David French
@davidfrenchjag.bsky.social
NYT Columnist, visiting professor at Lipscomb University. Married to @nancyfrench.bsky.social.
Iraq vet, Grizzlies fan, born in War Eagle Country and raised in Big Blue Nation.
Iraq vet, Grizzlies fan, born in War Eagle Country and raised in Big Blue Nation.
"Trump has put the military in an impossible situation. He’s making its most senior leaders complicit in his unlawful acts, and he’s burdening the consciences of soldiers who serve under his command. " www.nytimes.com/2025/11/23/o...
Opinion | Trump Has Put the Military in an Impossible Situation
www.nytimes.com
November 23, 2025 at 4:32 PM
"Trump has put the military in an impossible situation. He’s making its most senior leaders complicit in his unlawful acts, and he’s burdening the consciences of soldiers who serve under his command. " www.nytimes.com/2025/11/23/o...
"Authoritarians want you to follow their will, not the law; they value personal loyalty over party loyalty ... Competent and conscientious people tend to often shun such an environment, but corrupt opportunists love it. They wallow in it. It is, after, all the best place for them to thrive."
Opinion | The Comey Case Is a Comedy of Errors
www.nytimes.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:29 PM
"Authoritarians want you to follow their will, not the law; they value personal loyalty over party loyalty ... Competent and conscientious people tend to often shun such an environment, but corrupt opportunists love it. They wallow in it. It is, after, all the best place for them to thrive."
To quote Pope Leo, “justice, solidarity, and a genuine reverence for life” ought to be the touchstones of our public engagement. There is another spiritual victory to be won — this time over the forces of hatred, division and cruelty in these United States. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/16/o...
Opinion | Pope Leo Doesn’t Want to Be the Anti-Trump. But He Is.
www.nytimes.com
November 16, 2025 at 5:17 PM
To quote Pope Leo, “justice, solidarity, and a genuine reverence for life” ought to be the touchstones of our public engagement. There is another spiritual victory to be won — this time over the forces of hatred, division and cruelty in these United States. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/16/o...
"I shudder to think of the outright criminality that Trump and his allies could resort to during the 2026 midterms, much less the 2028 presidential election. One doesn’t have to imagine wild fantasies of a Trump third term to imagine systemic abuses of power to suppress or miscount dissenting votes"
Opinion | Pardon Me. I Am Not Done Committing Crimes.
www.nytimes.com
November 13, 2025 at 2:00 PM
"I shudder to think of the outright criminality that Trump and his allies could resort to during the 2026 midterms, much less the 2028 presidential election. One doesn’t have to imagine wild fantasies of a Trump third term to imagine systemic abuses of power to suppress or miscount dissenting votes"
"A movement, especially one that verges on an outright cult of personality, is defined by its leader, not by its rank and file. And when the leader is lawless and depraved, then efforts to contain his influence while preserving his power are doomed to fail." www.nytimes.com/2025/11/09/o...
Opinion | Cruelty, Bigotry and Rage. What’s Not to Like?
www.nytimes.com
November 9, 2025 at 4:19 PM
"A movement, especially one that verges on an outright cult of personality, is defined by its leader, not by its rank and file. And when the leader is lawless and depraved, then efforts to contain his influence while preserving his power are doomed to fail." www.nytimes.com/2025/11/09/o...
If there is a word that describes the second Trump administration, it’s brazen. While I certainly hold open the possibility that dark deeds are being done in secret, one thing that is remarkable is how open and obvious he is with his self-dealing. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/02/o...
Opinion | Why Trump Can Do No Wrong
www.nytimes.com
November 2, 2025 at 4:13 PM
If there is a word that describes the second Trump administration, it’s brazen. While I certainly hold open the possibility that dark deeds are being done in secret, one thing that is remarkable is how open and obvious he is with his self-dealing. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/02/o...
Reposted by David French
Trump Can't Bomb That, Can He? | Roundtable
YouTube video by The Dispatch
youtu.be
October 27, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Reposted by David French
@davidfrenchjag.bsky.social
David French (on MSNBC just now), in one sentence, reminds us that human beings are not naturally equipped to confront authoritarians, and what is now needed from us all:
"Courage is going to preserve this republic - - and 'only' courage."
David French (on MSNBC just now), in one sentence, reminds us that human beings are not naturally equipped to confront authoritarians, and what is now needed from us all:
"Courage is going to preserve this republic - - and 'only' courage."
October 27, 2025 at 7:47 PM
@davidfrenchjag.bsky.social
David French (on MSNBC just now), in one sentence, reminds us that human beings are not naturally equipped to confront authoritarians, and what is now needed from us all:
"Courage is going to preserve this republic - - and 'only' courage."
David French (on MSNBC just now), in one sentence, reminds us that human beings are not naturally equipped to confront authoritarians, and what is now needed from us all:
"Courage is going to preserve this republic - - and 'only' courage."
The evidence is now in. The explosive growth in sports gambling is bad for sports, and it has proved to be bad for the millions of Americans who gamble past the point of prudence and directly to the point of pain. The sports gambling revolution needs more regulation. It may even need termination.
