Michael D. Swaine
@mdswaine5.bsky.social
I am a senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft in Washington DC. For over 30 years, I have been an expert on China- and Asia-related national security matters and authored many publications on these topics.
Reposted by Michael D. Swaine
We are joined by @mdswaine5.bsky.social to discuss the smallest man with the biggest job in America, our belligerent nuclear-gunfighter Pete Hegseth who called out China in a hegemonic showdown on Saturday in Singapore. soundcloud.com/user-8304426...
The Smallest Man With The Biggest Job in America Calls Out China in a Hegemonic Showdown
June 2, 2025 - Michael Swaine
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June 2, 2025 at 10:22 PM
We are joined by @mdswaine5.bsky.social to discuss the smallest man with the biggest job in America, our belligerent nuclear-gunfighter Pete Hegseth who called out China in a hegemonic showdown on Saturday in Singapore. soundcloud.com/user-8304426...
Reposted by Michael D. Swaine
NOW at backgroundbriefing.org | @mdswaine5.bsky.social - Hegseth Calls Out China in a Hegemonic Showdown | @ryanlcooper.com - Trump and Musk's Refugees From an Imaginary White Genocide | George Packer - Part 2 of Our Conversation on his Article, "The Talented Mr. Vance"
June 2, 2025 at 10:23 PM
NOW at backgroundbriefing.org | @mdswaine5.bsky.social - Hegseth Calls Out China in a Hegemonic Showdown | @ryanlcooper.com - Trump and Musk's Refugees From an Imaginary White Genocide | George Packer - Part 2 of Our Conversation on his Article, "The Talented Mr. Vance"
www.cnn.com/2025/06/04/p...
Largely a waste of time listening to a super-sycophant like Johnson try to explain the Trump-Musk food fight.
Largely a waste of time listening to a super-sycophant like Johnson try to explain the Trump-Musk food fight.
‘It surprised me’: Speaker Johnson reacts to Musk’s comments | CNN Politics
House Speaker Mike Johnson reacts to Elon Musk’s recent comments lashing out at President Donald Trump’s agenda bill — which the president is pressuring GOP senators to support — calling it a “disgust...
www.cnn.com
June 7, 2025 at 2:28 PM
www.cnn.com/2025/06/04/p...
Largely a waste of time listening to a super-sycophant like Johnson try to explain the Trump-Musk food fight.
Largely a waste of time listening to a super-sycophant like Johnson try to explain the Trump-Musk food fight.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/27/o...
Amazing how Trump, and many Americans, don’t realize how cheap and cheesy this looks. Talk about gilding the lily. But Trump is nothing if not crass.
Amazing how Trump, and many Americans, don’t realize how cheap and cheesy this looks. Talk about gilding the lily. But Trump is nothing if not crass.
Opinion | All Hail Our Rococo President!
www.nytimes.com
May 27, 2025 at 1:59 PM
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/27/o...
Amazing how Trump, and many Americans, don’t realize how cheap and cheesy this looks. Talk about gilding the lily. But Trump is nothing if not crass.
Amazing how Trump, and many Americans, don’t realize how cheap and cheesy this looks. Talk about gilding the lily. But Trump is nothing if not crass.
Harvard Paid $27 for a Copy of Magna Carta. Surprise! It’s an Original.
www.nytimes.com
May 16, 2025 at 1:26 PM
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/o...
Interesting, Hawley actually supports an issue that makes sense for once, because his constituents demand it.
Interesting, Hawley actually supports an issue that makes sense for once, because his constituents demand it.
Opinion | Josh Hawley: Don’t Cut Medicaid
www.nytimes.com
May 12, 2025 at 1:39 PM
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/o...
Interesting, Hawley actually supports an issue that makes sense for once, because his constituents demand it.
Interesting, Hawley actually supports an issue that makes sense for once, because his constituents demand it.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/04/o...
Textbook case of how extreme social disorder can pave the way for a dictatorship. Trump tries to portray the U.S. in crisis to justify his tyrannical actions. If his policies create a recession, he will claim more powers in order to deal with the self-created crisis.
Textbook case of how extreme social disorder can pave the way for a dictatorship. Trump tries to portray the U.S. in crisis to justify his tyrannical actions. If his policies create a recession, he will claim more powers in order to deal with the self-created crisis.
