Trump found God — in himself
The religious right has long provided some of the most enthusiastic support for President Donald Trump. It appeared at first blush like a marriage of convenience — a manifestly impious man handing policy wins to the faithful. Trump himself seemed to hold an almost nihilistic, come-what-may philosophy that didn't quite fit into a purpose-driven Christian worldview. In a quote that roughly summed up his outlook on life, back in 2018, he said, 'My attitude is, whatever happens, happens.' He was talking about trade talks with China, but he could have been talking about anything — he said some version of that multiple times.
Things are different now. Trump is different. He's not just a culture warrior or a political leader. After raising his fist in the air following the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, he's also a survivor. And that almost nihilistic talk has been transubstantiated into almost messianic proclamations.
'God spared my life for a reason,' he said in November, referring to his survival of an assassination attempt.
'I was saved by God to make America great again,' he said in his inaugural address.
'It's … an act of God,' he said about a month after the shooting.
'For a while now, a roster of religious believers and leaders, grateful for the political victories Trump has bestowed in exchange for their votes, have suggested and sometimes outright said that Trump is 'chosen,' or 'anointed,' or a 'savior,' or 'the second coming' or 'the Christ for this age,'' writes Michael Kruse in this week's Friday Read.
'Now, though, Trump does it, too. And that matters. It matters, some say, because it highlights how his well-documented narcissism and grandiosity has metastasized into notions of omnipotence, invincibility and infallibility. And it matters maybe most immediately because it offers a window into how he is approaching his second term — even more emboldened, even more unilaterally oriented, even more apparently uncheckable and untouchable than the first.'
Read the story.
'He has gone absolutely CRAZY! He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I'm not just talking about soldiers.'
Can you guess who said this about Russian President Vladimir Putin? Scroll to the bottom for the answer.**
The Cracks in Trump's Sculpture Garden … Trump has an ambitious plan to unveil life-sized statues in the likeness of 250 great Americans — from George Washington to Whitney Houston — for the nation's 250th birthday next year. There's just one problem: The United States has neither the talented sculptors nor the museum-quality foundries in sufficient numbers to produce so many fine statues in such a short amount of time. 'Unfortunately, the schedule all but guarantees something less than awesome, splendid or timeless,' writes Capital City columnist Michael Schaffer. 'And, quite possibly, something less than American, too: The fine print forbids 'abstract or modernist' statues, and the biggest collection of artisans and fabricators working in Trump's preferred old-school realist style turns out to be in China, not the U.S.'
The Trump administration's second-term tariff policy hit a major roadblock in the courts this week, with a ruling from the U.S. Court of International Trade concluding that the bulk of Trump's tariffs in his second term are unlawful. The ruling has been stayed pending further appellate review. But don't worry if you haven't been paying attention. Throw out a few of these talking points and you'll sound like you're in the know: (From legal columnist Ankush Khardori)
— Be sure to mention the statute at the heart of the case — the International Economic Emergency Powers Act. (Bonus: Pronounce it eye-ee-pah.)
— Pretend like you already knew that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit exists. The court typically handles patent and government contract cases, but it is also the court that hears appeals from the Court of International Trade.
— Don't fall for the line that the judges who issued the ruling — there were three of them — were a bunch of partisan hacks. One of them is a Trump appointee; another is a Reagan appointee. (The third is an Obama appointee.)
— Voice some skepticism about how easy it will actually be for the Trump administration to implement the same tariffs under different statutes. It will not be that easy.
— Explain that those statutes have distinct procedural requirements, which is why the Trump administration didn't use them in the first place. IYKYK.
The Dem AG Who Beat Trump in Court … Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, who led a coalition of Democratic states in suing to block a major portion of Trump's tariffs, seemed pleasantly surprised after the U.S. Court of International Trade issued a unanimous decision undercutting the president on Wednesday. He spoke with Joseph Schatz about why the courts pushed back on the administration.
Dems Need a Shadow Cabinet … With her party still flailing about for a viable opposition strategy, Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-NY) offered an intriguing idea: a shadow Cabinet. It's common enough abroad for the party out of power to appoint its own answers to each individual member of the ruling party's leadership. But how do you build one here? According to Bill Scher, ranking members of Congress aren't fresh enough, and presidential hopefuls are too self-serving. So he came up with a shadow Cabinet roster of his own — and the picks might surprise you.
Hegseth's Military Purge … Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recently announced a purge of high-ranking military officials, pledging to cut 20 percent of 4-star officers and 10 percent of all other generals and admirals. 'That's a recipe not just for a politicized military, but an authoritarian military,' says Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), a Marine veteran. 'That's the way militaries work in Russia and China and North Korea.' He spoke with Deputy Editor Bill Duryea about Hegseth's dramatic move, and what's next for the armed forces.
From the drafting table of editorial cartoonist Matt Wuerker.
Who Dissed? answer: That would be President Donald Trump, posting on Truth Social this week.
politicoweekend@email.politico.com
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