Tag: Trump inauguration

Maybe Time to Take an ‘Inauguration Vacation’

Buck Banks

“There are a small number of people who I have told, ‘Look, you should take a vacation outside of the country around the time of inauguration, just to see what happens. Just go on a routine vacation and see what plays out come Jan. 20, 21st, 22nd.’ By that time, we’ll know who’s going to be in senior administration roles and whether they will be more fundamentalist about this issue than the general politician who’s appointed into a position that requires Senate confirmation.”

— National security attorney Mark Zaid, quoted by Politico.

Shell Companies Donated to Trump Inauguration

Buck Banks

$107 million

“Donald Trump’s inauguration received tens of thousands of dollars from shell companies that masked the involvement of a foreign contributor or others with foreign ties,” The Guardian reports. “The Guardian has identified the creators of three obscure firms that contributed money to Trump’s inaugural committee, which collected a record $107m as he entered the White House in 2017.”

Trump’s Nationalist Message Is Resonating

Buck Banks

49%

A new Politico/Morning Consult poll finds President Trump’s inaugural message “is resonating with voters, refuting the idea that Trump bungled his first speech as commander in chief … with 49% of those who watched or heard about the speech saying it was excellent or good, and just 39% rating it as only fair or poor.” “Sixty-five percent of those surveyed reacted positively to the ‘America First’ message, the cornerstone of the Trump campaign and governing posture. Americans are looking for Trump to put his slogan into action: 61% said they agreed with Trump’s plan that the federal government should ‘buy American and hire American.’”

The Con Man Has Reached the ‘Maximal Limits of His Strategy’

Buck Banks

The methods of a skilled con artist have worked just barely well enough to deliver the presidency to Trump. But what happens when his grandiose promises fail to materialize? And when the aspects of his program that he never mentioned in his speech — tax cuts for the rich, stripping away health insurance from millions, massive graft — do take place? A con artist who always escaped his old victims and found new ones has reached the maximal limits of his strategy. What happens when the marks are demanding that the promises he made be redeemed, and there is nowhere for him to go, and he commands the powers of the state?

— Jonathan Chait