A country in which law is king asks not whether government hardball works but whether it is legal
‘In America the law is king.” That’s how Thomas Paine put it. “For as in absolute governments the King is law, so in free countries the law ought to be king; and there ought to be no other.”
Nearing a year into his second term, President Trump has some very different ideas about what the law, and who the king, should be.
Trump has not been solely responsible for the rule of law’s erosion. There is history here. Kennedy and Johnson leveraged the FBI, wiretaps, and tax records to coerce businesses and spy on rivals, journalists, anti-war activists, and Martin Luther King ...
Something to Consider
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The Trump Effect
The Trump Effect: On the Rule of Law
A country in which law is king asks not whether government hardball works but whether it is legal.
The Trump Effect: On Our Alliances
U.S. interests aren’t advanced when America’s allies are less confident in Washington and more inclined to accommodate regional bullies.
The Trump Effect: On the Economy
The age of economic populism may wind up concentrating more power in the Washington establishment.
The Trump Effect: On the Media
He’s the undisputed ringmaster of a circus he cannily designed.
The Trump Effect: On Popular Culture
For much of the last decade, Hollywood has been making the same statement: Trump is bad. But they had no idea how to beat him.
The Trump Effect: On Our National Memory
‘Make America Great Again’ looks back to a supposedly better time. But nostalgia is history’s simplistic cousin, and it can pose a trap.
The Trump Effect: On Washington, D.C.
Few presidents have attempted to dominate the capital as Trump has.
The Trump Effect: On Immigration
He secured the southern border but has neglected the critical role of employers in perpetuating the illegal immigration problem.
The Trump Effect: On the Universities
The administration may be overreaching, but the fact remains that the academy has been overrun by ideologues and rent-seekers.
Features
The Assassin’s Other Target
The killing of Charlie Kirk demands a defense of our free society.
AI vs. the Web
And why everything will be all right.
Keir Starmer Torches the U.K.-Israel Relationship
In so doing, the prime minister betrays Britain’s national interest.
Take the Turnpike to the East
How a record-setting Hindu mega-temple landed in the Jersey burbs.
Books, Arts & Manners
What Frederick Douglass Found in Abraham Lincoln
How two great American visionaries collided and collaborated.
Zbigniew Brzezinski: Cold Warrior in Chief
Jimmy Carter’s national security adviser saw what others, including Henry Kissinger, could not.
The Mystifying Life of Muriel Spark
A new biography of the novelist tries to read between her lines.
The Pitt: Hollywood, Heal Thyself
The new HBO series charts a new course for medical drama.
Weapons Refuses Political Weaponization
Zach Cregger’s latest horror movie disappoints critics who like tidy partisan messages.
Departments & Columns
The Week
Buzz phrases, blame, and no understanding — Harris’s 107 Days gives us too much of her.
God Help the Times
At a loss, the New York Times newsroom brainstorms ways to seek out supporters of Charlie Kirk following his assassination.
The Descent into Ghoulishness
After the Kirk murder, social media shows its worst side.
The Bookshelf
The life of Greek–British poet Constantine Cavafy, Nicholas Wade’s provocative hypothesis on politics, and a charming novel on loneliness set in the Midwest.
Going to Seed
Fall is a turning point for a garden, the next to last one. The garden is at its prolific best, even as it is about to leave the scene.
Fowler Reconsidered
I’ve always considered myself a Fowlerian in spirit — willing to bring literary judgment to questions of English usage.
A Lost Allegory Replaced by Hope
Like Keats’ withered Titans . . .
