Paul Waldman
@paulwaldman.bsky.social
Columnist for MSNOW, Public Notice. Formerly: Washington Post, The Week, American Prospect. Subscribe to my newsletter! The Cross Section: paulwaldman.substack.com
When we learned last year that Bessent got in a shoving match with Elon Musk in the White House, I'm sure some people said "Huh, maybe he's an okay guy" but in actuality Bessent is a smug asshole, and he just happened to get in a fight with another smug asshole
Bessent: "I'd encourage Carney to do what he thinks is best for Canadians, not his own virtue signaling. We do have a USMCA negotiation coming up. He rose to power on an anti-American, anti-Trump message. That's not a great place to be when you're negotiating w/ an economy multiples larger than you"
January 28, 2026 at 4:38 PM
When we learned last year that Bessent got in a shoving match with Elon Musk in the White House, I'm sure some people said "Huh, maybe he's an okay guy" but in actuality Bessent is a smug asshole, and he just happened to get in a fight with another smug asshole
From the Heritage Foundation's "news" organ, some profound insights on the minds of today's uppity broads
www.dailysignal.com/2026/01/27/w...
www.dailysignal.com/2026/01/27/w...
The Unhinged Rage of White Liberal Women, Explained
Why are white liberal women lashing out against ICE? Is there an underlying rage that we fellas have missed?
www.dailysignal.com
January 28, 2026 at 4:24 PM
From the Heritage Foundation's "news" organ, some profound insights on the minds of today's uppity broads
www.dailysignal.com/2026/01/27/w...
www.dailysignal.com/2026/01/27/w...
"President Trump is a very strong leader, and I hope he will rise to this moment and unite the country." Such a courageous statement from Sam Altman to OpenAI employees.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/b...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/b...
January 28, 2026 at 3:01 PM
"President Trump is a very strong leader, and I hope he will rise to this moment and unite the country." Such a courageous statement from Sam Altman to OpenAI employees.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/b...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/b...
The only remaining good thing about the Washington Post opinion section is the comments, which on every article is nothing but readers saying "What the frack is wrong with you people? You have destroyed this once-great newspaper, and I shall curse you with my last breath."
"Mamdani has shown no appetite for what it would take to actually lower the average nightly rate in a hotel," the Editorial Board writes.
Opinion | The ‘junk fees’ Mamdani supports
The socialist mayor doesn’t want hotels to account for costs imposed by his government.
wapo.st
January 28, 2026 at 4:14 AM
The only remaining good thing about the Washington Post opinion section is the comments, which on every article is nothing but readers saying "What the frack is wrong with you people? You have destroyed this once-great newspaper, and I shall curse you with my last breath."
It's going to take DECADES to rebuild the federal government after what Trump and Musk and Vought and the rest of them did.
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
U.S. government has lost more than 10,000 STEM Ph.D.s since Trump took office
A Science analysis reveals how many were fired, retired, or quit across 14 agencies
www.science.org
January 28, 2026 at 3:11 AM
It's going to take DECADES to rebuild the federal government after what Trump and Musk and Vought and the rest of them did.
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Marinating in their social media bubble, Republicans thought everyone agreed with them that immigration is inherently bad and must be addressed with violence. But that was never what most Americans believed.
paulwaldman.substack.com/p/what-trump...
paulwaldman.substack.com/p/what-trump...
What Trump and Republicans Never Understood About Immigration
They thought all Americans shared their hatred and bloodlust.
paulwaldman.substack.com
January 27, 2026 at 5:03 PM
Marinating in their social media bubble, Republicans thought everyone agreed with them that immigration is inherently bad and must be addressed with violence. But that was never what most Americans believed.
paulwaldman.substack.com/p/what-trump...
paulwaldman.substack.com/p/what-trump...
Reposted by Paul Waldman
Not here to tell protesters what to do, but I think regularly blasting some Les Mis at protests would really rile Trump up, and I would find that amusing.
January 27, 2026 at 2:53 PM
Not here to tell protesters what to do, but I think regularly blasting some Les Mis at protests would really rile Trump up, and I would find that amusing.
My god
A bloodbath at The Washington Post. What a terrible day for journalism.
January 26, 2026 at 9:55 PM
My god
Reposted by Paul Waldman
Q for anyone who works at the VA:
Has the VA secretary or leadership said anything internally addressing the fucking elephant in the room that one of their VA colleagues was just shot to death by a federal agent?
Hearing from one source it's been a cone of silence in there, no comms to staff.
Has the VA secretary or leadership said anything internally addressing the fucking elephant in the room that one of their VA colleagues was just shot to death by a federal agent?
Hearing from one source it's been a cone of silence in there, no comms to staff.
January 26, 2026 at 8:42 PM
Q for anyone who works at the VA:
Has the VA secretary or leadership said anything internally addressing the fucking elephant in the room that one of their VA colleagues was just shot to death by a federal agent?
Hearing from one source it's been a cone of silence in there, no comms to staff.
Has the VA secretary or leadership said anything internally addressing the fucking elephant in the room that one of their VA colleagues was just shot to death by a federal agent?
