Javier Corrales
@javiercorrales.bsky.social
Stephen Miran (2024), one of Trump's econ advisors and tariff advocate, warned us. Unless tariffs come in "coordination" with allies and the Fed, expect "adverse" material consequences. Guess what. There is no coordination. Instead, allies are targetted, and the Fed, bypassed. Result: Turmoil
March 10, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Stephen Miran (2024), one of Trump's econ advisors and tariff advocate, warned us. Unless tariffs come in "coordination" with allies and the Fed, expect "adverse" material consequences. Guess what. There is no coordination. Instead, allies are targetted, and the Fed, bypassed. Result: Turmoil
Trump is talking about a third term. Hmm. What do we know about presidents who defy constitutional term limits in Latin America? The typical path: they become dictators (Chávez, Ortega, Bukele, Fujimori). Another path: bring on the chaos (Zelaya, Morales, Fujimori, Lugo).
February 24, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Trump is talking about a third term. Hmm. What do we know about presidents who defy constitutional term limits in Latin America? The typical path: they become dictators (Chávez, Ortega, Bukele, Fujimori). Another path: bring on the chaos (Zelaya, Morales, Fujimori, Lugo).
And just like that, the U.S. is now on Russia's side.
February 20, 2025 at 3:02 AM
And just like that, the U.S. is now on Russia's side.
The National Science Foundation: 11% of its staff while.
and
The Federal Aviation Administration: number unknown (makes flying safer).
and
The Federal Aviation Administration: number unknown (makes flying safer).
February 18, 2025 at 11:56 PM
The National Science Foundation: 11% of its staff while.
and
The Federal Aviation Administration: number unknown (makes flying safer).
and
The Federal Aviation Administration: number unknown (makes flying safer).
Dept of Health and Human Services: figure unknown (this includes Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Food and Drug Adm, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
February 18, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Dept of Health and Human Services: figure unknown (this includes Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Food and Drug Adm, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
Federal Housing Adm: 40% of staff (the FHA provides mortgage insurance on loans for people who otherwise can't qualify).
February 18, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Federal Housing Adm: 40% of staff (the FHA provides mortgage insurance on loans for people who otherwise can't qualify).
Firings this past weekend in the United States:
Massive enough to weaken govt services but too tiny to make a dent on the the national debt (it's like seeking to pay your mortgage with a bake sale).
Massive enough to weaken govt services but too tiny to make a dent on the the national debt (it's like seeking to pay your mortgage with a bake sale).
February 18, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Firings this past weekend in the United States:
Massive enough to weaken govt services but too tiny to make a dent on the the national debt (it's like seeking to pay your mortgage with a bake sale).
Massive enough to weaken govt services but too tiny to make a dent on the the national debt (it's like seeking to pay your mortgage with a bake sale).
11. Defy the courts when they turn against you. Make sure you have a conflict with the court, so that you can counterattack them en bloc www.nytimes.com/2025/02/16/o...
Opinion | This Is What the Courts Can Do if Trump Defies Them
How the escalating measures available to courts would work.
www.nytimes.com
February 16, 2025 at 12:10 PM
11. Defy the courts when they turn against you. Make sure you have a conflict with the court, so that you can counterattack them en bloc www.nytimes.com/2025/02/16/o...
10. Create information blackouts. blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/20...
Donald Trump is plunging government websites into darkness, with profound consequences for American democracy
Since Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20th, his administration has systematically shut down US government websites and deleted information relating to many issues, including diversity initia…
blogs.lse.ac.uk
February 16, 2025 at 12:10 PM
10. Create information blackouts. blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/20...
9. Harass the free press. Create a hierarchy: good press (treat me kindly), full access; bad press, no access. Entangle news organization in legal battles www.politico.com/news/2025/02...
Trump White House escalates feud with AP, threatens to bar reporters from Air Force One
The administration blasted the news organization for “misinformation” over its refusal to refer to the “Gulf of America.”
www.politico.com
February 16, 2025 at 12:10 PM
9. Harass the free press. Create a hierarchy: good press (treat me kindly), full access; bad press, no access. Entangle news organization in legal battles www.politico.com/news/2025/02...
8. Replace the rule of law with autocratic legalism, which means: for my friends, everything; for my enemies, the law. For autocratic legalism, you need to end the independence of the justice department www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
As Trump shakes Justice Department, deeply conservative prosecutors head for exits
President Donald Trump's drive to shake up the U.S. government drove out a rising star in conservative legal circles: A career federal prosecutor who once clerked for the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
www.reuters.com
February 16, 2025 at 12:10 PM
8. Replace the rule of law with autocratic legalism, which means: for my friends, everything; for my enemies, the law. For autocratic legalism, you need to end the independence of the justice department www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
7. Mobilize hate across society. Encouraging people to develop intense hate of some out-group (illegal immigrants, trans folks, ethnic minorities, Hollywood celebrities, elite colleges, dissenters) www.cbsnews.com/video/trump-...
