Good morning all. Got a few things for you today:
Trump Is Having A Very Bad Week - As of press time this morning it’s hard to see how we can prevent the government from shutting down this weekend. To me, however, the biggest story right now is that Donald Trump is having a very bad week and his post-election honeymoon has come to an ugly end even before taking office:
The Fed and the markets got spooked this week by Trump’s inflationary economic agenda. Mortgage rates are rising, the stock indices have had big losses and yesterday Trump signaled that he needs to get rid of the debt ceiling so he can dramatically grow the deficit next year. Trump’s extreme agenda has already started unraveling the strong Biden economy he inherited.
Trump is openly picking fights with our closest allies and largest trading partners, who are starting to talk about economic and political retaliation against him and the US. Tariffs and trade wars = higher prices, a slower economy, extraordinary political corruption and global political instability. These too are ominous developments for the GOP.
We learned the Matt Gaetz report will be released in the coming days, further reminding us of the next President’s recklessness, depravity and extremism. I believe the report will further undermine his other egregious and dangerous nominees - Gabbard, Hegseth, Patel and Kennedy.
Goaded by Elon’s corrosive, lie-infused opposition to the bi-partisan House package, Trump came out against the bill and threw his party and Washington into total chaos. Trump undermined and weakened his own Speaker; had 38 Republicans vote against him and kill his first must pass bill even before becoming President (LOLOLOL!!!!!!); and has come off looking like a reckless buffoon who may not actually be running the show.
I talked about all this on CNN this morning (video above), and in yesterday’s post and video. As I discuss in yesterday’s video while in opposition we need to take the wins when they come, celebrate them, and build on them. While we should hope a deal gets done today, no matter what happens now this has been a very bad week for Trump. The old guy has stumbled and his political momentum has slowed - and that my friends is a win for pro-democracy forces here and everywhere.
Please help me tell this story through your networks in the days ahead and work hard to shape our collective understanding that this has been a very bad week for Trump.
MeidasTouch Interviews President Biden!!!!! - Our friends at MeidasTouch interviewed President Biden this week. Hope you can find some time to watch in the coming days:
A US Delegation Visits Damascus Today - Some encouraging news from this morning’s Washington Post:
American diplomats are visiting the Syrian capital for the first time in over a decade, the State Department said Friday, less than two weeks after a blitz offensive led by rebel group Ha’yat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime and propelled the country into a new era.
The Damascus delegation will “be engaging directly with the Syrian people” about “their vision for the future of their country and how the United States can help support them,” the department said in a statement. The group also plans to meet with representatives of HTS “to discuss transition principles endorsed by the United States and regional partners in Aqaba, Jordan.”
It’s To Talk About Elon’s Ties To Hostile Foreign Governments - As Elon shuts down the US government and works to weaken and humiliate US on the global stage this week, he is also now promoting the pro-Russian German Neo-Nazi party. It is long past time for us to start talking about Musk’s deep ties to the Russian and Chinese governments, and whose side he is really on.
From a new NYT article, Elon Musk and SpaceX Face Federal Reviews After Violations Of Security Reporting Rules:
Elon Musk and his rocket company, SpaceX, have repeatedly failed to comply with federal reporting protocols aimed at protecting state secrets, including by not providing some details of his meetings with foreign leaders, according to people with knowledge of the company and internal documents.
Concerns about the reporting practices — and particularly about Mr. Musk, who is SpaceX’s chief executive — have triggered at least three federal reviews, eight people with knowledge of the efforts said. The Defense Department’s Office of Inspector General opened a review into the matter this year, and the Air Force and the Pentagon’s Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security separately initiated reviews last month, the people said.
The Air Force also recently denied Mr. Musk a high-level security access, citing potential security risks associated with the billionaire. Several allied nations, including Israel, have also expressed concerns that he could share sensitive data with others, according to defense officials.
Internally, SpaceX has a team that is expected to ensure compliance with the government’s national security rules. Some of those employees have complained to the Defense Department’s Office of Inspector General and other agencies about the lax reporting, which goes back to at least 2021, four people with knowledge of the company said. SpaceX was awarded at least $10 billion in federal contracts with the Pentagon and NASA from 2019 to 2023, making it a major contractor.
More On The 2024 Election and What Comes Next - For a comprehensive look at 2024 and what comes next see these four new talks with leading state Democratic Party chairs: (each video interview comes with a transcript for those who would like to read rather than watch or listen):
On The Future Of The DNC and The Democratic Party - With Ken Martin, Minnesota Democratic Party Chair and A Leading Candidate For DNC Chair
On Winning In Wisconsin and the Future of the DNC and Democratic Party - With Ben Wikler, Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair and A Leading Candidate for DNC Chair
On Winning The Blue Dot And The Urgent Need To Invest in Democratic Party, Partisan Infrastructure - With Jane Kleeb, Nebraska Democratic Party Chair
On North Carolina’s Impressive Downballot Wins - With Anderson Clayton, North Carolina Democratic Party Chair
Other recent videos in our What Happened, What Comes Next series for your Holiday viewing and listening pleasure:
On Winning Arizona And Getting Latinos Back - With Senator-Elect Ruben Gallego
On Winning Virginia In 2025 - With Rep. Abigail Spanberger, The Democratic Nominee for Governor of Virginia | Learn more about Abigail | Volunteer | Donate To Her Campaign
On Trump’s Big Gains With Young People, Particularly Young Men - With John Della Volpe Of Harvard’s Institute Of Politics
On The Power of Networks - With Joe Trippi, Legendary Democratic Strategist and Campaign Manager, Founder Sez Us and Resolute Square
On Reinventing Government and The Perils of DOGE - With Dr. Elaine Kamarck Of Harvard and The Brookings Institution
You may also find these two segments from our fall Closing Strong collaboration with COURIER Newsroom and Tara McGowan helpful:
On The Need For Pro-Democracy Media - With COURIER’s Tara McGowan and Crooked Media’s Dan Pfeiffer
Beyond MAGA Creators - Russia’s influence on the Republican Party runs deep with Stewart Stevens and Jiore Craig
And here are my most important recent post-election analyses, both in words and video, if you haven’t gotten to them yet (and oldie but goodie too):
More Notes On Trump’s Unprecedented Ugliness And Becoming The Ferocious Opposition - includes early thinking about how the Hopium community evolves next year
For Dems It’s A Time For Re-imagination, Re-invention and Innovation (video too)
More Notes On What Happened And What Comes Next (video too)
“Getting Louder” - A conversation about building pro-democracy media with Ben Meiselas (MeidasTouch), Tara McGowan (COURIER Newsroom), Joe Trippi (Resolute Square) and David Rothkopf (DSR Network)
Give The Gift of Hopium This Holiday Season - I’ve set up a thread for paid subscribers to offer their thoughts on what this wonderful and plucky community should do next. I’m grateful for the many comments we’ve received so far. Weigh in if you can in the coming days, and note that an annual Hopium paid subscription is now 10% off through the end of the year for those who may want to sign up or give a bit of Hopium as a holiday gift!
Keep working hard all. Proud to be in this fight with all of you - Simon
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