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Washington Post
4 days ago
- Business
- Washington Post
Trump has let allies and supporters avoid centuries of prison time
We got a clear glimpse of what a second Donald Trump presidency would look like on the second night of last year's Republican National Convention. The theme of the evening was 'Make America Safe Again,' meaning that the endless parade of speakers included law enforcement officials and various elected Republicans bemoaning the rate of crime under then-President Joe Biden. And then there was Savannah Chrisley, scion of a mid-tier reality-television family. She wasn't there to reinforce the point made shortly before by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), that Republicans 'always will be the advocates for the rule of law.' Instead, Chrisley was there to suggest that the convictions of her parents, Todd and Julie Chrisley, were unfair and political — just like the criminal charges targeting Trump himself. Chrisley noted that her parents had even been referred to as the 'Trumps of the South.' You will therefore not be surprised to learn that, on Tuesday, now-President Donald Trump informed Chrisley that he was going to offer her parents a full pardon. 'They were given a pretty harsh treatment, based on what I'm hearing,' Trump said in a phone call with Chrisley and her brother. 'Pretty harsh treatment.' That same day, the New York Times provided new details on another of Trump's recent pardons. Paul Walczak was sentenced to 18 months in prison for tax-related crimes. After his mother paid $1 million to attend a fundraising dinner, though, Walczak's record was wiped clean. A review of Trump's pardons and commutations since retaking office in January shows a consistent pattern: His grants of clemency have often benefited supporters and allies, usually ones who were convicted or sentenced during the Biden administration. That includes almost all of the more than 1,500 people charged related to the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Often, Trump's actions have cleared individuals' criminal records after the recipients had already served time or had otherwise fulfilled the obligations of their convictions. My analysis of Trump's actions, though, suggests that more than 230 individuals avoided sentenced prison time thanks to Trump's intervention. More than 200 of them were individuals who'd been sentenced after participating in the Capitol riot. Comparing their original sentences with the dates of sentencing and clemency, I calculate that Trump has wiped away more than 700 years of prison time that convicted individuals were otherwise slated to serve. That includes more than 600 years of prison time to which Jan. 6 rioters had been sentenced — including a number of the most violent actors and individuals affiliated with extreme right-wing groups. Included among the 15 individuals who, according to my calculations, avoided the most prison time after a grant of clemency: Because presidential pardon power (unlike most federal powers) is essentially absolute, presidents have historically gone out of their way to avoid any appearance that they are leveraging that power on behalf of allies or donors. Scandal emerged when, on his last day in office, Bill Clinton pardoned Marc Rich, given fundraising efforts undertaken by Rich's ex-wife. George W. Bush hastily revoked an issued pardon when past (modest) donations to Republicans came to light. None of this seems to give pause to Trump and his team. Savannah Chrisley's appearance at the convention goes far beyond what Bush was concerned about. Walczak's pardon specifically referenced his mother's support for Trump — suggesting that the support was the reason for the criminal charges in the first place. As with Chrisley at the convention, Trump has often framed his actions as being responsive to overreach that occurred under the Biden administration. Ed Martin, tapped to serve as pardon attorney after his nomination to serve as U.S. attorney collapsed, appeared to celebrate the pardoning of a pro-Trump sheriff on social media. 'No MAGA left behind,' Martin wrote — suggesting that the standard being applied to pardons came down to support for the president. The Jan. 6 cases, of course, are the most obvious example. Trump also appears to be motivated by the types of crimes that yielded these convictions. Many clemency recipients who weren't involved in the Capitol riot were convicted of financial crimes — the sorts of things that Trump himself has avoided over the years. At an Oval Office ceremony during which former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro was sworn in as interim U.S. attorney (for the seat Martin had hoped to fill), Trump praised her background as a prosecutor. 'She went after real criminals,' Trump said, 'not fake criminals like we seem to do today nowadays. People that shouldn't be prosecuted.' Soon after getting the call from Trump, Savannah Chrisley spoke to NewsNation host Leland Vittert. 'I have said from the very beginning, I believe in law and order,' Chrisley insisted. It was just that in this case, with her parents, the outcome wasn't deserved. And that's what the president told her on the call. 'He just said that their sentences were outrageous,' she said, 'and they were treated unfairly from everyone that he has spoken to.' Thanks to her convention role, of course, Trump's team already had her phone number.
