Horsemen of the Trumpocalypse

  With the Russians, Too? Warren Zevon released “Lawyers, Guns and Money” in 1978. His jaundiced worldview might have allowed him to imagine a President Trump, but he would have been gobsmacked by Trump’s appointees. USA Today summed up the Department of Commerce nominee with a November 30, 2016, piece headlined “Wilbur Ross: From ‘king of bankruptcy’ to face of American business.” The November 24, 2016, New York Times article “Wilbur Ross, Billionaire Investor, Is Said to Be Trump’s Commerce Pick” provided plenty of insights. The January 5, 2006, New York Post piece on the Sago Mine disaster appeared as “N.Y. Exec Knew of Problems: Ex-Honchos.” A very detailed, very good Los Angeles Times article, “Meet Wilbur Ross, who once bailed out Trump in Atlantic City and is now his pick for Commerce secretary,” was published December 8, 2016. The SpacePolicyOnline.com website headlined its January 24, 2017, report of the Senate confirmation process “Ross Promises Support for NOAA Weather and Climate Research.” The McClatchy investigative piece by Kevin G. Hall appeared December 20, 2016, as “Trump’s pick for commerce secretary shares a business circle with Putin associates” and stands as one of the best examples of investigative reporting on Trump cabinet picks. An important piece by the Guardian, “Deutsche Bank examined Donald Trump’s account for Russia links: Bank looked for evidence of whether loans to president were underpinned by guarantees from Moscow, Guardian learns,” was published February 16, 2017. The February 16, 2017, letter by the senators was reviewed in a number of news reports, including McClatchy’s February 16 piece, “Trump commerce pick Wilbur Ross faces new Russia questions,” and the Guardian’s “White House accused of blocking information on bank’s Trump-Russia links: New commerce secretary Wilbur Ross’s response about possible links between Bank of Cyprus, Russian agents and Trump officials wasn’t released to Senate,” published February 27, 2017. Booker’s February 27, 2017, letter and the March 10 letter by the senators (“Booker, Markey, Blumenthal, Udall, Baldwin Urge Secretary Ross to Respond to Unanswered Questions on Russian Banking Ties”) can be found at https://www.booker.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=558. For more on CEPR’s Revolving Door Project, go to http://cepr.net/blogs/cepr-blog/trump-appointments-and-transparency. The New York Times report on the Ross confirmation and Schumer’s complaints was published February 27, 2017, headlined “Wilbur Ross, a Billionaire Investor, Is Confirmed as Commerce Secretary.”

  The Fossil-Fuel-Powered Dollar Diplomat: I wrote extensively about George Norris, Robert M. La Follette and other critics of dollar diplomacy in my 2004 book, Against the Beast: A Documentary History of American Opposition to Empire (Nation Books). Fighting Liberal, the autobiography of George Norris, was initially published in 1945 and republished in 2009 by Bison Books. The Senate letter on ethics concerns about the holdings of Trump administration members was sent December 13, 2016. US News and World Report published an excellent assessment of the Tillerson nomination, “Trump selects Tillerson for State, dismissing Russia ties,” on December 12, 2016. Congressman Pocan released his “Tillerson Spent Career Putting Profits of Exxon over Country’s National Interests” statement on December 13, 2016. CBS News produced its review of the Tillerson hearing, “Senator Menendez: ‘Beyond My Imagination’ That Tillerson, Trump Never Discussed Russia,” on January 11, 2017. The senator’s statement, “Sen. Menendez to Tillerson: ‘put patriotism over profit’ and support robust sanctions against Russia,” was released the same day. Andrea Mitchell’s NBC report, “Rex Tillerson of ExxonMobil Expected to Be Named Trump’s Secretary of State: Sources,” appeared December 11, 2016. Tracy Wilkinson wrote a fine assessment of the proposed State Department cuts, “Trump budget slashes State Department, but top U.S. diplomat doesn’t object,” for the Los Angeles Times on March 16, 2017. A Reuters review of official reaction to the cuts, “Tillerson says State Department spending ‘simply not sustainable,’” appeared the same day. The Freedom House statement “Slashing U.S. Foreign Aid Would Weaken Security, Undermine Democracies” was issued on March 16, 2017.