Hearing from one source it's been a cone of silence in there, no comms to staff.
Reposted by Paul Waldman
Yes. I had to learn in my years in newsrooms that “this is not new” was editor code for “I do not agree with this.” Pointing how many pieces they ran on whatever left punching theme was popular in that given era just annoyed them.
Funny how often "not new" is used as a reason to not run things (opinion but i don't think there is meaningful difference between opinion and analysis/profile and features/most politics coverage)
January 25, 2026 at 3:52 PM
Yes. I had to learn in my years in newsrooms that “this is not new” was editor code for “I do not agree with this.” Pointing how many pieces they ran on whatever left punching theme was popular in that given era just annoyed them.
Reposted by Paul Waldman
Cruz vs. Vance in a rizzless race to the bottom as they split the 10% normie Republican vote, allowing Kid Rock to secure the 2028 nomination.
EXCLUSIVE: In secret recordings, Sen. Ted Cruz trashes Trump, Vance
"You're going to lose the House, you're going to lose the Senate, you're going to spend the next two years being impeached every single week."
"You're going to lose the House, you're going to lose the Senate, you're going to spend the next two years being impeached every single week."
Exclusive: In secret recordings, Cruz trashes Trump, Vance
The comments to donors last year are some of the harshest criticisms of Trump and Vance by a fellow Republican.
www.axios.com
January 25, 2026 at 5:12 PM
Cruz vs. Vance in a rizzless race to the bottom as they split the 10% normie Republican vote, allowing Kid Rock to secure the 2028 nomination.
One of the things that shows you how things are changing is that ordinary Democratic politicians (Pingree is pretty progressive but hardly a radical) are speaking in increasingly outraged terms. They know what's in the air.
On my way to Lewiston for the No ICE protest, but I’ve been watching the breaking news out of Minneapolis, where federal agents have shot and killed another person.
I’ve seen the video and it’s horrific.
This violent occupation has to end. ICE needs to GET OUT of MN and GET OUT of Maine.
I’ve seen the video and it’s horrific.
This violent occupation has to end. ICE needs to GET OUT of MN and GET OUT of Maine.
January 24, 2026 at 7:01 PM
One of the things that shows you how things are changing is that ordinary Democratic politicians (Pingree is pretty progressive but hardly a radical) are speaking in increasingly outraged terms. They know what's in the air.
Jeff Bezos, who is currently worth $250 billion, spent $500 million on a yacht. He could give the Post all the resources it needs until the end of time.
If you're going to kill one of America's great newspapers, why not just sell it to someone who gives a crap?
If you're going to kill one of America's great newspapers, why not just sell it to someone who gives a crap?
According to an internal email to Washington Post sports staff, the paper isn't sending any reporters to cover the winter Olympics next month. The decision comes as major layoffs are expected in the coming weeks.
January 24, 2026 at 4:10 AM
Jeff Bezos, who is currently worth $250 billion, spent $500 million on a yacht. He could give the Post all the resources it needs until the end of time.
If you're going to kill one of America's great newspapers, why not just sell it to someone who gives a crap?
If you're going to kill one of America's great newspapers, why not just sell it to someone who gives a crap?
One of the funny things about this is that if Trump hadn't done that stupid "51st state" stuff and imposed all those tariffs, right now Pierre Poilievre would be prime minister and Trump's biggest international hype man
Bessent pushes Albertan independence from Canada: "Albertans are very independent people. There's a rumor they may have a referendum on whether they want to stay in Canada or not. People are talking. People want sovereignty. They want what the US has got."
January 23, 2026 at 9:25 PM
One of the funny things about this is that if Trump hadn't done that stupid "51st state" stuff and imposed all those tariffs, right now Pierre Poilievre would be prime minister and Trump's biggest international hype man
In Hillbilly Elegy, Vance lectured Appalachians for being lazy bums. He lectured "childless cat ladies" he claimed were unhappy. Now he's lecturing every woman with a white collar job for living a meaningless life.
Such a smug, condescending jackass. No wonder everyone hates him.
Such a smug, condescending jackass. No wonder everyone hates him.
JD Vance: "To our fellow Americans we say, you're never gonna find great meaning in a cubicle or in front of a computer screen. But you will find great meaning if you dedicate yourself to the creation and sustenance of human life."
January 23, 2026 at 9:13 PM
In Hillbilly Elegy, Vance lectured Appalachians for being lazy bums. He lectured "childless cat ladies" he claimed were unhappy. Now he's lecturing every woman with a white collar job for living a meaningless life.
Such a smug, condescending jackass. No wonder everyone hates him.
Such a smug, condescending jackass. No wonder everyone hates him.
Somebody (maybe @charliejane.bsky.social and @annaleen.bsky.social?) pointed out that now when a movie wants to show a villain revealing their plan for world domination they have them doing it in a TED talk, and now I see it all the fricking time. Enough with the TED talk-as-exposition, I beg you.