The Guardian
24-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Record number of Americans are seeking residency in UK, according to Home Office
During the 12 months leading up to March, more than 6,000 US citizens have applied to either become British subjects or to live and work in the country indefinitely – the highest number since comparable records began in 2004, according to data released on Thursday by the UK's Home Office. Over the period, 6,618 Americans applied for British citizenship – with more than 1,900 of the applications received between January and March, most of which has been during the beginning of Donald Trump's second US presidency. The surge in applications at the start of 2025 made that the highest number for any quarter on record. The figures come as British authorities under a Labour government are trying to reduce immigration to the UK, with Britain's prime minister, Keir Starmer, vowing to take 'back control of our borders' and warning that uncontrolled immigration could result in the country 'becoming an island of strangers, not a nation that walks forward together'. UK figures show net migration dropped by almost half in 2024 – to 431,000 – compared with 2023. The surge in US applications for UK residency comes as American immigration lawyers say they are receiving an increasing number of inquiries. Some are pointing to the polarized political climate in the Trump-led country, which itself is mounting an aggressive immigration-related crackdown. Muhunthan Paramesvaran, an immigration lawyer at Wilsons Solicitors in London, told the New York Times that inquiries had risen 'in the immediate aftermath of the election and the various pronouncements that were made'. 'There's definitely been an uptick in inquiries from US nationals,' Paramesvaran told the outlet. 'People who were already here may have been thinking, 'I want the option of dual citizenship in the event that I don't want to go back to the US.'' Zeena Luchowa, a partner at Laura Devine Immigration, which specializes in US migration to the UK, was more explicit in pointing to the 'political landscape' amid Trump's government. Luchowa told the outlet that the rise was not limited to US nationals – but also other nationalities living there. 'The queries we're seeing are not necessarily about British citizenship – it's more about seeking to relocate,' Luchowa said to the Times. Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion However, the increase in US applications to the UK may not necessarily reflect political conditions in either country. Of the 5,521 settlement applications from US citizens last year, most were from people who are eligible via spousal or family links. Paramesvaran said such applications were likely to climb because the UK government had extended the qualification period from five years to 10 before they could apply for settlement. But Labour government politicians have hinted that some applicants may be able to skirt those requirements. That echoes one aspect of Trump's thinking in the US, where he has floated the idea of an immigration 'gold card', in essence an extension of the EB-5 program that extends green cards to foreign investors and their families. The UK home secretary, Yvette Cooper, told parliament earlier in May that 'there will be provisions to qualify more swiftly that take account of the contribution people have made' and said the British government 'will introduce new, higher language requirements' because 'the ability to speak English is integral to everyone's ability to contribute and integrate'.
