The news cycle on Tuesday was dominated by Vanity Fair’s interview with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. The wall-to-wall coverage of the interview is justified because it highlights Wiles’ status as chief enabler of an aspiring dictator, her gross incompetence as Chief of Staff, and her amoral detachment as Trump assaults democracy.
There is much to be discerned from the Vanity Fair interview, but the lessons relate to the judgment of history on those who enabled the most dangerous threat to democracy in our nation’s history. But there are more urgent and important stories that deserve our attention because they relate to our immediate efforts to defend democracy.
Let’s take a look at those stories before coming back to the significance of the Vanity Fair interview with Susie Wiles.
Trump declares a blockade of Venezuela—an act of war.
In an unhinged post on Tuesday, Trump announced the US had instituted a blockade of Venezuela, a tactic that is defined as “an act of aggression” by the Rome Statute. (The Rome Statute is an international treaty that is a key component of international law; it establishes the International Criminal Court (ICC). The US does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC.)
Although the blockade is allegedly limited to oil tankers, Trump’s announcement contained sweeping language that seemed to include all of Venezuela. Trump wrote:
Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America. It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before–Until such time as they return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us.”
Significantly, Trump ties the blockade to the “return . . . oil and land”—objectives that make clear the US aggression against Venezuela is an act of war.
Under the War Powers Act, the president must notify Congress within 48 hours and obtain approval for committing US troops to “hostilities.” Although Trump has scheduled an address to the nation on Wednesday evening, there is no indication that Trump will announce a war on Venezuela or that he is seeking congressional approval to do so. (Instead, he is expected to lie about his alleged accomplishments during the first year of his second term.)
On Tuesday, the US military engaged in another unlawful attack on three alleged drug boats, killing eight people. See ABC News, Military conducts 3 more boat strikes in the Pacific, killing 8: SOUTHCOM.
As discussed previously in this newsletter and thousands of other sources, the US military’s lethal strikes on boats carrying non-combatant civilians are likely war crimes or murder.
While Trump has criminal immunity and will likely pardon Pete Hegseth and those in the chain of command against prosecution under the US criminal code, each of them may find themselves charged with war crimes by the International Criminal Court. See Time Magazine, (12/1/25), Could Hegseth Face Prosecution for Alleged ‘Kill Everyone’ Order?
Of course, potential liability for war crimes explains why Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth refuses to release the full video of the second strike on the alleged drug boat on September 2, 2025. In contrast, the administration eagerly released an edited version of the video showing the first strike, which killed nine people. See The Hill, Hegseth: Pentagon won’t release full video of Sept. 2 boat strikes.
By the time you read this newsletter, US forces may have mounted a land assault on the sovereign territory of Venezuela—the very definition of war.
Speaker Mike Johnson prevents vote on ACA subsidies bill
On Tuesday, Mike Johnson prevented a Republican proposal extending ACA subsidies from reaching the floor. See UPI News, Speaker Mike Johnson says he won’t allow vote on Affordable Care Act enhanced subsidies.
Republicans have accepted that they will be blamed by voters for increasing healthcare premiums and have given up any pretense of trying to fashion a solution.
Democrats must make affordable healthcare a marquee issue in the 2026 midterms.
Kentucky Democrat overperforms—by a lot—in special election for state senate
In another special election that bodes well for Democrats, Gary Clemons won a seat in the Kentucky state senate by 72 percentage points. Trump lost that same district in 2024 by only 5 percentage points. Thus, the Democratic candidate managed a 68-point swing! See Raw Story, Dems score blowout victory in Kentucky as Trump’s popularity plummets.
While the special election depressed turnout, the pattern of Democratic overperformance is so consistent and overwhelming that there are no excuses for a 68-point swing.
Disappointing jobs report shows economy teetering on the edge
Due to chaos caused by government layoffs, the federal government has failed to report on employment numbers for two months. On Tuesday, the government released figures for November and October. The news was not good. See WSJ, U.S. Unemployment Rose in November Despite Job Gains | The 4.6% rate is the highest in more than four years, according to a delayed government report
Per WSJ,
Taken together, the data point to one of the weakest American labor markets in years. While the economy has added jobs so far this year, mostly on the back of gains in healthcare and education, the shock of shifting trade policies and an immigration crackdown has restrained labor demand and supply, making for tepid hiring overall.
