After two or three days of stupor and disorientation Donald Trump has reverted to form as predicted is reacted to his historic repudiation by leaning into the powers of the presidency to reassert power and dominance. So far, they are most assertions and visual, thin performances not so much of power but of aggression, which seem more risible because the power is so clearly draining out of him. Trump appointed Stephen Miller as his new White House chief of staff. Today he has offered the press secretary position to Dana White, CEO of UFC, the mixed martial arts promotion company, who Trump lauds as “the Great Dana White, a violent Fighter and Warrior” who Trump is asking to take on the press secretary role with a series of MMA fighter “assistants” one or more of whom is associated with a Chechnyan warlord. We say “offered” because Trump seems to have offered White the job and then asked him via Truth Social to accept the job.
The best thing for Democratic electeds to do with this is a mix of ignoring it and mockery. Beyond the benefits of putting some brakes on Trump’s actions the benefit of finally having a beachhead of power in the federal government is the ability to act and let the rogue president react. This applies at least as much to the substantial number of state governments that have partial or full trifecta Democratic control.
