A report from an alternative universe where Trump’s poll numbers haven’t cratered and he hasn’t lost the Iran war.
Max Boot
@maxboot.bsky.social
CFR fellow, Washington Post columnist. Pulitzer finalist for biography. Author: REAGAN: HIS LIFE AND LEGEND, NYT bestseller and NYT 10 best books of 2024. Man of many hats. Repost ≠ endorsement. maxboot.net.
“The number was twice as many as the Coast Guard, which manages America’s fleet, had said it needed. The contracts for building the ships would be awarded without competitive bids.” www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/c...
Trump’s Fixation on Arctic Ships Led to Billions in No-Bid Contracts
The president decided to buy 11 polar icebreakers after a game of golf with Finland’s president. Experts say it’s far from clear the United States needs so many.
nytimes.com
“Congress has clear constitutional authority over tariffs and should be curbing the president’s use of that power and its constitutional authority,” trade expert Edward Alden told me. “Instead, if this passes, it will further enhance Trump’s tariff arsenal. That is not a good thing.” wapo.st/44V7sU6
Opinion | The Senate’s Russia sanctions bill has two big problems
Its tariff proposals could affect other countries more than Russia.
wapo.st
I sympathize with the desire to squeeze Russia, but I also hope that the House will strengthen the Senate bill by stripping out the tariffs and making other sanctions mandatory. There is no reason for Congress to pass deeply flawed legislation when it can easily be improved. wapo.st/44V7sU6
Opinion | The Senate’s Russia sanctions bill has two big problems
Its tariff proposals could affect other countries more than Russia.
wapo.st
Trump already has a lot of authority to impose sanctions on Russia. He just hasn’t used it much, because he has a soft spot in his heart for Putin. He could also avoid imposing the sanctions in the Lindsey Graham bill, because it grants him the power to waive any sanctions. wapo.st/44V7sU6
Opinion | The Senate’s Russia sanctions bill has two big problems
Its tariff proposals could affect other countries more than Russia.
wapo.st
Given the president’s penchant for igniting costly trade wars on a whim, the last thing that Congress should be doing is handing him more authority to impose massive tariffs. It’s like giving matches to a pyromaniac. wapo.st/44V7sU6
Opinion | The Senate’s Russia sanctions bill has two big problems
Its tariff proposals could affect other countries more than Russia.
wapo.st
I don’t know whether to cheer or jeer as the Lindsey Graham Sanctioning Russia Act nears passage in the Senate. There are a lot of good provisions in the legislation but also two bad ones. It’s far from clear whether the good outweighs the bad, or vice versa. wapo.st/44V7sU6
Opinion | The Senate’s Russia sanctions bill has two big problems
Its tariff proposals could affect other countries more than Russia.
wapo.st
Shameful and disgraceful. Also harmful to the economy if you’re concerned about “affordability” (which Trump obviously is not). www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Airports, nursing homes and schools brace for disruption without Haitian workers
The Trump administration and courts are at odds over whether 350,000 Haitians have officially lost humanitarian protections, but employers are already letting workers go.
washingtonpost.com
Over on Substack, I have some thoughts on the Fauci witch-hunt. open.substack.com/pub/maxboot/...
The Fauci witch-hunt
Republican efforts to scapegoat Dr. Fauci for the Covid-19 pandemic are risible
open.substack.com
The paperback will be out in October. You can preorder it here: The paperback will be out in October. You can preorder it here: wwnorton.com/books/978087....
Reagan
NEW YORK TIMES • 10 BEST BOOKS OF 2024 INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Washington Post • 50 Best Nonfiction Books of 2024 Best Books of 2024: The New Yorker, The Economist, Chicago Public Library, T...
wwnorton.com
Max Boot@maxboot.bsky.social · last wk.I had a great conversation with Ryen Russillo of Barstool Sports about my book "Reagan: His Life and Legend." The episode is now out. Hope you can give it a listen. www.barstoolsports.com/podcast-epis...
I had a great conversation with Ryen Russillo of Barstool Sports about my book "Reagan: His Life and Legend." The episode is now out. Hope you can give it a listen. www.barstoolsports.com/podcast-epis...