“All roads lead back to policy out of Washington, D.C.,” said Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM. “I’m not saying this is a harbinger of a recession, but we have some real challenges to the economy that we didn’t have one year ago.”
As noted by the Journal, the weak job market is attributable to decisions by the Trump administration relating to tariffs, trade wars, and the thuggish tactics of ICE and CBP in deporting immigrants who are gainfully employed in the US.
JD Vance made an appearance in Pennsylvania, where he blamed the weak economy on Joe Biden. No one believes what Vance is selling. The truth is that by June 2024, the US recovery after the pandemic was so stellar that it was described as “the envy of the world.” See The Atlantic, (6/10/24), The U.S. Economy Reaches Superstar Status.
Per The Atlantic,
If the United States’ economy were an athlete, right now it would be peak LeBron James. If it were a pop star, it would be peak Taylor Swift. . . . The growth rate is high, the unemployment rate is at historic lows, household wealth is surging, and wages are rising faster than costs, especially for the working class. There are many ways to define a good economy. America is in tremendous shape, according to just about any of them.
Let’s start with economists’ favorite metric: growth. . . . Right now America’s economic-growth rate is the envy of the world
Pandemic inflation was indeed stubborn under Biden, but he was making consistent progress. Then along came Trump and promised to “lower prices on day one,” a promise he immediately broke. See Newsweek, (2/12/2025), Donald Trump’s Pledge to Lower Costs on ‘Day One’ is Unraveling.
It is journalistic malpractice not to refute the false claim that “It’s all Biden’s fault” when rebuttal evidence can easily be retrieved—and when Trump claimed that he would lower prices on “day one,” an explicit promise that he has failed to keep.
Susie Wiles’ interview with Variety confirms what we already believed about Trump and his enablers.
Variety’s interview with Susie Wiles is sending shockwaves through the political establishment because of her candid comments about Trump and his closest advisers. The only real “news” is that Susie Wiles said to a reporter statements that everyone knows to be true about Trump: he is a mercurial, vengeful, undisciplined, unconcerned about the Constitution, the rule of law, or the harm that he is inflicting on Americans.
I want to address two aspects of the article before linking to sources that summarize the major revelations in the interview.
The first is Susie Wiles’ description of herself as a helpless, hapless Chief of Staff with no authority, agency, or control over Trump or anyone else in the administration. She cites no instances where she was able to restrain Trump. She acknowledges her discomfort and strong disagreement with many of his decisions, but “gives up” resistance when she is “outvoted” by others or when Trump ignores her. She describes being “surprised” by many actions taken by others, but exhibits no willingness to get to the bottom of how or why those developments occurred. (E.g., the transfer of Ghislaine Maxwell to a minimum-security prison.)
In short, Wiles is a feckless observer, providing legitimacy and cover to a man who undermines the Constitution and the rule of law every day. While she serves the president, she also serves the Constitution and the American people. She has failed both in a spectacular fashion.
The second point is this: Susie Wiles and dozens of others are enabling Trump. They must be held accountable. Wiles is serving a man who is directing the commission of war crimes, violating the Constitution, and engaging in unprecedented graft on a daily basis. Her reward cannot be a lucrative book deal and a high-paid position at a conservative think tank.
She should be shunned from society, banned from talk shows and podcasts, repudiated by the surviving vestiges of the Republican Party, and (if appropriate and possible) prosecuted as a co-conspirator. The same for Vance, Hegseth, Rubio, Bondi, Leavitt, and everyone else who is normalizing the person seeking to break American democracy.
With that introduction, here are a few key takeaways from the Variety interview. (The article is behind a paywall, so I will refer to secondary sources that quote the article.)
Trump is in the Epstein files, but didn’t do “anything awful” because he and Epstein were just “young, single, playboys together.” See Raw Story, Susie Wiles directly contradicts Trump’s Epstein denial: analyst.
