem, Story, Hasan, Piker’s, Einstein0 comment

Last week, Pod Save America, the popular podcast founded by former Obama-administration staffers, hosted the influencer and leftist provocateur Hasan Piker. A charismatic and pugnacious socialist streamer, Piker has become a flash point in a broader debate among Democrats over how far their party’s big tent ought to extend. Unsurprisingly, Piker’s hourlong interview generated controversy. Critics on the right and left highlighted his refusal to condemn Hamas. Others were upset that the influencer said he would “vote for Hamas over Israel every single time,” even as he reiterated his reticence…

Read More...

It’s Not Just Iran. Trump Is Flailing on Multiple Fronts.

Flailing, Iran, just, It's, Trump, fronts, Multiple0 comment

This article was featured in the One Story to Read Today newsletter. Sign up for it here. You’ve heard the joke: The White House is going to start talking about the Epstein files to distract from how badly the Iran war is going. Except that this reverse “Wag the dog” is based on bizarre truth: First Lady Melania Trump did bring the disgraced financier up, unprompted, late last week in an effort to distance herself from the scandal (in a move that, predictably, only shifted it back into the spotlight…

Read More...

Viktor Orbán Could Actually Lose

lose, Orban, Viktor, could, Actually0 comment

Viktor Orbán is the closest thing in Europe to a prime minister for life. He has served four consecutive terms since 2010, perpetuating his power with the ruthlessness of a royal. But ruthlessness may not guarantee him reelection. That became clear to me recently in Székesfehérvár, a small city in central Hungary where Orbán was born. Székesfehérvár lacks Budapest’s grand boulevards and baroque extravagance, but the city is not without luster. Hungary’s first king, Stephen I, built a basilica in Székesfehérvár that served as the coronation site for later monarchs.…

Read More...

J. D. Vance Is Definitely Against Foreign Election Interference

Election, Foreign, against, Definitely, interference, Vance0 comment

U.S. presidential campaigns usually get started at the Iowa State Fair or some other exalted arena of Americana. J. D. Vance chose Budapest. The vice president visited Hungary’s capital today to align himself in the most visible way possible with the prime minister, Viktor Orbán, who is fighting to hold on to power in parliamentary elections scheduled for Sunday. The U.S. government’s support for Orbán had already been clear. Donald Trump had issued a “Complete and Total Endorsement” on social media. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the most credible threat…

Read More...