
Ross Douthat Once Again Downplays the Trump Threat
Plus: Could This Trump Argument Persuade SCOTUS?
Recently in The Bulwark:
CHARLIE SYKES: Exit DeSantis
You can support The Bulwark by subscribing to Bulwark+ or just by sharing this newsletter with someone you think would value it.
AARON FRIEDBERG AND GABRIEL SCHOENFELDā Ross Douthat Once Again Downplays the Trump Threat
āTHERE WILL BE NO TRUMP COUP,ā WAS THE HEADLINE of an October 20, 2020 New York Times column in which Ross Douthat downplayed suggestions that the president, if defeated, might use extralegal means to try to cling to power. Needless to say, that turned out to be dead wrong.
Having minimized the dangers posed by Donald Trump three years ago, Douthat is now back with a column repeating the error, minimizing the dangers posed by Trump while maximizing the perils supposedly posed by Nikki Haley. āWhy Nikki Haley Could Be the Most Dangerous Presidentā is the arresting title of his January 20, 2024 column. Is Douthat serious? Apparently so. What is his argument?
š„ PODCASTS AND VIDEOS š§
Bulwark Podcast with Charlie Sykes: Will Saletan: A Rogue Presidency [Ad-Freeš]
The Next Level: How Long Does the Planet Earth Have? (With David Wallace-Wells) [Ad-Freeš]
The Focus Group: New Hampshire Weirdos for Nikki? (with Tim Miller) [Ad-Free š]
Timās Take: Ron DeSantis Ends Campaign Humiliated
Did you know? Bulwark+ members can listen to an ad-free version of these podcasts on the player of their choice.
Learn more at Bulwark+ Podcast FAQ.
KIM WEHLE: Could This Trump Argument Persuade SCOTUS?
LAST THURSDAY, A HANDFUL of Donald Trumpās (remaining) lawyers filed a brief in the U.S. Supreme Court urging reversal of last monthās Colorado Supreme Court ruling that he is ineligible for the presidential ballot because he engaged in insurrection within the meaning of Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment. The brief offers a shred of an argument that conservatives on the Supreme Court might cling to if they wish to deactivate that constitutional provision for purposes of the upcoming presidential election.
JILL D. LAWRENCE: Cancel the 2024 Presidential Debates if Trump Is the GOP Nominee.
NIKKI HALEY DID America a YUGE favor with her bold move on debates. She said she wouldnāt debate in New Hampshire unless Donald Trump agreed to participate, and of course he didnāt. Both ABC and CNN promptly canceled primary debates theyād planned for Thursday and Sunday, and thank you for that, network gods.
Now can we agree that if Trump is the Republican presidential nominee, we will scrap the three general-election debates scheduled for September and October?
šØOVERTIMEšØ
Happy Monday! Not sure if due to the travel or the kidsā birthday party, but Iām nursing a cold. Which means Iām breaking out my grandmaās chicken noodle soup recipe, which is in The Bulwark Thanksgiving Cookbook. Recently added is a recipe from reader Ellen Wheeler for Molasses Sugar Cookies, which she made and brought to our SFO event. Our readers are the best. Iāve gotta get to work on perfecting her recipe in my very finicky oven.
Canāt wait for the blame⦠Here was my thought on the DeSantis Twitter launch, and sure enough, the Anti-Anti-Trumpers are still blaming the Never Trumpers for Ronās failure. Listen to my CenterClip today on Ronās departure. Why did he fail? Not good at retail, something we all new.
A postmortem for DeSantis⦠From Chris Hayes.
Elise really wants the Veep⦠Writes Chris Cillizza.
A tribute to a fallen culture warrior⦠At McSweeneyās.
āEmergencyā or Not⦠Covid Is Still Killing People. Hereās What Doctors Advise to Stay Safe.
Meanwhile, in Saint Louis⦠Stay safe on the icy roads! This fire truckās driver is either a stunt driver or lucky.
Jason Kelce stole the show⦠At last nightās Buffalo / Kansas City game. I was pulling for the Bills, but now itās Detroit all the way. Go Lions.
Mystery of Frank Ryanās stolen game ball⦠solved.
Tech support questions? Email members@thebulwark.com. Questions for me? Respond to this message
Editorial photos provided by Getty Images. For full credits, please consult the article.