Let’s start with the obvious: virtually everything Donald Trump said during his nearly two-hour speech on Tuesday night was a lie. However, buried within the avalanche of falsehoods were two truths and one particularly dangerous lie that revealed much about the current state of democracy.
The first truth Trump spoke was: “I have created the brand-new Department of Government Efficiency—DOGE. Perhaps you’ve heard of it. It is headed by Elon Musk.”
For weeks, Department of Justice lawyers have twisted themselves — and the truth — into knots to claim that Elon Musk does not, in fact, have any direct role in DOGE. In one instance, they even submitted a sworn declaration asserting that Musk was merely a White House advisor with “no greater authority than other senior White House advisors.” As these cases proceed to discovery, I am reminded of Sir Walter Scott’s epic poem Marmion: “Oh, what a tangled web we weave.”
The second truth of the night came at the end when Trump descended into the crowd, approached the Chief Justice, patted him on the back, and said, “Thank you again. I won’t forget.”
The familiar pat on the back. The word again. He won’t forget. Big mob boss energy.
Then there was the lie. In a speech filled with them, one stood out…
In this edition, Marc dives into:
Trump targeting law schools and law firms
A win from SCOTUS
The latest with the USPS and vote by mail
The hero of the week
What’s inside a little-noticed executive order