Opinion | ‘I’m Shocked, Shocked to Find That Gambling Is Going On in Here’
www.nytimes.com
October 26, 2025 at 1:26 PM
The evidence is now in. The explosive growth in sports gambling is bad for sports, and it has proved to be bad for the millions of Americans who gamble past the point of prudence and directly to the point of pain. The sports gambling revolution needs more regulation. It may even need termination.
Reposted by David French
“There are villains in every new right story, and in this case the villains are women, and the crime they commit is … being themselves.” @davidfrenchjag.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/o...
Opinion | How Women Destroyed the West
www.nytimes.com
October 23, 2025 at 1:35 PM
“There are villains in every new right story, and in this case the villains are women, and the crime they commit is … being themselves.” @davidfrenchjag.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/o...
The new right groans under the weight of its nostalgia for a nation that did not exist. And in writing about a false enemy that destroyed a fake past, Andrews and the many other architects of the right-wing gender wars are committing the very sins they attribute to the enemies they detest.
Opinion | How Women Destroyed the West
www.nytimes.com
October 23, 2025 at 1:07 PM
The new right groans under the weight of its nostalgia for a nation that did not exist. And in writing about a false enemy that destroyed a fake past, Andrews and the many other architects of the right-wing gender wars are committing the very sins they attribute to the enemies they detest.
What happens when the most successful politician of the last decade is cruel, immoral, and corrupt?
It creates a push-pull dynamic that pushes good people out of the party and pulls in new people who share the leader’s ethos. Decency becomes rarer, and decent people feel more isolated.
It creates a push-pull dynamic that pushes good people out of the party and pulls in new people who share the leader’s ethos. Decency becomes rarer, and decent people feel more isolated.
Opinion | Trump Is Dragging Us Down to His Level
www.nytimes.com
October 19, 2025 at 4:07 PM
What happens when the most successful politician of the last decade is cruel, immoral, and corrupt?
It creates a push-pull dynamic that pushes good people out of the party and pulls in new people who share the leader’s ethos. Decency becomes rarer, and decent people feel more isolated.
It creates a push-pull dynamic that pushes good people out of the party and pulls in new people who share the leader’s ethos. Decency becomes rarer, and decent people feel more isolated.
True revival begins with the people proclaiming, by word and deed, “I have sinned.”
MAGA Christianity has a different message. It looks at American culture and declares, “You have sinned.” www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/o...
MAGA Christianity has a different message. It looks at American culture and declares, “You have sinned.” www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/o...
Opinion | Something Is Stirring in Christian America, and It’s Making Me Nervous
www.nytimes.com
October 16, 2025 at 1:49 PM
True revival begins with the people proclaiming, by word and deed, “I have sinned.”
MAGA Christianity has a different message. It looks at American culture and declares, “You have sinned.” www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/o...
MAGA Christianity has a different message. It looks at American culture and declares, “You have sinned.” www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/o...
“Earlier this month, a federal judge appointed by President Trump in 2019, did the worst thing you can do to Trump in a court of law: She took him seriously. She read his words, found them disconnected from reality and acted accordingly.” www.nytimes.com/2025/10/12/o...
Opinion | How a Trump Judge Exposed the Trump Con
www.nytimes.com
October 12, 2025 at 4:25 PM
“Earlier this month, a federal judge appointed by President Trump in 2019, did the worst thing you can do to Trump in a court of law: She took him seriously. She read his words, found them disconnected from reality and acted accordingly.” www.nytimes.com/2025/10/12/o...
Reposted by David French
@davidfrenchjag.bsky.social and I would likely disagree on many points of theology (I'm a mainline Protestant, he's an Evangelical); I agree with him fully that we've seen some remarkable displays of genuine Christlike behavior in the last couple of weeks.
Opinion | The Grace That Gives Us Hope
www.nytimes.com
October 5, 2025 at 11:52 AM
@davidfrenchjag.bsky.social and I would likely disagree on many points of theology (I'm a mainline Protestant, he's an Evangelical); I agree with him fully that we've seen some remarkable displays of genuine Christlike behavior in the last couple of weeks.
“Last Sunday, the shadow came for the men, women and children of a church in Michigan. But there is still light and high beauty, and last week the light that flooded America came from people of faith who were determined to demonstrate the character of the Savior they love.”
Opinion | There’s a Path Out of This Divide
www.nytimes.com
October 5, 2025 at 4:21 PM
“Last Sunday, the shadow came for the men, women and children of a church in Michigan. But there is still light and high beauty, and last week the light that flooded America came from people of faith who were determined to demonstrate the character of the Savior they love.”
Countless Americans are enduring Trump’s vengeance. Far too few experience Christian kindness. It is a great tragedy of our time that so many Christians see Trump’s malice as an instrument of God’s divine plan. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/o...
Opinion | How Can You Cheer Love and Hate at the Same Time?
www.nytimes.com
September 23, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Countless Americans are enduring Trump’s vengeance. Far too few experience Christian kindness. It is a great tragedy of our time that so many Christians see Trump’s malice as an instrument of God’s divine plan. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/o...
