Pay No Attention to That Plane Behind the Curtain

There’s an old saying that the cover-up is worse than the crime. Donald Trump is giving that adage a serious run for its money.

This week, the White House announced something so brazen it would have once been unthinkable in American politics: Trump has accepted the use of a $400 million luxury jet, gifted by the government of Qatar.

Yes, Mr. “America First” wants to spend the next four years crisscrossing the globe in a foreign-made aircraft, courtesy of a terrorism-sponsoring regime. This is not just “controversial” or a “conflict of interest.” It is blatant corruption. It is a bribe. It is unconstitutional. And we should state that explicitly, every single time.

Let’s make something very clear: this is not the same as the Statue of Liberty, a symbolic gesture of diplomacy gifted to the people of one friendly nation to the other. Grover Cleveland didn’t take it home to put in his garden after his term in office ended. Presidential libraries don’t use luxury jets; people do. Donald Trump intends to use this plane long after he leaves office.

There is no world in which this is normal or acceptable, and we cannot allow it to be treated as such. A President of the United States accepting a lavish personal gift from a foreign government should set off alarm bells across the political spectrum.

The Constitution is unambiguous on this point. Article I, Section 9, Clause 8—known as the Foreign Emoluments Clause—states that no person holding office can accept any gift from a foreign government without the consent of Congress. There’s no exemption if the Attorney General says it's fine. And certainly no clause that says it’s okay if the President might personally benefit—especially a President who just struck a golf course deal with said foreign government, and an attorney general who served as its paid agent.

That’s right — Fox News contributor Attorney General Pam Bondi, who signed off on this arrangement, previously worked as a paid lobbyist for the Qatari government, earning $115,000 per month to advance their interests in Washington. Now she’s telling the public there’s nothing wrong with Qatar handing Trump a private aircraft that costs more than the GDP of some nations.

This isn’t just an ethics violation. It’s a threat to American democracy and national security. Trump has already demonstrated a willingness to blur, bend, or obliterate norms and laws in service of his own interests. Do anyone actually believe a man who once withheld military aid from a U.S. ally in order to extract a political favor wouldn’t leverage a foreign plane—or the relationship that comes with it—for personal gain? Lol.

Donald Trump is who he has always been. He’d sell our most sensitive intelligence to our enemies if he could personally profit from it. The more disturbing part is how many people are willing to look away. Vanishingly few congressional Republicans have come forward to seriously question this obscene deal and demand transparency.

Once again, Trump is testing whether the rule of law still means something in this country—or whether our institutions are too paralyzed, partisan, or complicit to act. And again, we are failing miserably.

We deserve better. We deserve a President who works for the public interest—not for the highest bidder. It’s going to fall on We the People to hold him to account.

In Today’s Issue

• The Social Briefing (skip this if you don’t want to read about Trump!)

• What Can You Do?

• The Social Spotlight: A Conversation with Brian Murphy

This Week

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THE GRIFT GOES ON. Looks like the next four years could be an endless cycle of 90-day "pauses" on the harmful trade policies Trump attempts to implement. To sum it up: first, Trump initiates a trade war, which triggers a crash in the S&P, soaring interest rates, and a decline in GDP. In response, he slowly rolls back many (but not all) of his tariffs, gaining little to nothing in return for us. The markets then recover some of their losses, generating well-timed financial windfalls for his billionaire bros, and prompting MAGA supporters to inexplicably celebrate it as a victory for the trade war. It’s truly embarrassing to watch. For the umpteenth time: If tariffs are such a good thing, how come everyone breathes a big sigh of relief and how come the markets rejoice whenever Trump is forced to cave and rescind them?

FOREIGN “AFFAIRS.” Trump is cheating on Western democracy again. This time with his terrorism-supporting pals in the Middle East. “Oh, what I do for the crown prince,” he swooned today during his visit with Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, which might as well stand for Mister Bone Saw. Trump also announced that the U.S. will remove sanctions against Syria. He claims it’s “to give them a chance at greatness.” I’m thinking it’s because Syria’s new president pitched a Trump Tower in Damascus. What do you think?