New York Times
20-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
The President Will Destroy You Now
One thing stands out amid all the chaos, corruption and disorder: the wanton destructiveness of the Trump presidency. The targets of Trump's assaults include the law, higher education, medical research, ethical standards, America's foreign alliances, free speech, the civil service, religion, the media and much more. J. Michael Luttig, a former federal appeals court judge appointed by President George H.W. Bush, succinctly described his own view of the Trump presidency, writing by email that there has never before Some of the damage Trump has inflicted can be repaired by future administrations, but repairing relations with American allies, the restoration of lost government expertise and a return to productive research may take years, even with a new and determined president and Congress. Let's look at just one target of the administration's vendetta, medical research. Trump's attacks include cancellation of thousands of grants, cuts in the share of grants going to universities and hospitals; and proposed cuts of 40 percent or more in the budgets of the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Science Foundation. 'This is going to completely kneecap biomedical research in this country,' Jennifer Zeitzer, deputy executive director at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, told Science Magazine. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, warned that cuts will 'totally destroy the nation's public health infrastructure.' I asked scholars of the presidency to evaluate the scope of Trump's wreckage. 'The gutting of expertise and experience going on right now under the blatantly false pretext of eliminating fraud and waste,' Sean Wilentz, a professor of history at Princeton, wrote by email, 'is catastrophic and may never be completely repaired.' I asked Wilentz whether Trump was unique with respect to his destructiveness or if there were presidential precedents. Wilentz replied: Another question: Was Trump re-elected to promote an agenda of wreaking havoc, or is he pursuing an elitist right-wing program created by conservative ideologues who saw in Trump's election the opportunity to pursue their goals? Wilentz's reply: I asked Andrew Rudalevige, a political scientist at Bowdoin, how permanent the mayhem Trump has inflicted may prove to be. 'Not to be flip,' Rudalevige replied by email, 'but for children abroad denied food or lifesaving medicine because of arbitrary aid cuts the answer is already distressingly permanent.' From a broader perspective, Rudalevige wrote: I sent the question I posed to Wilentz to other scholars of the presidency. It produced a wide variety of answers. Here is Rudalevige's: Another question: How much is Trump's second term agenda the invention of conservative elites and how much is it a response to the demands of Trump's MAGA supporters? 'Trump is not at all an unwitting victim,' Rudalevige wrote, 'but those around him with wider and more systemic goals have more authority and are better organized in pursuit of those goals than they were in the first term.' In this context, Rudalevige continued, the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 In the past, when presidential power has expanded, Rudalevige argued, One widely shared view among those I queried is that Trump has severely damaged American's relations with traditional allies everywhere. Mara Rudman, a professor at the University of Virginia's Miller Center, wrote in an email: Trump is not unique in his destructiveness, in Rudman's view, Trump's second term agenda, Rudman argued, is elite-driven: Bruce Cain, a political scientist at Stanford, shares the belief that Trump has taken a wrecking ball to foreign relations. Cain emailed me his assessment: Similarly, Cain continued, Cain argued that in both economics and politics, destruction can have beneficial results, but not in the case of Donald Trump. Musk and Trump, in Cain's view, 'are driven more by instinct than knowledge, vindictiveness than good intentions and impatience than carefully designed plans.' They In ranking the most destructive presidents, the scholars I contacted mentioned both Andrew Johnson and James Buchanan. Geoffrey Kabaservice, vice president for political studies at the Niskanen Center, a center-left libertarian think tank, wrote by email: Paul Rosenzweig, a former deputy assistant secretary for policy in the Department of Homeland Security under George W. Bush and a lecturer in law at George Washington University, was even more pessimistic, writing in an email that he fears that Rosenzweig believes that I asked the experts I contacted whether Trump was laying the groundwork for a more autocratic form of government in the United States. Robert Strong, a professor of political economy at Washington and Lee, replied by email: From a different vantage point, Ellen Fitzgerald, a professor of history at the University of New Hampshire, questioned the value of trying to determine 'whether Trump is the most corrupt and/or most destructive president in U.S. history.' Such evaluations Despite those cautions, Fitzpatrick acknowledged that 'it's fair to say that if we look at the arc of American history from Reconstruction to the current day, there's no question that Trump is busily destroying much of what several generations of Americans worked very, very hard to achieve.' 