Feature / January 20, 2025

Inauguration Day 2: The Call Is Coming From Inside The Building

In 2020, after losing his bid for reelection to Joe Biden, Donald Trump summoned a mob to the Capitol. Today, as we mark the peaceful transfer of power, we offer this reminder.

Steve Brodner
Illustration by Steve Brodner.

 1. John Roberts Chief Justice
 2. Tom Homan Border Czar
 3. Sean Duffy Transportation
 4. Stephen Miller Deputy Chief of Staff
 5. Kristi Noem DHS
 6. Russell Vought OMB
 7.  RFK Jr. HHS
 8. Mehmet Oz Medicare and Medicaid
 9. Jared Isaacman NASA
10. Linda McMahon Education
11. Susie Wiles Chief of Staff
12. Lori Chavez-DeRemer Labor
13. Lee Zeldin EPA
14. Doug Burgum Interior
15. Howard Lutnick Commerce
16. Chris Wright Energy
17. Scott Bessent Treasury
18. Karoline Leavitt Press Secretary
19. Marco Rubio State
20. Elise Stefanik UN
21. Michael Waltz National Security Adviser
22. Steven Cheung Communications Director
23. Pam Bondi AG
24. Kash Patel FBI
25. John Ratcliffe CIA
26. Brendan Carr FCC
27. Pete Hegseth Defense
28. Tulsi Gabbard DNI
29. Vivek Ramaswamy DOGE
30. Elon Musk DOGE

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With the midterm elections now firmly upon us, the question is whether Democratic candidates will do more than merely occupy ballot lines as mild alternatives to the red-hot crisis that is Donald Trump.

As Trump spends over $1 billion a day on a globally destabilizing war on Iran and admits that he doesn’t “think about Americans’ financial situation,” millions across the country are struggling with the surging costs of essentials. Democrats must seize this moment and advance bold, small-“d” populist ideas—not settle for cynical caution that once again snatches defeat from the jaws of victory.

The Nation elevates progressive ideas, movements, and elected officials achieving real change across the country into the national conversation. At the same time, our journalists are exposing how crypto and AI-funded super PACs are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to knock out candidates they oppose, reporting on the devastating impact of the Supreme Court’s evisceration of the Voting Rights Act, and sounding the alarm on attempts by red states to quickly redraw electoral maps, disenfranchising Southern Black voters.

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It’s in our power to build a more just society, and your support at this critical moment brings us closer to that bold vision. I hope you’ll donate today.

Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor and Publisher, The Nation

Steve Brodner

Steve Brodner is an award-winning graphic artist/journalist and the winner of the 2024 Herb Block Prize for editorial cartooning.

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