Damon Linker

6 days ago | persuasion.community | Damon Linker

Nearly three months into the second Trump administration, a few things have become clear. For one thing, the president aims to push executive power to its absolute limit, with Congress responding passively to the power-grabs and the judiciary standing alone in attempting to prevent the thoroughgoing breakdown of the separation of powers and its replacement by unitary, dictatorial rule by Donald Trump.

1 week ago | damonlinker.substack.com | Damon Linker

Before I get into today’s post, I wanted to let everyone know about an exciting event taking place at the 92nd St. Y in New York City tomorrow night (April 15) at 6:30pm. My dear friend and teacher Mark Lilla will be in conversation with New York Times columnist David Brooks about Mark’s latest book, which I wrote about here. If you live in the New York area, I hope you’ll consider attending in person. If you don’t, you should buy an online ticket to watch the stream.

1 week ago | damonlinker.substack.com | Damon Linker

I mentioned last week that I’d been at work on a post about some personal news and ended up setting it aside when the president’s “Liberation Day” tariffs announcement sent the stock market into a tailspin. Rather than return to that apolitical essay, I’ve decided to reframe it into a hybrid post blending the personal, political, and economic.

2 weeks ago | niskanencenter.org | Damon Linker

This commentary originally appeared in “Notes from the Middleground” Every week since January 20, 2025 has felt like it’s been jam-packed with news, as Donald Trump and his team have acted on multiple fronts to seize unprecedented powers, attack the president’s myriad enemies, fundamentally shift the country’s geopolitical orientation, and establish a much harsher and more personalistic form of rule. But with the “Liberation Day” announcement on last Wednesday afternoon, something shifted.

2 weeks ago | damonlinker.substack.com | Damon Linker

Upgrade to paid to play voiceoverEvery week since January 20, 2025 has felt like it’s been jam-packed with news, as Donald Trump and his team have acted on multiple fronts to seize unprecedented powers, attack the president’s myriad enemies, fundamentally shift the country’s geopolitical orientation, and establish a much harsher and more personalistic form of rule. But with the “Liberation Day” announcement on last Wednesday afternoon, something shifted.