'The anti-immigrant sentiment of the late 19th and early twentieth century,' Fitzpatrick wrote, and 'the rhetoric abroad in the land today': Some of those I questioned argued that Trump's assault on American institutions and values is not supported by most of his voters. Russell Riley, professor of ethics and co-chairman of the Miller Center's Presidential Oral History Program, took this view a step farther, noting that Trump explicitly dissociated himself from Project 2025 during the campaign and then, once in office, adopted much of the Project 2025 agenda: Trump, in contrast, 'barely won the popular vote, with just under 50 percent — hardly an electoral mandate, even for an incremental program. Indeed as a candidate Mr. Trump openly distanced himself from Project 2025.' Lacking both a clear mandate and an electorate explicitly supportive of Project 2025, Riley argued, means The reality, however, is that the abdication of power by Republicans in Congress has allowed Trump to create a mandate out of whole cloth. Where will this frightening development take us? The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We'd like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And here's our email: letters@
The Guardian
12-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Americans putting life on hold amid economic anxiety under Trump, poll shows
Americans are reconsidering major life events including marriage, having children and buying a home amid economic anxiety in the opening months of the Trump presidency, according to an exclusive poll for the Guardian. Six in 10 Americans said the economy has affected at least one of their major life goals, according to the Harris poll, citing either lack of affordability or anxiety around the current economy. Though Donald Trump's tariff policies have only been in place for a few weeks, and though the president has temporarily walked back on some of his harshest policies, the findings are a sign that Trump's economic agenda could have long-term effects. The Trump administration has said it wants to encourage Americans to have more babies, and is floating a $5,000 'baby bonus' for new mothers. But its economic policies appear to be a major stumbling block to that ambition. Of those who originally planned to have a child in 2025, a majority say the current economy has affected their plans in some way, by either being unable to afford having a child (32%) or being uncomfortable having one in the current economy (33%). Large percentages of those surveyed said they wanted to make major financial decision: 45% said they wanted to make a big purchase – a car, for example, or appliances – and 42% said they wanted to buy a house. But 75% of those who said they wanted to buy a home said the current economy has derailed them. Buying a home has long been seen as the benchmark for the American dream, but has become increasingly unaffordable for many Americans. Home prices rocketed after a buying frenzy during the pandemic, when interest rates were at zero, and have not come down since. Though mortgage rates have fallen slightly since their recent peak of about 7.5%, the average 30-year mortgage rate in March was 6.7% – more than double what it was four years ago. The economic anxiety disproportionately affects the long-term goals of younger Americans, who are less likely to own a home already, be married or have kids. A majority of Gen Z and millennials renters (68%), for example, said they had a goal of buying a house, compared to just 29% of renters who are older. Much of the instability appears to come from the rising cost of living: 65% of Americans said they thought the cost of living has worsened since the start of the year, and half said it had made it more difficult to afford their living expenses. A vast majority (78%) said they had noticed increased grocery prices over the last few months, while 60% said they had also noticed monthly bills and everyday essentials getting more expensive. Although nearly half (48%) of Republicans said the cost of living has gone up this year, Republicans appear to be more optimistic about the overall state of the economy, particularly compared to when Joe Biden was in the White House. When respondents were asked last May whether they thought the US was experiencing a recession, 67% of Republicans said they believed the country was in a recession. Nearly a year later, the number has dropped to 40% of Republicans. On the other hand, 49% of Democrats believed the country was in a recession last May, compared to 59% who think the US in in a recession now. The US is not in recession and has not been since February to April 2020, during the Covid pandemic. Perhaps most concerning for Trump is that although only 33% of Republicans believe the US economy is worsening, 64% of independents believe it is getting worse, more in line with Democrats (73%). More independents believed that the economy was in a recession last May (53%) compared to this April (46%), though the switch in opinion is much smaller than for Republicans. Though Trump has said that his tariffs will 'make America wealthy again', it appears few Americans believe him. Tariffs came out on top in a list of things that Americans believe will most likely hurt their household financially in 2025. Nearly a third (29%) of respondents, including 39% of Democrats, 28% of independents and 21% of Republicans, said that tariffs will do the most harm. Over 20% said that government policies will be the most harmful, including 24% of independents. This survey was conducted online within the US by the Harris Poll from 24 to 26 April, 2025, among a nationally representative sample of 2,102 US adults.
The Guardian
09-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Why in the world do people love golf?