Opinion | The World Is Finally Seeing How Dangerous President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador Really Is
Even if El Salvador’s president has ironically called himself the “coolest dictator in the world,” he’s a dictator nonetheless.
www.nytimes.com
May 4, 2025 at 1:47 PM
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/04/o...
Textbook case of how extreme social disorder can pave the way for a dictatorship. Trump tries to portray the U.S. in crisis to justify his tyrannical actions. If his policies create a recession, he will claim more powers in order to deal with the self-created crisis.
Textbook case of how extreme social disorder can pave the way for a dictatorship. Trump tries to portray the U.S. in crisis to justify his tyrannical actions. If his policies create a recession, he will claim more powers in order to deal with the self-created crisis.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/04/u...
This shows people how genuinely pathetic Trump is. He craves attention from Ivy League schools while bashing them for not providing it in positive ways. Sort of like the attitude of a spurned child toward his parents.
This shows people how genuinely pathetic Trump is. He craves attention from Ivy League schools while bashing them for not providing it in positive ways. Sort of like the attitude of a spurned child toward his parents.
Trump Battles Universities, but Especially Harvard and the Ivy League
Beyond the politics is a brew of resentment and reverence that the president, an Ivy League graduate himself, has long harbored for a club that has never accepted him.
www.nytimes.com
May 4, 2025 at 1:09 PM
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/04/u...
This shows people how genuinely pathetic Trump is. He craves attention from Ivy League schools while bashing them for not providing it in positive ways. Sort of like the attitude of a spurned child toward his parents.
This shows people how genuinely pathetic Trump is. He craves attention from Ivy League schools while bashing them for not providing it in positive ways. Sort of like the attitude of a spurned child toward his parents.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/01/u...
Amazing how much appalling, autocratic behavior by the Trump regime is in every day’s news.
Amazing how much appalling, autocratic behavior by the Trump regime is in every day’s news.
Trump Administration Cancels $1 Billion in Grants for Student Mental Health
Congress authorized the money in a bipartisan breakthrough around addressing gun violence after a shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, killed 19 children and two teachers.
www.nytimes.com
May 2, 2025 at 1:30 PM
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/01/u...
Amazing how much appalling, autocratic behavior by the Trump regime is in every day’s news.
Amazing how much appalling, autocratic behavior by the Trump regime is in every day’s news.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/01/o...
While I share Brook’s desire for decency and resistance to Trump’s paganism, I don’t agree with his tying this to Christianity and Judaism. You don’t need to be religious to stand up for decency and oppose tyranny.
While I share Brook’s desire for decency and resistance to Trump’s paganism, I don’t agree with his tying this to Christianity and Judaism. You don’t need to be religious to stand up for decency and oppose tyranny.
Opinion | How to Survive the Trump Years With Your Spirit Intact
I’ve found it necessary to root myself in anything that feels rehumanizing, whether it’s art or literature or learning.
www.nytimes.com
May 2, 2025 at 1:11 PM
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/01/o...
While I share Brook’s desire for decency and resistance to Trump’s paganism, I don’t agree with his tying this to Christianity and Judaism. You don’t need to be religious to stand up for decency and oppose tyranny.
While I share Brook’s desire for decency and resistance to Trump’s paganism, I don’t agree with his tying this to Christianity and Judaism. You don’t need to be religious to stand up for decency and oppose tyranny.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/01/u...
No surprise for one of the most obsequious of Trump’s quislings. He is regarded by some as an adult in the room, but far from it.
No surprise for one of the most obsequious of Trump’s quislings. He is regarded by some as an adult in the room, but far from it.
Marco Rubio Adds a New Title Under Trump: Interim National Security Adviser
The former senator from Florida is now the head of four government bodies. He has outdone Henry Kissinger and even Xi Jinping, China’s leader, who has only three main titles.
www.nytimes.com
May 2, 2025 at 12:49 PM
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/01/u...
No surprise for one of the most obsequious of Trump’s quislings. He is regarded by some as an adult in the room, but far from it.
No surprise for one of the most obsequious of Trump’s quislings. He is regarded by some as an adult in the room, but far from it.
www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/...
