T. J. Stiles
@tj-stiles.bsky.social
American historian and biographer.
Pulitzer Prize for History for "Custer's Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America"
Pulitzer Prize for Biography & National Book Award for Nonfiction for "The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt”
Pulitzer Prize for History for "Custer's Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America"
Pulitzer Prize for Biography & National Book Award for Nonfiction for "The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt”
Pinned
“But are there not many Fascists in your country?”
”There are many who do not know they are Fascists, but will find it out when the time comes.”
—Ernest Hemingway, “For Whom the Bell Tolls”
”There are many who do not know they are Fascists, but will find it out when the time comes.”
—Ernest Hemingway, “For Whom the Bell Tolls”
Reposted by T. J. Stiles
Trump to direct Pentagon to buy buggy whips to revive horse&buggy industry.
Trump to direct Pentagon to buy muskets to revive musket industry.
Buggy whip and musket industries big donors to Trump.
www.reuters.com/business/ene...
Trump to direct Pentagon to buy muskets to revive musket industry.
Buggy whip and musket industries big donors to Trump.
www.reuters.com/business/ene...
Trump to direct Pentagon to buy coal to revive industry, Bloomberg News says
U.S. President Donald Trump is set to direct the Pentagon to use government funding and Pentagon contracts to sustain U.S. coal-fired power plants, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing a White H...
www.reuters.com
February 11, 2026 at 5:57 AM
Trump to direct Pentagon to buy buggy whips to revive horse&buggy industry.
Trump to direct Pentagon to buy muskets to revive musket industry.
Buggy whip and musket industries big donors to Trump.
www.reuters.com/business/ene...
Trump to direct Pentagon to buy muskets to revive musket industry.
Buggy whip and musket industries big donors to Trump.
www.reuters.com/business/ene...
Reposted by T. J. Stiles
There’s an old legal adage that a DA can get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich.
But I guess that doesn’t apply when the case is a bunch of baloney.
But I guess that doesn’t apply when the case is a bunch of baloney.
The lawmakers urged members of the military and intelligence community not to comply with unlawful orders.
Trump Admin Fails to Get Indictment for Democrats Over Illegal-Orders Video
www.newsweek.com
February 11, 2026 at 3:54 AM
There’s an old legal adage that a DA can get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich.
But I guess that doesn’t apply when the case is a bunch of baloney.
But I guess that doesn’t apply when the case is a bunch of baloney.
History is full of contradictions. GW Bush started the atrocity that was the Iraq War. He authorized torture and bungled Katrina. But he started PEPFAR, saving tens of millions of lives.
With Trump, there are no contradictions. It's bloody-mindedness, cruelty, and death all the way down. The worst.
With Trump, there are no contradictions. It's bloody-mindedness, cruelty, and death all the way down. The worst.
That the illegal destruction of USAID will kill more than *20 million people* in the next five years, & has ALREADY KILLED 600,000 in just one year, is a world-historical crime that Americans aren't being told about in the terms & with the repetition necessary for them to believe it.
February 11, 2026 at 1:39 AM
History is full of contradictions. GW Bush started the atrocity that was the Iraq War. He authorized torture and bungled Katrina. But he started PEPFAR, saving tens of millions of lives.
With Trump, there are no contradictions. It's bloody-mindedness, cruelty, and death all the way down. The worst.
With Trump, there are no contradictions. It's bloody-mindedness, cruelty, and death all the way down. The worst.
Reposted by T. J. Stiles
"...and then I said to my wife, 'OK, this guy is creepy! I mean still. He's still creepy, like all the other times I interacted with him. And invested with him. But this time FOR SURE I'm going to have nothing to do with him. AND ALL MY CHILDREN!' Because I have four children. In sum, innocent."
VAN HOLLEN: Did you in fact make the visit to Epstein's private island?
LUTNICK: I did have lunch w/ him as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation. My wife was with me as were my 4 children and nannies. We had lunch on the island. That's true. For an hour. We left with all of my children
LUTNICK: I did have lunch w/ him as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation. My wife was with me as were my 4 children and nannies. We had lunch on the island. That's true. For an hour. We left with all of my children
February 10, 2026 at 6:07 PM
"...and then I said to my wife, 'OK, this guy is creepy! I mean still. He's still creepy, like all the other times I interacted with him. And invested with him. But this time FOR SURE I'm going to have nothing to do with him. AND ALL MY CHILDREN!' Because I have four children. In sum, innocent."