  Part III: The Hacks

  Edmund Morris’s visionary biography The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt was published in 1979 by Coward, McCann & Geoghegan. Elliot Richardson rejected a State Department job in the 1940s because he feared that he would become a DC careerist; he wanted to engage in electoral politics and democracy. I have written for many years, and in many venues, about the abandonment by the Republican Party of its historic mission. Some of the ideas in this section were originally scoped out in the piece “When the Republicans Really Were the Party of Lincoln: What happened to the party that fifty years ago played such a vital role in passing the Civil Rights Act?” the Nation, July 2, 2014. Frederick Douglass wrote a good deal about the Republican Party in the book Life and Times of Frederick Douglass. The Douglass papers at the Library of Congress contain many of his speeches on the Republican Party, as well as details of his engagements and frustrations with Republican leaders. Cleve R. Wootson Jr. wrote about Trump and Douglass for the Washington Post on February 2, 2017: “Trump implied Frederick Douglass was alive. The abolitionist’s family offered a ‘history lesson.’” Democracy Now! devoted a February 3 program to the topic: “Does Donald Trump Think Frederick Douglass Is Alive? Douglass’s Great-Great-Great-Grandson Clarifies.” The Hill’s February 1, 2017, article featuring many of the responses to the Trump incident was headlined “Trump remarks on Frederick Douglass spur questions on social media.” On the passing of former senator Mathias, Robert Semple Jr. wrote a fine New York Times piece on January 26, 2010: “A Responsible Man.” Michael O’Donnell’s fine piece on the passage of the Civil Rights Act for the April 2014 issue of the Atlantic was titled “How LBJ Saved the Civil Rights Act: Fifty years later, new accounts of its fraught passage reveal the era’s real hero—and it isn’t the Supreme Court.” Kenneth Reich’s knowing obituary of Senator Kuchel, “Ex-Sen. Kuchel Dies; Last of State’s GOP Progressives,” appeared November 23, 1994, in the Los Angeles Times. Geoffrey Kabaservice’s 2012 book, Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party from Eisenhower to the Tea Party (Oxford University Press), is the most instructive book ever written on the internal battles of the Republican Party from the 1950s onward. John Avlon wrote an excellent June 20, 2008, essay that was broadly circulated: “How the Party of Lincoln Was Left Behind on Civil Rights.” Dana Milbank’s excellent column “In which Trump discovers some guy named Frederick Douglass” appeared February 1, 2017, in the Washington Post. Douglass delivered his excellent speech to the Bethel Literary and Historical Society in Washington, DC, April 16, 1889.

  Secretariat Stumbling: I have covered Reince Priebus, a fellow Wisconsinite, for many years, back to when he was a losing candidate for the state senate. Priebus was a guest on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace on February 19, 2017. It was, by any measure, one of the most revealing interviews of the Trump era. Wallace’s approach was fair, yet necessarily aggressive. Trump spoke about Priebus at some length early on the morning of November 9, 2016, when he claimed victory. Chris Whipple’s book The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency (Crown, 2017) offers a good sense of the role of chiefs of staff. Michael Wolff’s revealing Hollywood Reporter interview with Bannon appeared November 18, 2017. Priebus’s “our message was weak; our ground game was insufficient; we weren’t inclusive” press conference was held March 18, 2013, at the National Press Club. “Trump Kills the Autopsy,” wrote Kyle Cheney on March 4, 2016, for Politico. Robert Wirch, the man who beat Priebus, still serves in the Wisconsin state senate as a proud progressive Democrat.

  Spicerfacts: George Orwell’s novel 1984 was first published in 1949; it experienced a boom in sales after Donald Trump’s election. I wrote many pieces on the 2016 election results and the question of whether Trump earned a mandate, including a January 19, 2017, Nation editorial, “Donald Trump Has No Mandate—Sad!” The transcript of Spicer’s January 21, 2017, statement can be found at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/01/21
/statement-press-secretary

  -sean-spicer. Transcripts of Spicer’s other briefings, which are referenced in this and other chapters, can be found at www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/. The Guardian profiled Spicer on January 22, 2017, in a piece headlined “Sean Spicer: brash brawler in frontline of Trump’s ‘war with the media’—period: The White House press secretary used his first briefing to berate the ‘shameful’ press but may find it hard to represent a master who communicates via Twitter.” PolitiFact’s review, “Donald Trump had biggest inaugural crowd ever? Metrics don’t show it,” was published January 21, 2017. The Washington Post report on February 24, 2017, was headlined “White House blocks CNN, New York Times from press briefing hours after Trump slams media.” NBC Saturday Night Live clips are archived at http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live.

