Dan Pfeiffer

United States

Founder and Writer at The Message Box

Co-host Pod Save America, Author of Message Box, a newsletter about political strategy, Former Obama Senior Advisor, books, and other stuff.

Articles

The Most Brazen Presidential Grift in U.S. History

3 days ago | open.substack.com | Dan Pfeiffer

Only Donald Trump—the famously inattentive father of five children with three different women—would use Mother’s Day as an opportunity to receive gifts. And, oh, what a gift it was.
Trump’s Dumbest Economic Message Yet

1 week ago | messageboxnews.com | Dan Pfeiffer

Facing sinking approval ratings and broad-based rejection of his economic stewardship, Donald Trump unveiled a new economic message last week. Was it a return to the faux populism of his campaign? An argument for a new era of American manufacturing? Or even an explanation of his thinking on tariffs? Nope. Donald Trump’s new message is that kids have too many dolls.
Trump’s Dumbest Economic Message Yet

1 week ago | open.substack.com | Dan Pfeiffer

Facing sinking approval ratings and broad-based rejection of his economic stewardship, Donald Trump unveiled a new economic message last week. Was it a return to the faux populism of his campaign? An argument for a new era of American manufacturing? Or even an explanation of his thinking on tariffs? Nope. Donald Trump’s new message is that kids have too many dolls.
Why Trump's Efforts to Blame Biden for the Economy are Doomed to Fail

1 week ago | messageboxnews.com | Dan Pfeiffer

Last week, the Department of Commerce announced that the economy shrunk for the first time since 2022. This latest datapoint shows that the economy has turned very negative, very fast since Trump took office. As Larry Summers, former economic adviser to Presidents Clinton and Obama, put it on Twitter:This has probably been the least successful first hundred days of a presidency on the economy in the last century.
Thoughts on the Big Shakeup at the Trump White House

2 weeks ago | messageboxnews.com | Dan Pfeiffer

It took 102 days, but the first significant shake-up of the Trump Administration is here. National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and his deputy, Alex Wong, have been unceremoniously removed from their positions. Waltz was given a soft landing as Ambassador to the U.N., but this was a public defenestration of a man who gave up his seat in Congress for 102 days of humiliating servitude in the Trump Administration. This is a big deal.
What Dems Can Learn from Trump's Disastrous 100 Days in Office

2 weeks ago | messageboxnews.com | Dan Pfeiffer

Today marks Donald Trump’s 100th day in office. Ever since Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s efforts to pass the New Deal, the 100th day acts as a traditional measuring stick. It’s when the press and pundits render a judgment on the success or failure of a newly elected president. During Barack Obama’s first term, I tried to resist this tradition. I constantly told reporters that 100 days was a “Hallmark holiday” that didn’t mean anything to real voters. It was a fabricated press trope.
Why the New NYT Poll is Very Bad News for Trump

2 weeks ago | messageboxnews.com | Dan Pfeiffer

There is something inherently triggering about writing about a New York Times/Siena poll. Throughout the 2024 campaign, I waited with dread for the New York Times/Siena polls to drop. Other than that glorious, but fleeting period, known as “brat summer,” a new NYT poll is usually bad news. You never know when they are going to come, and because it’s an A+ rated poll from the country’s most influential media outlet, a New York Times/Siena poll can change the entire political narrative.
Trump's Crypto Corruption Scheme Goes into Overdrive

3 weeks ago | messageboxnews.com | Dan Pfeiffer

It never gets enough attention, but Donald Trump is the most corrupt person to ever occupy the Oval Office—yes, even more corrupt than Richard Nixon. Trump and his entire family have always used public service as a means to enrich themselves. Over the years, I have grown somewhat numb to Trump’s shameless avarice. This is how he was before the White House, so why would anyone expect him to change? But even I was shocked by the brazenness of Trump’s latest get-rich(er)scheme.
Voters are Souring on Trump's Strongman Schtick

3 weeks ago | messageboxnews.com | Dan Pfeiffer

The first 94 days of Donald Trump’s presidency have been a non-stop assault on democracy. Trump, Elon Musk, and the rest are fighting to grab as much power as they can without allowing laws, norms, or the Constitution to get in the way. This display of brute strength has put most of our institutions back on their heels. Business, academia, the legal profession and even some Democratsmhave all been cowed by Trump, cutting deals to avoid being targeted.
Voters are Souring on Trump's Strongman Schtick

3 weeks ago | open.substack.com | Dan Pfeiffer

The first 94 days of Donald Trump’s presidency have been a non-stop assault on democracy. Trump, Elon Musk, and the rest are fighting to grab as much power as they can without allowing laws, norms, or the Constitution to get in the way. This display of brute strength has put most of our institutions back on their heels. Business, academia, the legal profession and even some Democratsmhave all been cowed by Trump, cutting deals to avoid being targeted.