WHITE MAKES RIGHT? The juxtaposition of these two stories couldn’t be more revealing. The DHS is ending deportation protections for Afghans who fought alongside American troops for years, risking their lives to stand beside and assist American troops in harm’s way. They were promised refuge here in America, but the Trump Administration is breaking that promise and sending them back to suffer under the Taliban. Shameful. But African whites? Come on in! As part of an early executive order, Trump shut down the refugee resettlement program to everyone except “those refugees who can fully and appropriately assimilate into the United States.” For Trump, that’s Afrikaners, like his buddy Elon Musk. Interesting, isn’t it?

AUTHORITARIAN AMERICA. Under the direction of the rodent-adjacent Stephen Miller, the White House is considering suspending habeas corpus—the core right to challenge unlawful detention. It’s only happened four times in U.S. history, all during moments of true national crisis. Now, the Trump Administration is eyeing it again, not because of invasion or rebellion, but to speed up deportations. Legal experts warn it could strip even U.S. citizens of basic rights. This isn’t about security—it’s yet another outright attack on the Constitution by an administration that shreds it daily. I know I said I would swear less, but I’m sorry, fuck this.

GOOD NEWS IN PA. This is a pretty big development in one of the most important swing states in the country. Good people like my friend Lee Drutman have argued for years that our primary system is one of the drivers behind our broken politics. Take Pennsylvania, which has a closed primary system that essentially disenfranchises the state’s 1.4 million independent voters from participating in primary elections. This week, the House State Government Committee approved Rep. Jared Solomon's legislation to repeal closed primaries in Pennsylvania, allowing full participation by voters in the state. The measure now goes before the full House for consideration. Let’s hope it passes.

What Can You Do?

1. JOIN THE NO KINGS PROTEST! Mark your calendars now for this one. We’re protesting on June 14! More details to come…

2. CAN’T WAIT THAT LONG? 50501 is planning something sooner…

3. WANT TO ORGANIZE IN YOUR COMMUNITY? Action Network has everything you need. Visit actionnetwork.org to get started.

4. GET YOUR #NOKINGS MERCH! If you’re going to protest, you might as well have the right gear. Click here for the #NoKings store at One Flag Initiative!

Spotlight on Brian Murphy

Speaking of elections, in my conversations this week, I talk candidly with Brian Murphy, a former FBI counterterrorism specialist and acting Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Intelligence and Analysis. One of the things we addressed are the real challenges facing our elections—the conspiracies, the noise, and the physical threats.

The biggest one? A growing lack of trust. Millions of Americans now believe our elections are rigged or stolen, against all evidence to the contrary, because our leaders—not only Donald Trump, but many in my former party—have spread dangerous lies that have become accepted as fact. This conversation scared the hell out of me but also gave me hope and strengthened my resolve. Here’s a clip…

I’ve been honest about my past. I used to contribute to the kind of polarizing rhetoric Brian talks about in our conversation, and I’ve worked hard these past few years to do better—because I’ve seen firsthand how toxic partisanship can corrode our institutions. Too many of us allowed tribal loyalty to overtake a commitment to founding principles. That’s why I believe it's time for us to rise above it and to talk to each other again.

So here’s my message: We can’t just sit back and hope this fixes itself. We’ve got to get involved at every level. We need to demand fair, secure, and accessible elections. We need to hold our elected officials accountable when they spread lies that weaken our democracy. And we need to show up—not just on Election Day, but every day—in the way we talk, act, and engage with our fellow Americans. I still believe our country is worth it. Let’s fight for it together.

For more from my conversation with Brian Murphy, please visit the Conversations with Joe section on our website.

Hey, I want to hear from you!

What do you think of The Social Contract with Joe Walsh? What are your thoughts about what’s happening this week? How can we fix the political mess we’ve created in our country? How do we mend our frayed social fabric and rebuild an America that works?

Tell us your story and share your ideas with us. Email our editor at [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you.