Executive Branch

President Donald Trump amid the gold leafing and decor that he has installed in the Oval Office in Washington, DC, on September 25, 2025.

The Managerial Anguish of Democratic Leaders The Managerial Anguish of Democratic Leaders

Trump’s corruption is personal, so why do Democrats keep making it about procedure?

May 8, 2026 / Chris Lehmann

Kash Patel listens as Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks at a press conference on April 28, 2026, at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC.

Ka$h Patel’s Bourbon Swag Is Part of a Larger Branding Disaster Ka$h Patel’s Bourbon Swag Is Part of a Larger Branding Disaster

The FBI director is targeting reporters and his own agents to stop embarrassing leaks.

May 8, 2026 / Jeet Heer

President Donald Trump greets Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC, on November 7, 2025.

Hungary Just Showed How to Kick Out a Strongman Hungary Just Showed How to Kick Out a Strongman

Trump is using authoritarian tactics that were perfected by Viktor Orbán. But the Hungarian authoritarian leader’s defeat may also offer a road map for beating Trumpism.

May 8, 2026 / Column / Sasha Abramsky

Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House on April 25, 2026.

Trump’s Ridiculous Ballroom Is No Place for Journalists Trump’s Ridiculous Ballroom Is No Place for Journalists

The president keeps suggesting that reporters have a party on his home turf. That’s a terrible idea.

May 4, 2026 / Ana Marie Cox

Donald Trump departs Doral, Florida, en route to his Palm Beach mansion on May 2, 2026.

Trump’s Smartest Supporters Know the Iran War Is a Disaster Trump’s Smartest Supporters Know the Iran War Is a Disaster

The new consensus is that the American empire is in steep decline.

May 4, 2026 / Jeet Heer

An image of a proposed Trump passport as posted by the White House on X.

As Trump’s Poll Numbers Fall, His Authoritarian Instincts Grow More Extreme As Trump’s Poll Numbers Fall, His Authoritarian Instincts Grow More Extreme

Increasingly unpopular and facing a fracturing coalition, Trump is using government power to punish his critics, take political revenge, and revel in his own cruelty.

May 1, 2026 / Column / Sasha Abramsky

US Supreme Court Justice John Roberts at Donald Trump’s 2025 address to both chambers of Congress.

The Supreme Court’s Death Blow Against Voting Rights Is the Culmination of John Roberts’s 50-Year Crusade The Supreme Court’s Death Blow Against Voting Rights Is the Culmination of John Roberts’s 50-Year Crusade

Beginning with his first job in the Reagan Justice Department, the chief justice has been hell-bent on dismantling the Voting Rights Act.

Apr 29, 2026 / David Daley

President Donald Trump at an April press conference about the war in Iran.

Why Ending the Iran War May Be a Never-Ending Story Why Ending the Iran War May Be a Never-Ending Story

As Trump’s “excursion” veers into quagmire territory, he may just try to walk away amid a host of new distractions.

Apr 29, 2026 / David Faris

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche (left) and FBI Director Kash Patel appear at a press conference following the indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center for money laundering at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC, on April 21, 2026.

The DOJ’s Bogus Allegations Against the SPLC Are a Dog Whistle to White Nationalists The DOJ’s Bogus Allegations Against the SPLC Are a Dog Whistle to White Nationalists

The case against the anti-hate organization will reassure racists that an organization that successfully tracks, exposes, and bankrupts them is now in the government’s crosshairs....

Apr 28, 2026 / Kali Holloway

Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth on March 23, 2026.

Trump and Hegseth Are Winning the War Against Their Own Military Trump and Hegseth Are Winning the War Against Their Own Military

The president and the defense secretary are being humiliated abroad, so they’re purging scapegoats at home.

Apr 24, 2026 / Jeet Heer

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