  The Trumplican: Omarosa, Kellyanne Conway and Don Lemon appeared together March 25, 2016, on CNN. Mediaite wrote it up as “‘Stop!’ Don Lemon Snaps at Omarosa, Abruptly Ends Segment on Trump.” The New York Times’s assessment of Omarosa and other Trump hangers-on who got big White House jobs, “Prerequisite for Key White House Posts: Loyalty, Not Experience,” appeared March 14, 2017. People headlined its April 8, 2004, profile “Omarosa’s Long History of Being Fired.” The New York Daily News wrote up the “Spike Lee, Omarosa feud on social media” on July 19, 2016. You will find NBC exit polls and analysis at http://www

  .nbcnews.com/storyline/2016-election-day/election-polls-nbc-news-analysis

  -2016-votes-voters-n680466. Historic exit polls are found at the Cornell University Roper Center site: https://ropercenter.cornell.edu/polls/us-elections/. The brilliant Darren Sands BuzzFeed piece “The Outsider: Best known for her turn on The Apprentice, Omarosa Manigault—a former Democrat turned “Trumplican”—now holds an important position inside the White House. Her rise has sent black Republicans into an existential crisis as they find themselves trying to get a seat at the table” appeared March 9, 2017. The always brilliant Joy-Ann Reid wrote “Why Does Everybody Seem to Hate Omarosa Manigault?” for the Daily Beast on March 3, 2017.

  The Hypocrite Who Made His Party of Lincoln the Party of Trump: McConnell’s autobiography, The Long Game: A Memoir, was published by Sentinel in 2016. A biography of McConnell, by Alec MacGillis, was published in 2014 by Simon & Schuster; it’s titled The Cynic. A lovely obituary of former senator Cooper, “John Sherman Cooper Dies at 89; Longtime Senator From Kentucky,” appeared February 23, 1991, in the New York Times. Clarice James Mitchener’s Senator John Sherman Cooper: Consummate Statesman was published by Arno Press in 1982. Cooper was one of the greatest senators in American history; my friends George McGovern and Gaylord Nelson spoke more highly of him than they did of most Democrats. The clash between McConnell and Senator Warren occurred on the Senate floor February 7, 2017. The Coretta Scott King letter and related materials were posted by the great Washington Post reporter Wesley Lowery at https://www

  .washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/01/10/read-the-letter-coretta

  -scott-king-wrote-opposing-sessionss-1986-federal-nomination/?utm_term

  =.ff7a3f199aa5.

  Party Boy: I have covered Paul Ryan since the start of his career. We come from the same place and know a lot of the same people. The Daily Beast wrote about the audio of Ryan’s discussion with caucus members before the election in a March 13, 2017, piece: “trouble in paradise: Breitbart Leaks Audio of Paul Ryan Dumping Donald Trump: In a previously unheard audio recording, House Speaker Paul Ryan is heard telling fellow Republicans that he would not defend the embattled presidential candidate—then, or ever.” Ryan appeared on Fox News, November 1, 2016, to announce he had voted for Trump. Rob Zerban was featured in my August 9, 2012, piece: “Paul Ryan? Seriously?” ABC News summed things up very well on December 8, 2015, with the headline “Paul Ryan Denounces Donald Trump Plan on Muslims but Will Still Support Party Nominee.”

