I made the White House’s naughty list
Hey everyone, it’s Adrian. I cover immigration for The Bulwark. This year in my Huddled Masses newsletter I broke stories about Kristi Noem’s job being in serious jeopardy; the carpenter named Jesus whom ICE detained; the predictably racist response to Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl gig; how cities around the country are fighting back against ICE; and so much more.
My reporting has taken me around the country, to heartbroken communities reeling from Trump’s mass deportations, ICE’s thug tactics, and the deliberate cruelty of it all.
It’s also taken me to a place where I genuinely never expected to be: the White House’s “naughty list.” Billed as a yuletide compendium of fake-news enemies of the people, the list was released on the White House’s official Instagram and Facebook accounts.
Here’s my reaction: It’s a badge of honor.
I got into this business because I wanted to seek the truth and report it thoroughly. Immigration is something I care about deeply, and it’s something that is woefully under-covered by the media and hard to understand if you don’t spend every day with it.
To have the ability to help explain the real-life stories of immigrants—and translate the byzantine, often inhumane immigration policies that govern our country—is a privilege I don’t take for granted.
To be attacked by this White House for doing it is just the cherry on top.
These are people who make no effort to hide their hatred of immigrants. They call them rapists, criminals, vermin who are poisoning the blood of this country. They publicly fantasize about mass deportations, and their lodestar during Trump’s second term has been inflicting as much human cruelty as possible on people who aren’t from here—or just look like they might not be.
Let’s be clear: The Trump White House appears to have a lot of time on their hands and is super lame. Still, being on the naughty list is something I can be proud of. It means I’m doing my job of shining a light on this administration’s barbarism, and helping translate it to the public.
Here at The Bulwark, this is what we’re all about. We started seven years ago as a small, scrappy, fledgling operation, and now we’re on our way to being one of the biggest truly independent media companies in the country.
[Support The Bulwark: Upgrade the Bulwark+ and Get 30 Days FREE]
That didn’t happen by accident. All our work is made possible by our Bulwark+ subscribers. They decided to be part of this community because they genuinely care about democracy and truth, and want to save America from this Trumpian hellscape. Their support means that I’m now full time at The Bulwark as national immigration reporter, rather than a contract contributor. The editors know this story isn’t going away any time soon, and the support of the Bulwark+ membership makes it possible to keep me on the beat.
If this enterprise sounds like something you want to support—and if you’re the kind of person who can think of no higher honor than making the White House naughty list—here’s our only ask: Subscribe to Bulwark+.
—Adrian