Reposted by T. J. Stiles
in a text string after the shooting, a fellow agent told Exum he's a "legend"
"Beers on me"
"Beers on me"
February 10, 2026 at 11:46 PM
in a text string after the shooting, a fellow agent told Exum he's a "legend"
"Beers on me"
"Beers on me"
Reposted by T. J. Stiles
“National security”
Trump: "So I put on a 30% tariff, which is very low. I got an emergency call from I believe the prime minister of Switzerland. She was very aggressive ... I didn't really like the way she talked to us, so instead of giving her a reduction, I raised it to 39%."
February 11, 2026 at 12:33 AM
“National security”
Reposted by T. J. Stiles
When we get out the other side of this, we should think seriously about making signs like this permanent, like the plaques in Paris that tell you that you're standing on the exact spot where a resistance fighter was shot down by the Nazis in 1944.
seen in my neighborhood in south Minneapolis
February 10, 2026 at 11:56 PM
When we get out the other side of this, we should think seriously about making signs like this permanent, like the plaques in Paris that tell you that you're standing on the exact spot where a resistance fighter was shot down by the Nazis in 1944.
Trump just refuses to accept any facts regarding his failures. But I imagine his stolen-election crackpots start these "investigations" by getting really high, and then one says, "OK OK OK, this is just going to blow your mind, but what if—I'm serious!—Democrats and independents *don't exist.*"
The F.B.I. and Justice Department had previously investigated many of the affidavit’s claims, and interviewed many of the same witnesses, and had concluded they were not supported by the evidence. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/u...
Georgia Ballot Inquiry Originated With Election Denier in Trump White House
www.nytimes.com
February 11, 2026 at 12:42 AM
Trump just refuses to accept any facts regarding his failures. But I imagine his stolen-election crackpots start these "investigations" by getting really high, and then one says, "OK OK OK, this is just going to blow your mind, but what if—I'm serious!—Democrats and independents *don't exist.*"
Reposted by T. J. Stiles
Habeas corpus actions are the ancient common law writ used to create a legal action to sue for freedom. They were crucial in the early-nineteenth-century efforts to challenge slavery.
This graph showing “habeas cases” suddenly leaping in 2025 —
is terrifying.
dlas.uncg.edu/petitions/
This graph showing “habeas cases” suddenly leaping in 2025 —
is terrifying.
dlas.uncg.edu/petitions/
February 10, 2026 at 7:37 PM
Habeas corpus actions are the ancient common law writ used to create a legal action to sue for freedom. They were crucial in the early-nineteenth-century efforts to challenge slavery.
This graph showing “habeas cases” suddenly leaping in 2025 —
is terrifying.
dlas.uncg.edu/petitions/
This graph showing “habeas cases” suddenly leaping in 2025 —
is terrifying.
dlas.uncg.edu/petitions/
Excellent thread. Trumpism is a patchwork of the worst ideas—Putin-style
personal rule, Russ Vought hostility to an effective & beneficial state, anti-science crackpotism, etc. At bottom it is white Christian nationalism—even though it's bad for business as well as workers and consumers.
personal rule, Russ Vought hostility to an effective & beneficial state, anti-science crackpotism, etc. At bottom it is white Christian nationalism—even though it's bad for business as well as workers and consumers.
The real news here is Peter Navarro saying lower jobs numbers *are good* because they (supposedly) indicate fewer immigrants are working in the US. Trump-MAGA ideology values sheer numbers of removals over pretty much all else because their top priority is ethnic reengineering.
Peter Navarro: "The jobs report comes out tomorrow. We have to revise our expectations down significantly for what a monthly job number should look like ... Wall Street has to adjust for the fact that we're deporting millions of illegals out of the job market."
February 10, 2026 at 6:29 PM
Excellent thread. Trumpism is a patchwork of the worst ideas—Putin-style
personal rule, Russ Vought hostility to an effective & beneficial state, anti-science crackpotism, etc. At bottom it is white Christian nationalism—even though it's bad for business as well as workers and consumers.
personal rule, Russ Vought hostility to an effective & beneficial state, anti-science crackpotism, etc. At bottom it is white Christian nationalism—even though it's bad for business as well as workers and consumers.
