The Morning: Trump’s revenge
Good morning. Stocks in Asia and Europe plunged again after President Trump said tariffs would stay. U.S. markets are expected to drop. Benjamin Netanyahu is set to visit the White House. We also share a recap of “The White Lotus” season finale. (No spoilers here!) More news is below. But first, our colleague explains the creative ways Trump is getting even with his opponents.
The clapback
When President Trump returned to office, his rivals feared he would seek revenge by using the Justice Department and the F.B.I. to investigate and even imprison his perceived enemies. But the retribution effort is far more expansive, efficient and creative than that — and less reliant on the justice system. Trump has found new ways to use his power against foes. And his actions, or just the prospect of them, have led some of his antagonists to fall in line. Trump has filed lawsuits, signed executive orders, drafted regulations, fired people from government jobs and withdrawn security details to battle those who he believes stood in his way. In many cases, rather than turning to the courts or federal agencies to carry out his demands, he has asserted unilateral executive power. His defenders say the Constitution should be interpreted to give a president centralized, untrammeled control of government. Trump appears to hold a maximalist view of his powers even if they are disputed or untested. Can he deport people without due process, impound money allocated by Congress or remove appointees from independent agencies like the National Labor Relations Board? He is not waiting to find out. He has imposed costs on those who fail to heed his demands at universities, news organizations and executive agencies. Most recently, major law firms have buckled rather than endure punitive executive orders or fight in court. “They’re all bending and saying, ‘Sir, thank you very much,’” Trump said last recently. In today’s newsletter I’ll look at some of the most prominent cases and explain his prospects for ultimate success. A broad campaignThe administration has struck at perceived adversaries in many realms.
Read a list of Trump’s other retributive actions here. What nextIn his first term, Trump tried to get the Justice Department, the F.B.I. and the I.R.S. to investigate his rivals. Many of them came under scrutiny, but he was furious that none were charged. When he tried to revoke a former C.I.A. director’s security clearance, for instance, his aides stopped him. This time, with a more compliant staff, the only people holding him back are judges. Dozens of lawsuits have been filed (The Times is tracking them here), but it is impossible for courts to keep up. A good example came last month at a hearing about an executive order punishing the law firm Perkins Coie. The judge acted immediately with a temporary restraining order. But some of Perkins’s clients had already fled to other firms, and they are unlikely to return to lawyers blacklisted by the president. In other cases, Trump has said judges who rule against him should be impeached. Claims of executive power follow a pattern, experts say. When one president finds a new and different way to flex it, the next ones follow suit. The next Democratic president, for instance, might decide to fire government lawyers affiliated with the conservative Federalist Society. He or she could end all government contracts with Elon Musk’s companies — or hold back emergency aid from red states that resist new climate regulations. In the end, Trump’s actions may empower future presidents to use the executive branch as a cudgel of revenge. I explain Trump’s campaign in this video.
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