Russillo Summer Book Club! ‘Reagan: His Life and Legend’ With Max Boot, Plus Life Advice | The Ryen Russillo Show | Barstool Sports
Russillo kicks off the Summer Book Club with Max Boot, author of Reagan: His Life and Legend, for a deeper look at the life of the actor-turned-40th president. Plus, Kyle and Ceruti join for some list...
barstoolsports.com
In vastly inflating the threats from “leftist NGOs, smug globalists, and hostile Third World governments,” Rubio is not advancing US interests. But he is advancing his own interests by improving his standing with Trump and his followers who are suspicious of his MAGA bona fides. wapo.st/4fodN0r
Opinion | Rubio overhypes leftist threats to establish his MAGA credentials
The secretary of state picks enemies that, unlike Russia or Iran, probably won't push back.
wapo.st
The State Department report on Cuba, which reads as if it were written by Joe McCarthy, appears to be a twofer: It can be used to both support a U.S. invasion of Cuba and a new Red Scare-style crackdown on progressive activists in the United States. wapo.st/4fodN0r
Opinion | Rubio overhypes leftist threats to establish his MAGA credentials
The secretary of state picks enemies that, unlike Russia or Iran, probably won't push back.
wapo.st
The US government should battle violent extremists of all persuasions—not just leftists (the subject of Rubio's international conference). Unfortunately, Trump pardoned the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol rioters, who committed the most serious act of political violence in modern U.S. history. wapo.st/4fodN0r
Opinion | Rubio overhypes leftist threats to establish his MAGA credentials
The secretary of state picks enemies that, unlike Russia or Iran, probably won't push back.
wapo.st
“Remember, stupidity always brings losing and death.” If someone tweeted this about Trump, the Secret Service would be investigating.
The US government should battle violent extremists of all persuasions—not just leftists (the subject of Rubio's international conference). Unfortunately, Trump pardoned the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol rioters, who committed the most serious act of political violence in modern U.S. history. wapo.st/4fodN0r
Opinion | Rubio overhypes leftist threats to establish his MAGA credentials
The secretary of state picks enemies that, unlike Russia or Iran, probably won't push back.
wapo.st
The State Department report on Cuba, which reads as if it were written by Joe McCarthy, appears to be a twofer: It can be used to both support a U.S. invasion of Cuba and a new Red Scare-style crackdown on progressive activists in the United States. wapo.st/4fodN0r
Opinion | Rubio overhypes leftist threats to establish his MAGA credentials
The secretary of state picks enemies that, unlike Russia or Iran, probably won't push back.
wapo.st
In vastly inflating the threats from “leftist NGOs, smug globalists, and hostile Third World governments,” Rubio is not advancing US interests. But he is advancing his own interests by improving his standing with Trump and his followers who are suspicious of his MAGA bona fides. wapo.st/4fodN0r
Opinion | Rubio overhypes leftist threats to establish his MAGA credentials
The secretary of state picks enemies that, unlike Russia or Iran, probably won't push back.
wapo.st
Rubio has targeted the ICC, Cuba & left-wing extremists in ways that are sure to please a president who is campaigning against the “Communist menace” without running the risk of any blowback. That’s because the threats that he claims to be fighting are vastly, ludicrously overblown. wapo.st/4fodN0r
Opinion | Rubio overhypes leftist threats to establish his MAGA credentials
The secretary of state picks enemies that, unlike Russia or Iran, probably won't push back.
wapo.st
Talk about a spectacularly wrong prediction! Lindsey Graham lobbied Trump to attack Iran with an absurdly optimistic timeline. I don’t know a single serious Mideast or military expert who expected that Iran would capitulate, or its government would fall, after a month of U.S. and Israeli bombing!
The US-Saudi agreement was signed yesterday without the Saudis joining the Abraham Accord and with permission for them to enrich uranium. Is Trump breaking the deal after less than a day? Or is this just another meaningless social media post that is detached from reality? 🤔
@maxboot.bsky.social joins @edwardluce.bsky.social and @djrothkopf.bsky.social to discuss America’s place in a shifting global landscape. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t... youtu.be/a6LtH3wI31I
Some administration officials can’t even wait to end one war before starting another. No doubt dropping a few bombs on Mali will solve the problem, just like it did in Iran. Not!
🎁 link: wapo.st/44Cu7V9
Opinion | Zelensky erred. Ukrainians showed how a civil society works.
Even inspirational leaders make boneheaded calls, as with firing an innovative defense minister.
wapo.st
Max Boot@maxboot.bsky.social · 2w agoThis goes to show what I wrote on Monday: that, even though it’s not possible to hold elections in wartime, Ukraine remains a democracy. Zelensky listens to, rather than represses, protesters. This is why Ukraine will win—because of the strength of its civil society. wapo.st/4wcqOQt
I spoke today on KQED Forum about the alarming state of the Iran war and the difficulty of finding an exit strategy from this quagmire. www.kqed.org/forum/201010...
Iran Conflict Raises Prospect of Forever War | KQED
We talk about where U.S. policy goes from here.
kqed.org
This goes to show what I wrote on Monday: that, even though it’s not possible to hold elections in wartime, Ukraine remains a democracy. Zelensky listens to, rather than represses, protesters. This is why Ukraine will win—because of the strength of its civil society. wapo.st/4wcqOQt
So much winning…. Make it stop already! FT: After more than a century the US is on the verge of losing its place as the world’s leading agricultural exporter. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
The fall of America’s farm superpower
The US is on the verge of losing its status as the world’s leading agricultural exporter
giftarticle.ft.com