"...and then I said to my wife, 'OK, this guy is creepy! I mean still. He's still creepy, like all the other times I interacted with him. And invested with him. But this time FOR SURE I'm going to have nothing to do with him. AND ALL MY CHILDREN!' Because I have four children. In sum, innocent."
VAN HOLLEN: Did you in fact make the visit to Epstein's private island?
LUTNICK: I did have lunch w/ him as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation. My wife was with me as were my 4 children and nannies. We had lunch on the island. That's true. For an hour. We left with all of my children
LUTNICK: I did have lunch w/ him as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation. My wife was with me as were my 4 children and nannies. We had lunch on the island. That's true. For an hour. We left with all of my children
February 10, 2026 at 6:07 PM
"...and then I said to my wife, 'OK, this guy is creepy! I mean still. He's still creepy, like all the other times I interacted with him. And invested with him. But this time FOR SURE I'm going to have nothing to do with him. AND ALL MY CHILDREN!' Because I have four children. In sum, innocent."
Reposted by T. J. Stiles
Here's what DHS doesn't want you to know: Working for ICE is one of the safest jobs in America — and last year was the second-safest year for the agency on record.
And the doxxing? It hasn't actually happened even once.
The masks are justified by a lie. www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/ice-s-mask...
And the doxxing? It hasn't actually happened even once.
The masks are justified by a lie. www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/ice-s-mask...
ICE's Masks Are All a Lie
Working for ICE is actually less dangerous than being an elementary school student in America.
www.doomsdayscenario.co
February 10, 2026 at 3:48 PM
Here's what DHS doesn't want you to know: Working for ICE is one of the safest jobs in America — and last year was the second-safest year for the agency on record.
And the doxxing? It hasn't actually happened even once.
The masks are justified by a lie. www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/ice-s-mask...
And the doxxing? It hasn't actually happened even once.
The masks are justified by a lie. www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/ice-s-mask...
Oh, and accusing Democrats of trying to shut down FEMA: chef’s-kiss level chutzpah.
February 10, 2026 at 4:59 PM
Oh, and accusing Democrats of trying to shut down FEMA: chef’s-kiss level chutzpah.
Wait till she finds out that, according to the Trump administration itself, 86% of immigration arrests under Trump were of people who hadn’t even been suspected of a violent crime.
But if we’re going to talk about a convicted felon that an entire party is protecting, have I got a name for you.
But if we’re going to talk about a convicted felon that an entire party is protecting, have I got a name for you.
February 10, 2026 at 4:58 PM
Wait till she finds out that, according to the Trump administration itself, 86% of immigration arrests under Trump were of people who hadn’t even been suspected of a violent crime.
But if we’re going to talk about a convicted felon that an entire party is protecting, have I got a name for you.
But if we’re going to talk about a convicted felon that an entire party is protecting, have I got a name for you.
We should talk more about how Trump’s retribution against blue states is a Constitutional crisis.
one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5680...
one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5680...
February 10, 2026 at 4:46 PM
We should talk more about how Trump’s retribution against blue states is a Constitutional crisis.
one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5680...
one.npr.org/i/nx-s1-5680...
Reposted by T. J. Stiles
"If the government may simply seize *someone* without due process, there is no check on its ability to seize *anyone*."
Perhaps the most fundamental check against tyranny. And it is gravely threatened.
Perhaps the most fundamental check against tyranny. And it is gravely threatened.
BONUS RULING: Judge Thomas Johnston, a George W. Bush appoiintee in West Virginia, used a recent ruling to warn of the dangers of defying due process for immigrants because of what it could also mean for Americans. It's worth a read.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
February 10, 2026 at 1:40 PM
"If the government may simply seize *someone* without due process, there is no check on its ability to seize *anyone*."
Perhaps the most fundamental check against tyranny. And it is gravely threatened.
Perhaps the most fundamental check against tyranny. And it is gravely threatened.
Reposted by T. J. Stiles
A lot of people made fun of Bush dancing with the West African Dance Company—and sure, it's funny—but this was good.