As predictable as the sun rising in the morning. The only source of detailed reporting on serious news is of course opposed by the extreme right-wing dictator in the White House. Shameful and disgusting, but par for the course.
As predictable as the sun rising in the morning. The only source of detailed reporting on serious news is of course opposed by the extreme right-wing dictator in the White House. Shameful and disgusting, but par for the course.
Trump signs order seeking to end federal funding for NPR and PBS
The executive order also instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to halt indirect funding of NPR and PBS through grants to local stations.
www.washingtonpost.com
May 2, 2025 at 12:24 PM
www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/...
As predictable as the sun rising in the morning. The only source of detailed reporting on serious news is of course opposed by the extreme right-wing dictator in the White House. Shameful and disgusting, but par for the course.
As predictable as the sun rising in the morning. The only source of detailed reporting on serious news is of course opposed by the extreme right-wing dictator in the White House. Shameful and disgusting, but par for the course.
China calls US a ‘small stranded boat’ in propaganda campaign
Some hypocrisy in the Chinese propaganda against Trump, but also some truth.
Some hypocrisy in the Chinese propaganda against Trump, but also some truth.
April 29, 2025 at 2:00 PM
China calls US a ‘small stranded boat’ in propaganda campaign
Some hypocrisy in the Chinese propaganda against Trump, but also some truth.
Some hypocrisy in the Chinese propaganda against Trump, but also some truth.
We’ve had a ‘constitutional dictatorship’ before. Trump is different.
How Trump’s dictatorship is way worse than those of Washington, Lincoln, FDR, or George W Bush. If we had an actual working Congress that was not cowering before Trump, we would likely see meaningful impeachment actions.
How Trump’s dictatorship is way worse than those of Washington, Lincoln, FDR, or George W Bush. If we had an actual working Congress that was not cowering before Trump, we would likely see meaningful impeachment actions.
April 29, 2025 at 1:53 PM
We’ve had a ‘constitutional dictatorship’ before. Trump is different.
How Trump’s dictatorship is way worse than those of Washington, Lincoln, FDR, or George W Bush. If we had an actual working Congress that was not cowering before Trump, we would likely see meaningful impeachment actions.
How Trump’s dictatorship is way worse than those of Washington, Lincoln, FDR, or George W Bush. If we had an actual working Congress that was not cowering before Trump, we would likely see meaningful impeachment actions.
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/28/o...
Everyone should read this, a resounding condemnation of the authoritarian Trump regime by dozens of top legal scholars. One says that even if Trump is stopped dead today, it will take many years to undo the damage he has wrought. Another calls for popular resistance
Everyone should read this, a resounding condemnation of the authoritarian Trump regime by dozens of top legal scholars. One says that even if Trump is stopped dead today, it will take many years to undo the damage he has wrought. Another calls for popular resistance
Opinion | A Road Map of Trump’s Lawless Presidency
A diverse group of legal scholars flash red warning lights about the future of America.
www.nytimes.com
April 28, 2025 at 2:24 PM
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/28/o...
Everyone should read this, a resounding condemnation of the authoritarian Trump regime by dozens of top legal scholars. One says that even if Trump is stopped dead today, it will take many years to undo the damage he has wrought. Another calls for popular resistance
Everyone should read this, a resounding condemnation of the authoritarian Trump regime by dozens of top legal scholars. One says that even if Trump is stopped dead today, it will take many years to undo the damage he has wrought. Another calls for popular resistance
Three U.S. citizens, ages 2, 4 and 7, swiftly deported from Louisiana
“One of them is a 4-year-old with Stage 4 cancer who was deported without medication or the ability to contact their doctors, the family’s lawyer said.”
One might argue that this is even worse than fascism. It’s simply inhuman.
“One of them is a 4-year-old with Stage 4 cancer who was deported without medication or the ability to contact their doctors, the family’s lawyer said.”
One might argue that this is even worse than fascism. It’s simply inhuman.
April 27, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Three U.S. citizens, ages 2, 4 and 7, swiftly deported from Louisiana
“One of them is a 4-year-old with Stage 4 cancer who was deported without medication or the ability to contact their doctors, the family’s lawyer said.”
One might argue that this is even worse than fascism. It’s simply inhuman.