If our laws depend on Trump’s voluntary compliance — and Congress won’t lift a finger to defend the laws it has passed — then the president is unleashed. We are left to the whims of a man who cares about only himself, a man who is willing to discard any law or standard to satisfy his lust for power.
Opinion | Crony Capitalism Has Reached a New Low
www.nytimes.com
September 21, 2025 at 2:49 PM
If our laws depend on Trump’s voluntary compliance — and Congress won’t lift a finger to defend the laws it has passed — then the president is unleashed. We are left to the whims of a man who cares about only himself, a man who is willing to discard any law or standard to satisfy his lust for power.
This doesn't happen every day.
Free speech isn't and shouldn't be a matter of left v. right. It's among the most fundamental of American values.
Free speech isn't and shouldn't be a matter of left v. right. It's among the most fundamental of American values.
September 19, 2025 at 5:47 PM
This doesn't happen every day.
Free speech isn't and shouldn't be a matter of left v. right. It's among the most fundamental of American values.
Free speech isn't and shouldn't be a matter of left v. right. It's among the most fundamental of American values.
We've never seen a comprehensive attack on free speech like this in our lifetimes.
The assassin's attack on Charlie Kirk was also an attack on free speech.
Thea administration's crackdown on speech is egregious.
And more people support political violence. It's all so bad.
The assassin's attack on Charlie Kirk was also an attack on free speech.
Thea administration's crackdown on speech is egregious.
And more people support political violence. It's all so bad.
Opinion | The Dangers of the Charlie Kirk Aftermath
www.nytimes.com
September 18, 2025 at 2:33 PM
We've never seen a comprehensive attack on free speech like this in our lifetimes.
The assassin's attack on Charlie Kirk was also an attack on free speech.
Thea administration's crackdown on speech is egregious.
And more people support political violence. It's all so bad.
The assassin's attack on Charlie Kirk was also an attack on free speech.
Thea administration's crackdown on speech is egregious.
And more people support political violence. It's all so bad.
If we accurately understand that America has an immense problem with violent extremism on both sides of the ideological aisle, then the answer lies in reconciliation, not domination. In fact, it’s the will to dominate that magnifies the crisis and radicalizes our opponents.
Opinion | There Are Monsters in Your Midst, Too
www.nytimes.com
September 14, 2025 at 6:22 PM
If we accurately understand that America has an immense problem with violent extremism on both sides of the ideological aisle, then the answer lies in reconciliation, not domination. In fact, it’s the will to dominate that magnifies the crisis and radicalizes our opponents.
"What starts as a political difference becomes a blood feud the instant someone is hurt or killed. And so each act of political violence has a double consequence. It shatters families, and — over time — it breaks nations." www.nytimes.com/2025/09/11/o...
Opinion | If We Keep This Up, Charlie Kirk Will Not Be the Last to Die
www.nytimes.com
September 11, 2025 at 2:21 PM
"What starts as a political difference becomes a blood feud the instant someone is hurt or killed. And so each act of political violence has a double consequence. It shatters families, and — over time — it breaks nations." www.nytimes.com/2025/09/11/o...
Political violence is evil. I don't care how angry you are at your opponents. We have a ballot box. We have courts. We have free speech. I'm sick with grief for Charlie and his family. I'm sick with concern for this country.
Breaking news: Conservative activist Charlie Kirk has died at the age of 31, President Trump says.
Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University.
Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University.
Live updates: Conservative activist Charlie Kirk dies after being shot at Utah event
Kirk was the co-founder of Turning Point USA, which advocates for conservative politics at high schools and colleges.
www.washingtonpost.com
September 10, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Political violence is evil. I don't care how angry you are at your opponents. We have a ballot box. We have courts. We have free speech. I'm sick with grief for Charlie and his family. I'm sick with concern for this country.
Every person who pumped his fist at Trump’s news conference should pause and think very hard about letting him — or any president — expand the definition of war until due process dies, blotted out by the flame and smoke of a missile strike. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/07/o...
Opinion | It Doesn’t Seem Wise to Let Trump Decide What War Is
www.nytimes.com
September 7, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Every person who pumped his fist at Trump’s news conference should pause and think very hard about letting him — or any president — expand the definition of war until due process dies, blotted out by the flame and smoke of a missile strike. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/07/o...
There's lots of nostalgia for Gen X childhoods. I share it!
But there's a disconnect. If our childhoods were that wonderful, why didn’t Generation X replicate our own experiences for our children? Why did so many millions of free-range kids grow up to become helicopter parents?
But there's a disconnect. If our childhoods were that wonderful, why didn’t Generation X replicate our own experiences for our children? Why did so many millions of free-range kids grow up to become helicopter parents?
Opinion | How Did the Latchkey Kids of Gen X Become the Helicopter Parents of Gen Z?
www.nytimes.com
September 4, 2025 at 3:56 PM
There's lots of nostalgia for Gen X childhoods. I share it!
But there's a disconnect. If our childhoods were that wonderful, why didn’t Generation X replicate our own experiences for our children? Why did so many millions of free-range kids grow up to become helicopter parents?
But there's a disconnect. If our childhoods were that wonderful, why didn’t Generation X replicate our own experiences for our children? Why did so many millions of free-range kids grow up to become helicopter parents?