Sam Freedman
Much of what Donald Trump has done so far is recognisable from his first term: the use of tariffs to force negotiations, 25% on steel and aluminium imports, the overhyped deportation “spectaculars”, the paranoid fixation on his enemies real and imagined. The structure of his economic and foreign policy teams are similar to term one, as are the debates they’re having. There is, as last time, no clarity over his legislative agenda.
The big difference is Elon Musk. It was obvious before the inauguration that he had successfully ingratiated himself with Trump and would play a significant role, but no one knew quite what it would look like. Now we know that he, and his handpicked team, mostly people who’ve worked for his companies, have been allowed to insert themselves into government departments, with no effective controls whatsoever.
A lot of this activity appears straightforwardly unconstitutional, and federal courts are starting to react by imposing temporary injunctions, some of which will ultimately be tested in the Supreme Court. But his team of wreckers is doing plenty of damage in the meantime, not least to USAID and the millions around the world who depend on them. Musk is now publicly talking about judicial orders being ignored, which is the point at which the constitution properly starts to fall apart.
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