January 23, 2026 at 8:57 PM
Somebody (maybe @charliejane.bsky.social and @annaleen.bsky.social?) pointed out that now when a movie wants to show a villain revealing their plan for world domination they have them doing it in a TED talk, and now I see it all the fricking time. Enough with the TED talk-as-exposition, I beg you.
Reposted by Paul Waldman
Trump's economy is so "great" that Las Vegas is willing to take a 27% shave to lure Canadian tourists back to Sin City. Are we tired of winning yet?https://www.ctvnews.ca/calgary/article/we-miss-our-best-friends-las-vegas-hotels-accepting-canadian-dollar-at-par-to-spark-tourism/
‘We miss our best friends’: Las Vegas hotels accepting Canadian dollar at par to spark tourism
Three downtown Las Vegas hotels have begun accepting the Canadian dollar at par with the American dollar in an effort to spur Canuck travel.
www.ctvnews.ca
January 23, 2026 at 8:39 PM
Trump's economy is so "great" that Las Vegas is willing to take a 27% shave to lure Canadian tourists back to Sin City. Are we tired of winning yet?https://www.ctvnews.ca/calgary/article/we-miss-our-best-friends-las-vegas-hotels-accepting-canadian-dollar-at-par-to-spark-tourism/
Rather than fighting the subpoena from the buffoonish House Oversight Committee, the Clintons should demand a public hearing so they can make fools of those jabronis.
My latest at MSNOW:
www.ms.now/opinion/clin...
My latest at MSNOW:
www.ms.now/opinion/clin...
Opinion | Why the Clintons should testify about Jeffrey Epstein
Paul Waldman: By testifying, Bill and Hillary Clinton could expose Republican hypocrisy
www.ms.now
January 23, 2026 at 8:43 PM
Rather than fighting the subpoena from the buffoonish House Oversight Committee, the Clintons should demand a public hearing so they can make fools of those jabronis.
My latest at MSNOW:
www.ms.now/opinion/clin...
My latest at MSNOW:
www.ms.now/opinion/clin...
A whole lot going on in the Texas Democratic Senate primary: race, gender, ideology, electability, the politics of media attention, and more. I break it down:
paulwaldman.substack.com/p/what-the-c...
paulwaldman.substack.com/p/what-the-c...
What the Country's Hottest Senate Primary Tells Us About This Election
Jasmine Crockett v. James Talarico is going to be the most talked-about Democratic primary this year.
paulwaldman.substack.com
January 23, 2026 at 5:54 PM
A whole lot going on in the Texas Democratic Senate primary: race, gender, ideology, electability, the politics of media attention, and more. I break it down:
paulwaldman.substack.com/p/what-the-c...
paulwaldman.substack.com/p/what-the-c...
Checking in on the "How dare you call us a white supremacist party!" party
www.mediamatters.org/tucker-carls...
www.mediamatters.org/tucker-carls...
January 23, 2026 at 2:35 PM
Checking in on the "How dare you call us a white supremacist party!" party
www.mediamatters.org/tucker-carls...
www.mediamatters.org/tucker-carls...
If you're still on the Nazi child porn site known as X you should really think about getting right with your god
In our conservative estimate, 41 percent of Grok’s images — or 1.8 million — were sexualized depictions of women. Separately, CCDH analyzed how many were sexualized images across genders and ages. Their findings: an estimated 3 million images, including more than 23,000 of children.
January 22, 2026 at 3:49 PM
If you're still on the Nazi child porn site known as X you should really think about getting right with your god
Just imagine being the parent of a soldier from Canada or Denmark or Great Britain or France who was killed in Afghanistan in the one and only time Article 5 was invoked and the entire alliance came to America's aid, and hearing President Bone Spurs say this.
Trump on NATO: "I've always said, will they be there if we ever needed them? That's really the ultimate test. I'm not sure of that. We've never needed them. They'll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan and this or that. And they did. They stayed a little back, off the front lines."
January 22, 2026 at 2:03 PM
Just imagine being the parent of a soldier from Canada or Denmark or Great Britain or France who was killed in Afghanistan in the one and only time Article 5 was invoked and the entire alliance came to America's aid, and hearing President Bone Spurs say this.
By the end of the day the White House is going to take a Sharpie to the map and insist that Iceland has always been part of Greenland, just you watch
Trump is now confusing Greenland and Iceland: "They're not there for us on Iceland, that I can tell you. Our stock market took the first dip yesterday because of Iceland. So Iceland has already cost us a lot of money."
January 22, 2026 at 1:37 PM
By the end of the day the White House is going to take a Sharpie to the map and insist that Iceland has always been part of Greenland, just you watch
All the women who do color commentary for tennis are knowledgeable and insightful, but when there's a really big match they bring in John McEnroe to go "What do you suppose that guy's shoe size is? He's serving pretty well. Shoulda gone up the line that time" for three hours
January 22, 2026 at 3:26 AM
All the women who do color commentary for tennis are knowledgeable and insightful, but when there's a really big match they bring in John McEnroe to go "What do you suppose that guy's shoe size is? He's serving pretty well. Shoulda gone up the line that time" for three hours