Trump blames Democrats, DEI for deadly plane crash without evidence
President Trump said the midair collision over the Potomac River was a dark night in our nation's history during a press conference Thursday before shifting blame without evidence to Democrats as well...
www.cbsnews.com
February 16, 2025 at 12:10 PM
7. Mobilize hate across society. Encouraging people to develop intense hate of some out-group (illegal immigrants, trans folks, ethnic minorities, Hollywood celebrities, elite colleges, dissenters) www.cbsnews.com/video/trump-...
6. Trash-talk institutions govt dislikes. Create images of institutions as guilty actors, harming agents, without conducting reviews or involving court procedures. Argue that their campaign is intended to save taxpayers' money www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/...
At USAID, Waste and Abuse Runs Deep
For decades, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been unaccountable to taxpayers as it funnels massive sums of money to the
www.whitehouse.gov
February 16, 2025 at 12:10 PM
6. Trash-talk institutions govt dislikes. Create images of institutions as guilty actors, harming agents, without conducting reviews or involving court procedures. Argue that their campaign is intended to save taxpayers' money www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/...
5. Defund institutions as a way to force compliance. www.aclu.org/news/civil-l...
Trump's Attempt to Unilaterally Control State and Local Funding is Dangerous, Dumb, and Undemocratic | ACLU
Donald Trump's attempts to withhold vital funding to bully and coerce states into compliance is plainly unconstitutional.
www.aclu.org
February 16, 2025 at 12:10 PM
5. Defund institutions as a way to force compliance. www.aclu.org/news/civil-l...
4. Colonize the federal bureaucracy. Fire the staff. Replace them loyalists. www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...
Which agencies have been hit by federal layoffs? What to know about NPS, NIH, IRS, more
Over the last week, thousands of federal employees were fired or laid off as part of President Trump's cost-cutting plan.
www.usatoday.com
February 16, 2025 at 12:10 PM
4. Colonize the federal bureaucracy. Fire the staff. Replace them loyalists. www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...
3. Overuse of executive orders, including declaring national emergencies www.hklaw.com/en/general-p...
Trump's 2025 Executive Orders | Holland & Knight
www.hklaw.com
February 16, 2025 at 12:10 PM
3. Overuse of executive orders, including declaring national emergencies www.hklaw.com/en/general-p...
2. Ruling party acts like a rubber stamp. They like his policies and/or fear his retribution. Either way, they never say never. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
How Each Senator Has Voted on Trump’s Nominees So Far
The Senate has confirmed each of President Trump’s cabinet nominees that faced a vote to this point.
www.nytimes.com
February 16, 2025 at 12:10 PM
2. Ruling party acts like a rubber stamp. They like his policies and/or fear his retribution. Either way, they never say never. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
1. President thinks he is saving the country. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/15/u...
Trump Suggests No Laws Are Broken if He’s ‘Saving His Country’
President Trump shared a quotation on social media, making it clear it was one he wanted people to absorb: “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.”
www.nytimes.com
February 16, 2025 at 12:10 PM
1. President thinks he is saving the country. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/15/u...
All my life I have studied democratization and autocratization. My 1st field trip was to newly democratic Argentina. I then added autocracies to my portfolio: Cuba, Ven, etc. I think I can recognize the stages of transition to authoritarianism. Here are the boxes Trump has already checked off.
February 16, 2025 at 12:10 PM
All my life I have studied democratization and autocratization. My 1st field trip was to newly democratic Argentina. I then added autocracies to my portfolio: Cuba, Ven, etc. I think I can recognize the stages of transition to authoritarianism. Here are the boxes Trump has already checked off.
Donald Trump to halt enforcement of law banning bribery of foreign officials. The mafia is now in charge.
February 11, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Donald Trump to halt enforcement of law banning bribery of foreign officials. The mafia is now in charge.
In Argentina 2007, there were signs of autocratic populism when the government began to intervene economic agencies to manipulate inflation figures, as cover up. Similar type of autocratic creeping in the US now www.nytimes.com/2025/02/10/o...
Opinion | Robert Rubin, Lawrence Summers, Timothy Geithner, Jacob Lew, Janet Yellen: DOGE Is a Threat to U.S. Democracy.
Former Secretaries Rubin, Summers, Geithner, Lew and Yellen argue that DOGE is a threat to America.
www.nytimes.com
February 10, 2025 at 1:57 PM
In Argentina 2007, there were signs of autocratic populism when the government began to intervene economic agencies to manipulate inflation figures, as cover up. Similar type of autocratic creeping in the US now www.nytimes.com/2025/02/10/o...
5) Status-quo bias v. Nostalgia bias
February 10, 2025 at 1:43 PM
5) Status-quo bias v. Nostalgia bias
4) Money-bros rising v. Tech-fems challenging
February 10, 2025 at 1:43 PM
4) Money-bros rising v. Tech-fems challenging
3) Right-wing populism v Left-wing populism (hard-line against crime or hard-line against capitalism)
February 10, 2025 at 1:43 PM
3) Right-wing populism v Left-wing populism (hard-line against crime or hard-line against capitalism)
2) Dolphins represent renewal especially if they are women v. Dolphins represent autocracy-washing
February 10, 2025 at 1:43 PM
2) Dolphins represent renewal especially if they are women v. Dolphins represent autocracy-washing