“One of them is a 4-year-old with Stage 4 cancer who was deported without medication or the ability to contact their doctors, the family’s lawyer said.”
One might argue that this is even worse than fascism. It’s simply inhuman.
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/27/o...
“The draining of democratic values from our national identity will leave America defined by its size, power and quixotic lust for profit: a place, not an idea. Roosevelt left us the inheritance of believing we were the good guys. Mr. Trump is eviscerating that…”
“The draining of democratic values from our national identity will leave America defined by its size, power and quixotic lust for profit: a place, not an idea. Roosevelt left us the inheritance of believing we were the good guys. Mr. Trump is eviscerating that…”
Opinion | Trump Has Destroyed What Made America Great. It Only Took 100 Days.
This is more than a shift in foreign policy; it’s a divorce so comprehensive that it makes Brexit look modest by comparison.
www.nytimes.com
April 27, 2025 at 1:16 PM
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/27/o...
“The draining of democratic values from our national identity will leave America defined by its size, power and quixotic lust for profit: a place, not an idea. Roosevelt left us the inheritance of believing we were the good guys. Mr. Trump is eviscerating that…”
“The draining of democratic values from our national identity will leave America defined by its size, power and quixotic lust for profit: a place, not an idea. Roosevelt left us the inheritance of believing we were the good guys. Mr. Trump is eviscerating that…”
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/27/u...
Glad to see a wave of law suits against an illegal set of Trump moves. Maybe the quislings in Congress will grow a backbone and support them.
Glad to see a wave of law suits against an illegal set of Trump moves. Maybe the quislings in Congress will grow a backbone and support them.
Trump’s Tariffs Prompt Wave of Lawsuits
The cases are the latest test of the president’s expansive claims of executive power.
www.nytimes.com
April 27, 2025 at 12:14 PM
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/27/u...
Glad to see a wave of law suits against an illegal set of Trump moves. Maybe the quislings in Congress will grow a backbone and support them.
Glad to see a wave of law suits against an illegal set of Trump moves. Maybe the quislings in Congress will grow a backbone and support them.
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/26/b...
Excellent essay. “The fixation with infinite growth can hijack endowments to a circuitous logic, making them problematic in ways that are surfacing now. Locked up in order to get bigger, they become harder to access when they are needed….”
Excellent essay. “The fixation with infinite growth can hijack endowments to a circuitous logic, making them problematic in ways that are surfacing now. Locked up in order to get bigger, they become harder to access when they are needed….”
Harvard’s War With Trump Forces Question of How Endowments Should Be Spent
The Trump administration’s war on elite universities has forced them to consider whether it’s ever worth dipping into the trust.
www.nytimes.com
April 26, 2025 at 2:55 PM
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/26/b...
Excellent essay. “The fixation with infinite growth can hijack endowments to a circuitous logic, making them problematic in ways that are surfacing now. Locked up in order to get bigger, they become harder to access when they are needed….”
Excellent essay. “The fixation with infinite growth can hijack endowments to a circuitous logic, making them problematic in ways that are surfacing now. Locked up in order to get bigger, they become harder to access when they are needed….”
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/26/o...
Why does Douthat think that Trumpism has something to do with conservatism? He seems to be coaching the movement to become more rooted in reality, as if that is possible and desirable. This is a cult driven by the insatiable egoism of its orange faced leader.
Why does Douthat think that Trumpism has something to do with conservatism? He seems to be coaching the movement to become more rooted in reality, as if that is possible and desirable. This is a cult driven by the insatiable egoism of its orange faced leader.
Opinion | Why Is Trump Struggling? His Administration Is Too Black-Pilled.
Even in a dire situation, you still need a response calibrated to reality.
www.nytimes.com
April 26, 2025 at 2:40 PM
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/26/o...
Why does Douthat think that Trumpism has something to do with conservatism? He seems to be coaching the movement to become more rooted in reality, as if that is possible and desirable. This is a cult driven by the insatiable egoism of its orange faced leader.
Why does Douthat think that Trumpism has something to do with conservatism? He seems to be coaching the movement to become more rooted in reality, as if that is possible and desirable. This is a cult driven by the insatiable egoism of its orange faced leader.