Trump believes that there are no limits on his power as president (“Trump “operates [with] a view that there’s nothing he can’t do,” Wiles said. “Nothing, zero, nothing. Axios).
Trump has an “alcoholic’s personality.” Axios.
Pam Bondi “whiffed” the Epstein investigation. “First she gave them binders full of nothingness. And then she said that the witness list, or the client list, was on her desk. There is no client list, and it sure as hell wasn’t on her desk.” The Independent.
Wiles had a “loose agreement” with Trump that he would limit his “score settling” campaign to the first 90 days of his second term. The Independent.
The lawsuit against Letitia James is an example of a retribution lawsuit. The Hill.
JD Vance has been “a conspiracy theorist for a decade.” The Hill.
Vance’s transformation from a “never Trumper” to an avid supporter of Trump was suspect.
Elon Musk was an “odd duck” and “an avowed ketamine” user. Some of his actions left her “aghast.” The Hill.
“No rational person could think the [dismantling of the] USAID process was a good one. Nobody.” The Independent
When Trump’s advisers were split over the wisdom of tariffs, “Wiles told them to get with Trump’s program, [saying] ‘This is where we’re going to end up. So figure out how you can work into what he’s already thinking.” But it turns out that tariffs have “been more painful than I expected.”
As to the Cabinet, Wiles says it is “a world-class Cabinet, better than anything I could have conceived of.” And of Robert Kennedy, “He pushes the envelope—some would say too far. But I say in order to get back to the middle, you have to push it too far.”
There is more, but what is conspicuous in the article is that Wiles appears to have no authority. Instead, she merely facilitates the ultimate surrender to whatever Trump wants.
When the history of this period is written, Susie Wiles will be Trump’s Chief Enabler—and all that implies. She has turned her back on American democracy to serve the most corrupt, hateful, and dangerous president in our history. That will be her legacy.
Opportunities for reader engagement
In yesterday’s newsletter, I included my interview with Jim Shelton of 31st Street Swing Left. I neglected to include a link to the website for those who would like to read more about 31st Street Swing Left and the causes it supports: https://www.31ststreet.org/.
Concluding Thoughts
The Vanity Fair interview confirmed what most of us believed: Trump is operating without guardrails or restraints. He does what he wants and receives no pushback or guidance from rational voices in the administration. And he imposes no constraints on the nutjob Cabinet members who are destroying our military, justice department, educational system, and medical science research establishment.
That leaves us. “We, the people,” are the final check and balance on Trump. The Vanity Fair article validates our concern and alarm. And it warns that we must redouble our efforts. Trump is in trouble and will likely create new controversies and crises to distract from his failing presidency. We must be prepared with tens of millions of Americans ready to take to the streets in peaceful protest on a moment’s notice.
Everything we have done to this point has prepared us to meet this moment. We should be confident but not complacent. Stay strong, be alert, and have courage! We will win. It’s just a question of time . . . .
Talk to you tomorrow!
Pro-democracy protest photos
Southern Maine
Here are two from Southern Maine and we had some very good news this week that you might not have seen. Gov. Mills announced that she will allow LD 1971 to become law which limits the use of Maine resources to support the President’s mass deportation agenda. She also repealed a 2011 executive order that required all state officials to cooperate with federal immigration authorities - YAY!
The Newburyport Democratic City Committee, MA
We continue to have a weekly protest on Saturdays from 11:00 to noon. On the 13th, we held a special Tea & Toy Protest to commemorate the 1774 Newburyport Tea Party, when citizens burned tea in Market Square. Approximately 100 people marched from the Superior Court House to Market Square carrying donations of toys and gift cards for The Boys and Girls Club of the Lower Merrimack Valley. After speeches, we presented the toys to a representative of the Boys and Girls Club. The event was a great success!
Pasadena, CA
Thought I’d send you photos of our group and our message this morning after such a difficult and sorrowful weekend. We are members of Indivisible Rooted in Resistance SGV and we are at the Wilson Street overpass every Tuesday and Thursday morning.
Daily Dose of Perspective
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