Agricultural producers could face worse losses than any other economic sector from Trump’s plans to impose sweeping tariffs on imports and to undertake what he frequently has called “the largest domestic deportation operation” of undocumented immigrants “in American history.” Hospitals and other health providers in rural areas could face the greatest strain from proposals Trump has embraced to slash spending on Medicaid, which provides coverage to a greater share of adults in smaller communities than in large metropolitan areas. And small-town public schools would likely be destabilized even more than urban school districts if Trump succeeds in his pledge to expand “school choice” by providing parents with vouchers to send their kids to private schools.
Department of Leopards Eating Faces – II
With Inauguration Day less than two months away, companies based in the U.S. and around the world are weighing the possibility that Trump will follow through on many of his campaign-trail warnings, potentially triggering a multifront trade war that economists warn could increase prices for consumers. Across-the-board tariffs would have major implications for businesses, potentially raising costs for U.S.-based companies that import products from abroad.
The reference in my titles for these two articles comes from a now famous Internet meme sparked by a 2015 tweet by writer Adrian Bott. He posted, "I never thought leopards would eat MY face," sobs woman who voted for the Leopards Eating People's Faces Party." An excellent Atlantic magazine article shows how Trump's policies are inevitably going to harm rural areas, where his most fervent support emerged in this election. And the Wall Street Journal quotes Big Business chief who are suddenly realizing that Trump meant when he vowed to impose economically ruinous tariffs on foreign goods. Now they're worried?
The media is about to face a serious stress test. As Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick points out, we may see the FBI become akin to “J. Edgar Hoover on steroids,” but because the implications of this scenario are so immense and jarring, it’s hard to find the language to capture it adequately. Meanwhile, when Republicans close ranks behind Patel, the propaganda will be deafening: Trump is picking Patel to “clean house” and “take on elites.” The temptation will be strong to slot this into a “populist versus the establishment” frame that inadvertently flatters Trump. It’s a good moment to lay down a marker. Any media accounts that don’t leave casual readers armed with some simple truths—that Trump-MAGA rage at law enforcement is exclusively about its efforts to apply the law to him, and that he’s installing Patel in a position of extraordinary power for wholly corrupt ends—are failing to inform at the most basic level. Republican Senators know all this perfectly well. The rest of America deserves to know it, too.
This New Republic commentary is a reminder of several scary realities. One is the Republican Party's descent into Trump-level extremism, marked most clearly by its office holders' near-complete capitulation to Dear Leader and his whims, no matter how harmful they may be to the nation. Naming a genuine monster like Kash Patel to run the FBI is one of starkest examples. If you've been following this newsletter you probably know how bad this guy is, and the damage he will do on behalf of a cult that loathes the once-liberal democracy it has taken over, and aims to to punish anyone who dares say otherwise. But most people do not know. Most people don't want to rip down everything in sight. And they'd be telling their representatives and senators. As I said yesterday, Big Journalism hasn't done nearly enough to explain the danger of what's happening, and in most cases has been normalizing Patel and his ilk. The commentary begs our political press corps to wake the hell up. Don't hold your breath. I say that with disappointment bordering on fury.
Before and after the election, Mr. Trump and his allies have discussed subpoenaing news organizations, prosecuting journalists and their sources, revoking networks’ broadcast licenses and eliminating funding for public radio and television. Actual or threatened libel lawsuits are another weapon at their disposal — and they are being deployed even before Mr. Trump moves back into the White House.
I'm glad to see the Times taking louder notice (alternative link here) of this pernicious trend. Perhaps that's because it's the target in at least one of the lawsuits coming from Trump and his allies. Whatever the reason, journalists of all kinds need to get ready for an onslaught of bad-faith lawsuits. The goal won't be to win money – though Disney's disgusting capitulation to Trump is a terrible capitulation by a company that can afford it – but to deter journalists from doing their jobs in the first place. For small news organizations, even being sued can be a financial death sentence. First Amendment lawyers aren't nearly plentiful enough, and the relatively few pro bono cases they take can't make up for what is likely to be a flood of these things. All of this is straight out of the authoritarian/dictator playbook, by the way. Journalists helped elect Trump by normalizing his "MAGA" extremism – which included specific warnings to the press. Don't let your disdain for Big Journalism lead you to celebrate the craft being the target of what it invited. This is bad, bad news for everyone's freedom of expression. Including yours and mine.
This newsletter is a compendium of the reporting and commentary that best explains the America's political, economic, and social conditions – and, most important, how we can find a way back from the dark days ahead. You will rarely find anything here from the New York Times or Washington Post or any of the other Big Journalism companies that failed us so completely during the 2024 elections and are now sucking up – even more than usual – to Donald Trump, his cult, and corporate oligarchs. My focus will be on smaller, more honorable outlets (and individuals). I hope you'll support them with your attention and your money. For more details, please read my About page.
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Ronald Brownstein
Greg Sargent
