Late last month, in the presence of most U.S. cabinet secretaries, senior White House officials, corporate and media VIPs, and a broad cross-section of the press, another attempt was made on President Trump’s life. I had tuned in to CNN’s live broadcast to watch the White House Correspondents Association Dinner to see what tone the president would strike in his remarks, having finally accepted the association’s invitation to this historic dinner, which paired the president and the press. I got more than I bargained for, including a hard look at how well the Secret Service plans and executes at a large event like this – especially after two earlier attempts on the president’s life. What a sloppy mess it was. Security outside the hotel ballroom doors was “layered,” both in the hotel and outside the entrance. The Secret Service was able to remove a wide swath of their clients (the entire line of succession to the president) over time. The vice president, in fact, was removed quickly, before the president, who later admitted he’d asked his team for a few minutes to watch the drama unfold and later wanted to go back into the ballroom to finish the event. At his press conference later that evening, he was reinfused with energy, praising the security teams. As someone who reads constantly about security best practices, I have to say that I wish the whole Secret Service could be retrained to follow best practices rather than Trump’s orders.
This comes at a time when security threats could not be higher. We survived a four-day visit from King Charles and Queen Camilla, with teams from both countries on high alert. The Secret Service is now preparing to escort the president for a high-stakes visit with President Xi, even as the wars in Ukraine and Iran-Israel-Lebanon continue, and there is talk of moving on to Cuba. The president who wanted to mediate other countries’ skirmishes has now boxed himself in on U.S. engagement in conflicts where there is no tractable enemy, unable to find lasting endings in most areas.
One of the worst pieces of misinformation to come out of the White House Correspondents' dinner was the assertion that political violence is abhorrent and is caused by left-wing Democrats who hate President Trump. Suggesting that Democrats tamp down the rhetoric is an implicit suggestion to stop the “No Kings” marches and the calls to Congress to stand up to the president, a suggestion to suppress dissenting views.
Not content to spend most of his time on international affairs, the president is also applying unremitting pressure to the Supreme Court, the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Reserve, and the Justice Department – all in service of repressing the First Amendment and punishing those he perceives to be his enemies.
The last clue to the strains that democracy is experiencing can be found in all the gold that now decorates the Oval Office and the large hole in the ground where the East Wing of the White House used to be, now cleared for Trump’s ballroom. And don’t forget the proposed new monuments that will accompany the historic Reflecting Pool on the Mall, in its new swimming-pool blue color. The list and the billions being spent are endless.
Reporter Eric Nalder suggests that the changes enacted by the Supreme Court to the Voting Rights Act could be a unifying theme for gathering up those who know that something is wrong in our country, or those who disapprove of the Iran conflict. Seeing what is happening at scale should be enough to galvanize voters to be sure that the SAFE bill is deep-sixed and that all states begin right now to ensure they can play their appointed role in the upcoming elections.
Through all of this there is the stalemate on an undeclared war – or is it an “excursion?” – being promoted by Secretary ‘locked and loaded’ Hegseth, disrupting the world economy and any sense that the United States is a trustworthy partner for peace.
Heavy lifting, indeed.