Wrestling’s new villain named himself “Progressive Liberal” — Hillary’s on his shirt. Why did the 2016 election look so much like the 2012 election? Partisan identity — not policies or even candidates — now drives American politics. A Pew survey finds sharp partisan divisions in views of national institutions. Why Trump’s nostalgia voters support his embrace of Putin. Trump’s biggest political asset is supporters who believe any negative news is fake. Why fact-checking doesn’t faze Trump fans: The president’s backers aren’t impervious to reality — confronted with untruths, they concede he was wrong, but don’t waver in their support for him.
This town melts down: Veteran political reporter Mark Leibovich takes stock of how Washington has — and hasn’t — changed in the time of Trump. French manicures, Bud Light and fly fishing: How Trump staffers are changing Washington. Trump’s aides build their own empires in the West Wing: Top White House officials have broken from tradition by hiring chiefs of staff and personal PR people to support their policy goals. Jonah Shepp on the anti-Semitism around Donald Trump. Why does Trump double-down every time it seems like he should retreat? Because Steve Bannon is back in his boss’s good graces.
President Trump’s enemies list: The president remembers every political slight — and the politicians who abandoned him during the Access Hollywood scandal. “CIA psych assessment of Kim Jong Il. Kind of makes you think”. It’s more obvious than ever: Trump doesn’t care a whit about the national interest. As it turns out America First does equal America Alone: Donald Trump has very little agenda-setting power. Donald Trump is dragging down America. Trump’s behavior is the biggest threat to U.S. national security. “Trump ALWAYS accuses others of what he knows he, himself, is doing. Please note phrase ‘gave our country away’”.
How Trump builds: Max Sawicky on the hollow promise of #InfrastructureWeek. Why didn’t Republicans promise a conservative health-care plan? Because they’re not idiots. Trump has secretive teams to roll back regulations, led by hires with deep industry ties (and more). The Obama administration had a plan to crack down on estate tax dodgers — Trump’s team is looking to block it. How low can taxes go? Outside Washington, Republicans find limits. Steve Bannon is right: Donald Trump should raise taxes on the rich. Catherine Rampell on the threat Trump poses that gets almost no attention. Ronald Brownstein on why one-party government doesn’t last.
One of the biggest reasons Republicans stick by Trump: They blocked Obama’s court nominees for years; now they’re filling those seats, starting a huge shift rightward for the judiciary. The GOP needs Trump’s tweets: Republicans say the president should step away from the smartphone — but his Twitter habit is a useful foil for a discredited party. Attack of the Republican Decepticons: It’s not just Donald Trump — the whole G.O.P. has become a post-truth party. Thread: “We used to worry that the media would normalize Trump. That ship has sailed. Important thing now: Don’t normalize his enablers”.