We have already tumbled past the first 100 days of the second Trump presidency, careening down the hill with reckless abandon. One hundred days is, of course, a totally arbitrary milestone – a nice, round number that looks monumental because of the number of zeros attached. With inflation and looming tariffs continuing to hobble commerce, shouldn't we extend this marker in kind? If you go by the rate of inflation since the final year before Donald Trump's ascension to power, we should be looking at the first 133.25 days. Time itself is arbitrary, speeding up or slowing down based on context and personal perception. A minute can feel like an eternity if you're stuck in traffic on Sunset Boulevard. And there's no pastime more connected to the elasticity of time than golf – a pastoral game where there's no clock regulating speed, just a common sense of politeness for your fellow golfers and the slowly setting sun. It's a game American presidents have loved for decades, but one that especially tickles the current occupant of the office. Of Trump's first 100 days in office this go 'round, he's spent parts of 40 of them (and 12 of 14 weekends) on one of his personal properties, offering the president a chance to indulge in his favorite sport. After his tariff announcement on 2 April, Trump was spotted hitting balls at Mar-a-Lago. 'The president won his second round matchup of the Senior Club Championship today in Jupiter, FL, and advances to the Championship Round tomorrow,' declared a White House statement. I wonder if they'd have issued the remarks if he had lost. Maybe they would have revised their words to soften the blow. 'The President competed rigorously, showed grace and honor, and at one point miraculously revived a man who fainted in the blistering heat with a mere touch to his forehead.' Or maybe they would have disputed the results of the match entirely. Just last weekend, Trump golfed with the Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, ahead of the Eagles' visit to the White House to commemorate their victory in last year's Super Bowl. Barkley took heat for whacking balls with Trump, but he doubled down on his incredulous enthusiasm at his good fortune on X. 'lol some people are really upset cause I played golfed [sic] and flew to the White House with the PRESIDENT. Maybe I just respect the office, not a hard concept to understand. Just golfed with Obama not too long ago … and look forward to finishing my round with Trump! Now ya get out my mentions with all this politics and have amazing [sic] day.' The implication Barkley is making is that golf is inherently apolitical, that as soon as you step on the course, nothing matters but the fun of the afternoon. Maybe there's an element of truth to that notion that golf is a great equalizer – a sport where power dynamics are flattened and participants give themselves up to the whims of the natural world. Or not. I don't understand golf. I don't love it. But I don't hate it, either. I have played golf multiple times. I was even gifted a set of clubs by my golf-loving father when I turned 13. I have no true antipathy toward the game. I'm simply mystified by its appeal to the rich and connected and the average citizen alike. Golf can be played at a tony country club or a ratty nine-hole near the freeway with a six-pack of Bud Light always at the ready. OK, maybe I understand that last bit, but I just don't get why Trump is so enamored with this game that he'll carve out significant chunks of time in the twilight of his life to pursue it. Granted, golf requires patience, years of practice, and mental acuity. So does knitting. Why doesn't Trump sit at home making a lovely blanket for his wife to curl up with on the couch during The White Lotus? He could perfect the art of making gluten-free zucchini bread, then hand it out to White House staffers and ask them how much they love the carob chips he sprinkled throughout the loaf? Imagine Volodymyr Zelenskyy biting into the sweet and savory goodness of a nice slice of zucchini bread while Trump pontificates about the ceding of territory to Russia. At least Zelenskyy would have something to take home in a Tupperware container after getting shafted. Golf is a game where futility is expected, where failure is right around the corner, and frustration is always simmering. The most exciting part of golf is hitting the ball, but the rules encourage you to hit the damn thing less, not more. Instead, most of the time during a golf game, you're pondering, or worse yet, idly chit-chatting. The old saying goes: 'golf is a good walk spoiled.' But is the walk even that good? A good walk is one where you see something unexpected, you bump into an old friend, or you have a chance to truly ruminate on the state of your life. A good walk is restorative and life-affirming. A golf course is not a pedestrian haven. It's a zoo for people in polo shirts. You basically wander around in a circle for four hours, just to end up back where you started – a clubhouse with overpriced food and gaudy furniture. In that sense, it might actually be the perfect game for Trump. His tenure in the White House has felt like a particularly rough round of 18 holes. Decisions, like a tiny golf ball, blown haphazardly around by the wind. Traps laid out with the explicit purpose of screwing things up for you. A journey to nowhere that ends with disappointment. And like golf, despite all the evidence to the contrary, people line up to do it all over again anyway. Dave Schilling is a Los Angeles-based writer and humorist
