David Rothkopf

New York, Washington, D.C.

Contributing Columnist at The Daily Beast

Proud father & husband, CEO, The DSR Network, host, Deep State Radio; author of lots of books; columnist, Daily Beast, subscribe to my Substack "Need to Know."

Articles

Is Trump Out-of-Touch, Senile, Nuts or Something Worse?

4 days ago | thedailybeast.com | David Rothkopf

It was the cringiest of times. It was the craziest of times. Welcome to a moment in which one of the most consequential debates Americans (and people the world across) are having is about whether the President of the United States is just a national embarrassment or has full-on blown a gasket. Is Donald Trump just three fries short of a happy meal, or is he full-on howling-at-the-moon mad?
The Real Reason Trump Fired Waltz: He Dared to Give Advice

1 week ago | thedailybeast.com | David Rothkopf

What kind of advisors do you give the president who knows everything? Answer: As few as possible. Donald Trump does not want advice. He does not like people around him who have views that differ from his. He does not like or read briefing documents.
Naming the Biggest Winners From Trump’s Disastrous First 100 Days

2 weeks ago | thedailybeast.com | David Rothkopf

It was back in the spring of 2016, though it seems like a century or two ago. Donald Trump was on the campaign trail in Montana. And like a prophet of old, he stood on the edge of a dusty plain and foretold our future. “We’re going to win,” said our six-foot-four, zero body fat golden messenger of God. “We’re going to win so much. We’re going to win at trade, we’re going to win at the border.
The Worst First 100 Days of Any Administration in History

2 weeks ago | thedailybeast.com | David Rothkopf

Let’s be clear: The primary reason Donald Trump gets an “F” for his first 100 days in office is because in our system of education—at least while there still is a system of education—there is no lower grade to give. If there were, he would deserve it. That is not to contradict the White House’s assertion that it has been a record-breaking first 100 days.
Trump Is Showing Us How to Defeat Trumpism

2 weeks ago | thedailybeast.com | David Rothkopf

Look, I get it. President Trump’s first 100 days have been a disaster, the worst first 100 days for any U.S. president in history. And I say that knowing that William Henry Harrison only made it 32 days into his term before dying. Nonetheless, these first three horrible, lunatic months of malevolence and failure have also coughed up a few hairballs of hope. We are still, for now, a democracy.
Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon Crisis Is So Much Worse Than You Think

3 weeks ago | thedailybeast.com | David Rothkopf

The past three months have shown that if a problem surfaces within the Trump Administration, it is almost invariably worse than it seems. Few examples better illustrate this than the current troubles of our Defense Department Ken: Pete Hegseth.
The Real Power Players in President Trump’s Administration

3 weeks ago | thedailybeast.com | David Rothkopf

As the Trump Administration approaches the hundred days mark, we may barely have a country left, but at least we are getting a clearer view who is really responsibility for all the chaos and destruction. There is a long tradition in Washington in which the distribution of power does not coincide with the organizational charts handed out at the beginning of an administration. Some with fancy titles fall victim to sharp elbows or whisper campaigns. Others self-destruct.
Why Trump Doesn't Want You to Notice His Most Dangerous Move

4 weeks ago | thedailybeast.com | Shan Wu |David Rothkopf

The pace at which President Donald Trump is inventing new purposes for Presidential orders reminds me of George Washington Carver’s success in finding over 300 uses for peanuts. But Carver accomplished his feat—as well as numerous other scientific and agricultural innovations—over the span of 47 years at Tuskegee University; Trump has taken less than 100 days in his second term to issue over 100 executive orders.
The Supreme Court’s Majority Has Ruled Itself Out of Business

4 weeks ago | thedailybeast.com | David Rothkopf

What should we do with the Supreme Court now that we no longer need it? Surely, the six wise jurists who ruled last year that the President of the United States effectively had the powers of a king must have thought this through. After all, they are regularly described as being the “conservative” members of the court.
Why the MAGA Meltdown Over Amy Coney Barrett Matters

1 month ago | thedailybeast.com | Jill Filipovic |David Gardner |Sean Craig |David Rothkopf

What is the job of the American judiciary? If you said to decide cases based on the law and the U.S. Constitution, you would be correct—unless you’re playing by MAGA rules. Rabid supporters of Donald Trump, and the president himself, have a different view of what judges are for. In their opinion, judges should be loyalists, backing whatever the president does, no matter how unconstitutional. And they’re putting us all in jeopardy.