Trump administration first term
480 Articles
Shrinking the “Bloated” Federal Bureaucracy: A Bad Solution to a Non-Problem
During his campaign, Donald Trump promised “a hiring freeze on all federal employees to reduce the federal workforce through attrition (exempting military, public safety, and…
Public Support for Torture Based on Prejudice
The New York Times misreported its own meeting with the President-elect concerning his views on torture, and how much he has changed his mind. Here I want to focus on one aspect…
KT McFarland’s Hardline on Russia with Nuance
On Friday, the President-elect named KT McFarland as Deputy National Security Advisor, a position that does not require Senate confirmation. In contrast with positions articulated…
The Next Four Years: A Thanksgiving Strategy
On this Thanksgiving Day, like many gathered around dining tables everywhere, I have so much to be thankful for personally: the most wonderful family and friends imaginable,…
Keeping Track of Trump’s Conflicts of Interest [Updated Dec. 5]
Since the election, there has been a firehose of news: President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet picks, rumors about Trump’s cabinet picks, a Neo-Nazi conference in Washington,…
Businesslike Government, Presidential Power, and the Erosion of the Civil Service
Immediately after the election, I wrote about the administrative separation of powers, specifically about how the rivalrous and contentious interplay of politically appointed agency…
10 Steps to Avoid Becoming a Tin Pot Kleptocracy (and safeguard our national security in the process)
The President-elect must make his tax returns public. The public at large will then know precisely the nature and form of his extensive business interests. The President-elect…
Why Trump’s Proposed Targeting of Muslims Would be Unconstitutional
As a candidate, Donald Trump notoriously called for a ban on the entrance of all Muslims, a database to track Muslims in the United States, for aggressive surveillance of “the…
Profiles of Trump’s National Security Picks: Flynn, Sessions and Pompeo
People make policy, so the saying goes. And on Friday, the Trump transition team unveiled three more names of men who would help President-elect Donald Trump make decisions, steer…
Will Trump Bring Back Torture? Not if He Learns from the Past and Follows the Law
Since Donald Trump’s election victory last week, attention has turned to figuring out which promises he will keep and which he will abandon. Regarding torture, there have been…
The Islamophobia Administration
POLITICO is reporting today that President-elect Donald Trump will likely nominate Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) for attorney general and Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) to be director…
Twitter’s Reaction to Stephen Bannon’s Appointment as Trump’s Chief Strategist
As Rebecca Hamilton noted in her post on Monday, commentators from across the political spectrum have denounced President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to appoint Stephen…