Hello and happy Saturday. Say what you will about what brought us to this point, but we got to witness a time-honored tradition on Monday. Sure, the decision to hold the event indoors because of cold weather upset some traditionalists, the celebrities in the audience got a little too much attention, and many people disdain both parties that were represented on the big stage. But the peaceful transfer of power after a heated campaign reflects important American values, and I admit I became a little teary-eyed when my Ohio State Buckeyes hoisted the trophy after beating Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff championship game.
Wait, did you think I was talking about the inauguration? Gotcha! (Again.)
In the second-most important event that happened Monday, Donald Trump took the oath of office to begin his second term as president. But even his inaugural address—which swore off soaring patriotic themes in favor of partisan rhetoric that sounded at times more like a stump speech—felt secondary to the actions he took.
Trump signed 26 executive orders on his first day, including declaring a national emergency at the southern border among other immigration measures, a national energy emergency, an order withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization, one renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and—perhaps most contentious of all—a declaration ending birthright citizenship.
But it wasn’t just executive orders. To undo what he called a “grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years,” the president commuted the sentences of 14 people involved in the January 6, 2021, storming of the Capitol and issued blanket pardons to everyone else convicted for participating in the riots that sought to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
In Boiling Frogs, Nick wrote about polling that shows the J6ers are unpopular and noted that, while politicians would generally avoid the political liability of associating themselves with such figures, Trump is “shameless”: “His superpower is making a spectacle of his shamelessness to convince Americans who should know better that there isn’t anything to be ashamed of.”
Trump didn’t need any encouragement to carry out those actions, as he had pledged to do all or most of them during the campaign. But arguments that his executive orders and pardons were unprecedented or a challenge to the rule of law had taken a preemptive hit during the final days of the Biden administration.
Having already issued a blanket pardon for his son Hunter—covering not just his federal gun and tax convictions but also any other “offenses against the United States which he has committed or may have committed or taken part in” between 2014 and 2024, President Joe Biden on Monday issued preemptive pardons for five family members and also for Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley, and the January 6 committee, including Liz Cheney, to protect them from threatened retribution by Trump.
Kevin Williamson criticized the pardons, which came in the final minutes before Trump’s inauguration, writing that, “Biden’s decision to pardon people who have not been investigated … has no obvious precedent in law.” There may have been no precedent for what Biden did, but his executive action certainly set one: “Biden just gave a loaded political gun to the guy who has bragged about his ability to get away with shooting strangers on Fifth Avenue in broad daylight.”
That’s a lot for one week, but we’re just getting started. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents have already begun arresting and deporting illegal immigrants. The Senate confirmed Pete Hegseth as defense secretary late Friday night—with Vice President J.D. Vance cast the tie-breaking vote—despite new allegations about abusive behavior toward his second wife emerging this week. Controversial nominees Tulsi Gabbard (director of national intelligence), Kash Patel (FBI director), and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (secretary of health and human services) are all scheduled for confirmation hearings next week.
It feels at times like we’re drinking from the firehose. When it all gets to be too much, don’t feel bad about taking a break from the news—read a book, visit a friend, bake some cookies. As for me, I’ll be over here watching Buckeyes highlights. Thanks for reading.
The Quiet Lawlessness of Joe Biden
How the Heritage Foundation Sold Its Birthright
Trump Order Shields DOGE From Public Scrutiny
The Many Downsides of Ending Birthright Citizenship
And here’s the best of the rest:
The Perils of Positive Thinking
It Was Never Really About Trade at All
Polk, Trump, and Manifest Destiny
Congressional GOP Giving Trump Time on TikTok
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