Matthew Budman, book guy
@matthewbudman.bsky.social
1.3K followers 600 following 4.7K posts
News junkie, editor, faculty spouse, author of “Book Collecting Now.”
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
matthewbudman.bsky.social
“Millions of dead children” will be in the first line of Marco Rubio's obituary.

Nice that the only State Department comment here is that “the U.S. 'continues to stand with the people of Burma.'” Myanmar hasn't been called Burma since 1989, but since Trump is forever stuck in 1983, that checks.
matthewbudman.bsky.social
The shingles vax—both doses, actually—was the first time I've ever had a reaction to a vaccine shot, in the form of a *really* sore arm. But that just reassured me that it wasn't a placebo! I know people who've had shingles, and avoiding their misery made it totally worth it for me.
matthewbudman.bsky.social
They're on the *other* thumb drive
matthewbudman.bsky.social
Love this documentary. Relieved to Google and confirm that Troy Duffy—unlike, say, James Frey—did not quietly become wealthy and powerful in the aftermath
Official Trailer OVERNIGHT (2003, Troy Duffy, Jeffrey Baxter, Chris Brinker, Willem Dafoe)
YouTube video by Trailer World
youtu.be
matthewbudman.bsky.social
In college, I reviewed the Matthew Broderick comedy THE FRESHMAN for my local alt-weekly, and my editor asked why I hadn't referenced the Harold Lloyd classic . . . of which I had never heard. Was *years* away from seeing my first silent film. Had no business reviewing movies for publication!
matthewbudman.bsky.social
A century ago tonight, THE FRESHMAN hit theaters nationwide. If you ever have the opportunity to see the film with an audience, don't miss it. One of the truly great silent comedies.
Harold Lloyd in THE FRESHMAN (1925) - New U.S. Trailer
YouTube video by Janus Films
youtu.be
matthewbudman.bsky.social
With a multi-camera documentary crew capturing their cosplay prayer. This whole Trump civil war is just content creation.
matthewbudman.bsky.social
In fairness, yesterday Trump didn't know who his old friend Ghislaine Maxwell was
atrupar.com
COLLINS: Pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell -- is that something you're open to doing?

TRUMP: Who are we talking about?

C: Ghislaine Maxwell

T: I haven't heard the name is so long. I can say this -- I'd have to take a look at it ... I will speak to the DOJ

C: She's convicted of child sex trafficking
matthewbudman.bsky.social
By the way, I took care of that thing for you
Pete the Killer from GOODFELLAS
matthewbudman.bsky.social
America elected someone who actively, loudly rejects American ideals, history, tradition, and laws. And we're stuck with him for another three-plus years.
matthewbudman.bsky.social
Essential backstory on Bari Weiss's I WAS CANCELED!! origin story
matthewbudman.bsky.social
How is it possible that Project Veritas is worse without James O'Keefe
matthewbudman.bsky.social
Unlike Tony, Trump isn't smart enough to clock which of his lieutenants *isn't* laughing and single out that guy as disloyal
Tony tells a bad joke. Paulie cracks up. Feech does not.
matthewbudman.bsky.social
It must go against everything Mark Carney knows as a politician to refrain from reacting in any way to an animated speaker two feet away
matthewbudman.bsky.social
Hoping that the final Democratic questioner ticks off each of these with, "So it's safe to assume: yes."
matthewbudman.bsky.social
I'll take that pledge. But I'd still rather see those books & articles show up than the alternative: that the guys signing up to be ICE goons find waging war on their neighbors personally fulfilling as well as lucrative.
matthewbudman.bsky.social
I will never forget reading Kael's books in college, when I was reviewing theater and film for an alt-weekly and looking for guidance in criticism, and realizing that she was wrong about nearly everything but such a bright, assertive phrasemaker that it was hard to stop turning pages.
matthewbudman.bsky.social
"It’s understandable if Trump doesn’t remember precisely what was in the book; it was released 25 years ago and was ghostwritten by someone else, writer Dave Shiflett. But that doesn’t excuse a decade of boasting about how the book supposedly includes something it actually doesn’t."
Fact check: Trump falsely claims, again, that his pre-9/11 book warned about Osama bin Laden | CNN Politics
President Donald Trump likes to portray himself as a visionary, someone who sees important things before others. Trump has been claiming for the last decade that in a book he released the year before ...
www.cnn.com
matthewbudman.bsky.social
Exactly
matthewbudman.bsky.social
In fairness, Trump here sounds as though he (conveniently) doesn't recognize Maxwell's name and offers the same how-would-I-know? shrug that he would offer in response to *any* question about a pardon request
Trump with Ghislaine Maxwell: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2025/07/23/trump-friendship-history-ghislaine-maxwell/
matthewbudman.bsky.social
In fairness, Trump here sounds as though he (conveniently) doesn't recognize Maxwell's name and offers the same how-would-I-know? shrug that he would offer in response to *any* question about a pardon request
Trump with Ghislaine Maxwell: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2025/07/23/trump-friendship-history-ghislaine-maxwell/
matthewbudman.bsky.social
To be clear, she was not a “provocative columnist” at the NYT, regardless of how she would prefer her origin story to read
polgreen.bsky.social
Not to be a pedant but Bari Weiss was a junior editor who occasionally wrote opinion pieces in the opinion section, not a columnist.
matthewbudman.bsky.social
Am a little surprised that his boss hasn't issued an executive order Hereby Prohibiting uppercasing the word Black