Trump's America Archives • Journal

What Happened Here?

A collection of 20 stories shared in previous editions that together, go some way to telling the story of the Trump presidency.

It’s telling in its own way that in this administration where personalities were paramount, rather than covering legislative change or other signature issues, many of the pieces are profiles of characters in the Trump soap opera.

The edition comprises five sections:

The Man
The Family
The Team
Domestic Affairs
Foreign Affairs

Note that the story descriptions are contemporaneous to when they were first shared, so in some cases things will have changed. For instance, several of the people described in them have since been fired.

Society The New Yorker

The History of the “Riot” Report

A study of reports published by government commissions after periods of protest and struggles for justice, which have perversely “acted as alibis for inaction”.

Politics The Atlantic

Inside Ivanka’s Dreamworld

A profile of Ivanka Trump examines the tightrope she must walk to manage her public image whilst working in her father’s administration.

Politico Politics

Can Trump Survive Mueller?

A look at Donald Trump’s prospects of surviving the Mueller enquiry, and his long track record of living life right on the edge of the precipice.

Politics The Atlantic

Will John Bolton Bring on Armageddon—Or Stave It Off?

Another look at Donald Trump’s bellicose National Security Advisor. The author proposes that John Bolton’s obsessive focus on the USA’s national interest to the exclusion of everything else has the potential to make him a tempering influence on the President.

Politico Politics

Inside the Chaotic Early Days of Trump’s Foreign Policy

A sobering look at the formative days of the Trump administration. One Obama administration aide puts it in stark terms – “It was so shocking to see this team come in a blur of chaos, disregarding legality and ethics and showing a deep hostility to the career professionals.”

Politics The London Review of Books

House-Cleaning

A story that examines the Trump presidency to date, and weighs up his future prospects. The final sentence sums it (and him) up rather well – “Re-election seems just as likely as impeachment. He is fighting for his life, and he would rather sue than settle.”

Politics The New York Times

Mitch McConnell Got Everything He Wanted. But at What Cost?

A profile of the Senate Majority Leader, one of the most powerful figures in Republican politics. He has a Republican in the White House, and the judicial appointments he wanted, but is it worth the price he’s having to pay?

Politics The Washington Post

Conquerors of the Courts

This piece examines The Federalist Society, an organisation that it suggests is having a far reaching impact on the American justice system, from the Supreme Court down.

Esquire Politics

Devin Nunes’s Family Farm Is Hiding a Politically Explosive Secret

Devin Nunes is amongst President Trump’s most enthusiastic cheerleaders in Congress, so his family running a large scale dairy in Iowa employing undocumented workers would be politically inconvenient. The investigative aspect of the story is gripping – featuring uncomfortable interactions with Nunes family members, chance meetings in the local cafe, sit downs with the mayor and the priest, and being followed around town by mysterious white SUVs. Of even greater value perhaps are the nuanced portraits of Iowans carefully balancing politics, faith, immigration, the global economy, personal finances, and human relationships.

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