  Complicit: Media outlets regularly highlighted Ivanka Trump’s and Jared Kushner’s interventions during the Trump transition and the early days of the Trump presidency, with pieces such as the New York Times’s February 3, 2017, piece “Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner Said to Have Helped Thwart LGBT Rights Rollback.” But Slate’s Christina Cauterucci called it “BS” with her March 13, 2017, piece: “Ivanka Trump is no centrist bridge-builder on paid leave and child care.” Access Hollywood breathlessly profiled Ivanka in the August 15, 2007, piece “Ivanka Trump Struts Her ‘Stuff.’” A March 5, 2017, Vanity Fair article reported “The Trump Sons Are Expanding Like Crazy But Swear It’s Totally Legal: Their latest ventures include a new, more affordable chain of hotels in cities along the campaign trail.” Vanity Fair profiled the Trump children in its February 2017 issue and asked: “Can Donald Jr. and Eric Trump Really Run the Family Business? Although outshone in many ways by their sister Ivanka, Donald Trump Jr. and his brother Eric are thoroughly their father’s sons. Charting their battles, to the inevitable lawsuits in their wakes, William D. Cohan investigates whether the boys can handle the empire.” NBC’s Saturday Night Live answered on March 4, 2017. Politico reported on March 20, 2017: “Ivanka Trump set to get West Wing office as role expands.” Jessica Pressler’s July 10, 2016, New York magazine piece, “Ivanka Trump Is Not Going to Save Us From Her Father,” was spot on. It set the tone for the wisest coverage of Ivanka. James Kirchick’s Los Angeles Times op-ed “Ivanka Trump is not going to save us,” published December 29, 2016, was smart and bold in its analysis. And Amy Wilentz’s February 1, 2017, story for the Nation, “What Can Ivanka Trump Possibly Do for Women Who Work? For insight into how the first daughter will manage her signature issue, look no further than her brand’s website,” was simply brilliant. Fast Company’s October 17, 2016, piece had the perfect headline: “Ivanka Trump Doesn’t Flinch: As she leads her brand into its next stage, Ivanka reveals how she’s navigating the drama around her father’s presidential campaign.” Saturday Night Live called Ivanka “Complicit” on March 12, 2017. Jared Kushner’s machinations were recounted by Bob Jordan, Asbury Park Press, on November 16, 2016, in the article “Trump son-in-law Kushner reportedly settling Christie score in transition.” (The Jordan piece highlighted Ross Baker’s knowing insights.) CBS News announced on October 30, 2016, that “Donald Trump Offered Chris Christie Vice President Role Before Mike Pence, Sources Say.” The Tax Policy Center featured the report “Who Benefits from President Trump’s Child Care Proposals?” on February 27, 2017. “Trump’s Childcare Plan Will Only Help the Rich,” read the headline on Michelle Chen’s very fine March 14, 2017, report for the Nation. Ivanka Trump appeared on ABC’s 20/20 on January 19, 2017, to say: “I’m his daughter.”

  The Secretary of Trump Is Always Right: The February 7, 2017, Los Angeles Times piece “Homeland Security secretary says a border wall won’t be built all at once” reported ably on Kelly’s appearance before the congressional committee. For a sense of how Kelly was presented as a blunt-talking nominee, see the December 7, 2016, New York Times article “Donald Trump Picks John Kelly, Retired General, to Lead Homeland Security.” The Times editorial board summed up the dichotomy with a March 8, 2017, editorial headlined “Secretary Kelly Is Missing in Action on Immigration.” Kelly’s 2015 Senate testimony was summed up in a broader Los Angeles Times assessment of border issues published December 31, 2016: “A changing border: Barricades won’t solve tough new challenges at the Southwest frontier.” The Wall Street Journal reported on January 31, 2017, that “Homeland Security Chief and White House Clash: John Kelly has resisted picking immigration foe Kris Kobach as his deputy, and is frustrated over the travel ban’s rollout.” Kelly appeared on CNN, March 6, 2017, where he was grilled by Wolf Blitzer. Blitzer interviewed Panetta on March 8, 2017. The New York Times reported on March 5, 2017: “Comey Asks Justice Department to Reject Trump’s Wiretapping Claim.”

  The Captain of the Wrecking Crew: The Brennan Center for Justice report “Voter Challengers,” by Nicolas Riley, was published August 30, 2012. The Demos study
“Bullies at the Ballot Box: Protecting the Freedom to Vote Against Wrongful Challenges and Intimidation” was issued September 10, 2012. I wrote about the meltdown of the Puzder nomination for the Nation in several pieces, including “The Resistance Prevented Puzder From Becoming Labor Secretary,” which appeared February 15, 2017. Senator Warren’s “quit while he’s ahead” Facebook post on Puzder appeared January 26, 2017. Wade Henderson’s statement can be found in “Civil and Human Rights Coalition Urges Thorough Review of Secretary of Labor Nominee Alexander Acosta,” which was issued by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights on February 16, 2017. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law statement was issued the same day. McClatchy DC Bureau Report published its meticulously reported “Ex-Justice official accused of aiding scheme to scratch minority voters” story on June 24, 2007. Henry Weinstein’s Los Angeles Times article “Justice Department Joins Election Legal Fight in Ohio” appeared November 1, 2004; Weinstein was way ahead of the rest of the press corps in reporting this vital story. Talking Points Memo’s “TPM Muckraker” published a pair of important pieces detailing Robert Kengle’s concerns: “Bush Appointee ‘Led by Power’” (April 26, 2007) and “Former DoJ Official: I Left Due to ‘Institutional Sabotage’” (April 30, 2007). “An Investigation of Allegations of Politicized Hiring and Other Improper Personnel Actions in the Civil Rights Division” was issued by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) on January 13, 2009. Frances Perkins’s People at Work was published by John Day in 1934. Learn more about FDR’s secretary of labor from the Frances Perkins Center; they have a great website at http://frances