Middle aged white guy unfamiliar with something culturally nonwhite recognizes it's a happy, fun celebration, and welcomes it, participating though awkward.
That was much better.
Middle aged white guy unfamiliar with something culturally nonwhite recognizes it's a happy, fun celebration, and welcomes it, participating though awkward.
That was much better.
a man in a suit and tie is dancing in front of a group of flags
ALT: a man in a suit and tie is dancing in front of a group of flags
media.tenor.com
February 10, 2026 at 4:18 PM
A lot of people made fun of Bush dancing with the West African Dance Company—and sure, it's funny—but this was good.
Middle aged white guy unfamiliar with something culturally nonwhite recognizes it's a happy, fun celebration, and welcomes it, participating though awkward.
That was much better.
Middle aged white guy unfamiliar with something culturally nonwhite recognizes it's a happy, fun celebration, and welcomes it, participating though awkward.
That was much better.
Reposted by T. J. Stiles
Trump & Noem's masked ICE agents aren't going after the worst of the worst—they're randomly targeting innocent people, detaining children, trampling Americans' basic rights, and killing U.S. citizens.
This is not even remotely acceptable. ICE & CBP must be reined in.
This is not even remotely acceptable. ICE & CBP must be reined in.
Less than 14% of those arrested by ICE in Trump's 1st year back in office had violent criminal records, document shows
The official DHS statistics, which had not been previously reported, provide the most detailed look yet into who ICE has arrested during the Trump administration's crackdown.
www.cbsnews.com
February 9, 2026 at 6:40 PM
Trump & Noem's masked ICE agents aren't going after the worst of the worst—they're randomly targeting innocent people, detaining children, trampling Americans' basic rights, and killing U.S. citizens.
This is not even remotely acceptable. ICE & CBP must be reined in.
This is not even remotely acceptable. ICE & CBP must be reined in.
Reposted by T. J. Stiles
Aside from all the other reasons not to believe these people, every one of the “vehicle attacks” I’ve seen scrutinized were either totally phony -like Renee Goods. Or ones where like an ice agent rammed the purported assailant. Like that woman in Chicago
Ricketts: "No face masks -- we're seen a huge increase in attacks on our ICE agents. There's been 180 vehicle attacks. Overall attacks on DHS are up 8,000%. There's many so many doxxings of officers they've had to set up a tip line. This is very very serious."
February 10, 2026 at 2:55 PM
Aside from all the other reasons not to believe these people, every one of the “vehicle attacks” I’ve seen scrutinized were either totally phony -like Renee Goods. Or ones where like an ice agent rammed the purported assailant. Like that woman in Chicago
Newly Unbound, Trump Weighs More Nuclear Arms and Underground Tests
www.nytimes.com
February 10, 2026 at 7:42 AM
Reposted by T. J. Stiles
The worst people in the world doing evil and stupid things.
Trump Allies Near ‘Total Victory’ in Wiping Out U.S. Climate Regulation
www.nytimes.com
February 10, 2026 at 6:48 AM
The worst people in the world doing evil and stupid things.
That is insanely great.
February 10, 2026 at 6:29 AM
That is insanely great.
Oh well then I take back everything I said about him. This is a very normal thing for a skilled diplomat and absolutely not an unstable, ignorant egomaniac to say.
Trump, in the middle of his latest unhinged Truth Social screed, claims that if Canada makes a trade deal with China, "the first thing China will do is terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada, and permanently eliminate The Stanley Cup."
February 10, 2026 at 6:16 AM
Oh well then I take back everything I said about him. This is a very normal thing for a skilled diplomat and absolutely not an unstable, ignorant egomaniac to say.
Reposted by T. J. Stiles
This is literally what CURRENT LAW requires. It’s in the Constitution! www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
February 10, 2026 at 3:18 AM
This is literally what CURRENT LAW requires. It’s in the Constitution! www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
I once met Peter Gabriel. I said, "You're Peter Gabriel!" He cheerfully replied, "Balder and fatter!"
February 9, 2026 at 9:11 PM
I once met Peter Gabriel. I said, "You're Peter Gabriel!" He cheerfully replied, "Balder and fatter!"