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Alaska’s Republican senator Lisa Murkowski recently acknowledged that Republican lawmakers are terrified of expressing any opposition to Trump and his administration. “We are all afraid,” Murkowski admitted, noting the chilling atmosphere of intimidation that Trump and his enablers have created. “The retaliation is real.” In response, Murkowski’s Republican colleagues in the Senate have:
Showered her with praise for having the courage to publicly state what they’re feeling privately.
Pledged that they will never again let themselves be cowed into voting to confirm such supremely – even laughably – unqualified cabinet nominations as Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary and Robert F Kennedy Jr for health secretary.
Boldly announced that they will no longer sit on their hands in gutless, stupefied inaction as a chainsaw-wielding private citizen shreds the federal government.
Greeted her statement with thundering, fearful silence.
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More than 800 law firms have signed an amicus brief supporting Jenner & Block’s and WilmerHale’s lawsuits against Trump’s executive orders accusing the firms of actions that “threaten public safety and national security, limit constitutional freedoms” and “undermine bedrock American principles”. (Jenner & Block is specifically accused of hiring two former federal prosecutors who participated in the Mueller probe into suspected Russian interference in the 2016 election. WilmerHale is accused of announcing they were “thrilled” to rehire Andrew Weissman, an architect of the case against Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort, who was convicted of fraud and witness tampering and sentenced to six years of prison – before being pardoned by the president.) Which prestigious firm, among the nation’s 10 wealthiest, with partners on average earning well over $5m a year, has not signed the brief?
Wachtell, Lipton
Simpson Thacher
Sullivan & Cromwell
Kirkland & Ellis
All of the above
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CBS and its parent company Paramount Global is facing a $20bn lawsuit brought by Donald Trump alleging that 60 Minutes engaged in deceptive editing of an interview with Kamala Harris that aired during the 2024 presidential election. Last week, Bill Owens, a 37-year CBS veteran and only the third executive producer in 60 Minutes' 57-year history, resigned from the venerable weekly news program. He did so because:
He believes that 60 Minutes’ future is secure, and he wants to develop what he believes will be an equally important program, a Teletubbies-style show for adults.
He sobbingly admitted to using AI to overdub all of Harris’ responses, turning a string of inarticulate ramblings and bizarre conspiracy theories into coherent and focused statements befitting a presidential candidate.
He appears convinced that rather than challenge a transparently specious lawsuit, Paramount has targeted 60 Minutes’ journalistic independence at a time when Shari Redstone, a multi-millionaire and Paramount’s controlling shareholder, is seeking the Trump administration’s approval for a multibillion-dollar sale of her company.
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In looking to settle with Trump rather than challenge him in court, Paramount appears to be following the approach of other media giants. In December 2024, ABC News and its parent, the Walt Disney Company, settled a defamation lawsuit brought by Trump by agreeing to donate $15m to Trump's future presidential library. And in January 2025, Meta agreed to a $25m settlement over a lawsuit filed by Trump concerning his suspension from Facebook following the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. These giant corporations agreed to settle because:
They frankly felt bad for hurting the president’s feelings.
They were prepared to defend themselves in court but didn’t want to overburden their lawyers with the extra work.
It turns out that the choice between standing up for the constitutional right to freedom of press or currying financial favor with a would-be authoritarian was a no-brainer.
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Trump has also brought suit against The Des Moines Register and its parent company Gannett, seeking “unspecified damages." The suit alleges that shortly before the presidential election, the newspaper:
Called Trump a “mentally impaired, highly destructive moron”.
Disparaged Trump as “lazy as hell – a low-IQ fascist cheater”.
Characterized Trump as an “evil, sick, crazy, nasty, vindictive, horrible person".
Published a poll showing Trump trailing in Iowa.
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In a recent presidential memorandum, President Trump singled out Christopher Krebs, who served as the head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) during Trump’s first term, as a “significant bad-faith actor.” In ordering a justice department investigation into “disgraceful” “misconduct” that “violate[d] the First Amendment and… undermin[ed] the strength of our democracy itself,” Trump accused Krebs of:
Using his personal cell phone to discuss sensitive military operations with his wife, attorney and brother.
Sending out a barrage of mobster-like letters demanding ideological conformity “or else,” to everything from Georgetown law school to the New England Journal of Medicine.
Using insider information to buy and sell stocks while the president flip-flopped his way to starting a trade war.
“Falsely and baselessly deny[ing] that the 2020 election was rigged and stolen”—that is, for telling the truth.
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After the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the government must facilitate the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from a notorious Salvadoran prison and effectuate his return to the US, Stephen Miller, Trump’s trusted Homeland Security advisor, responded by:
Sheepishly appearing before reporters and contritely mumbling, “my bad.”
Solemnly acknowledging that Abrego Garcia had been improperly deported, and with President Trump and Vice President Vance nodding vigorously in agreement, saying, “Yes, we’re serious about getting a grip on illegal immigration, but, by golly, we’re also serious about respecting judicial decisions.”
Insisting that the Supreme Court had unanimously ruled in the administration’s favor, while calling the government’s own lawyer, who had admitted in court that the deportation represented an “administrative error,” a “saboteur.”
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Gleichschaltung is a German word that means “coordination” or “bringing into line”. It specifically refers to the process by which Hitler worked to suppress opposition and consolidate total control over German life, and more generally describes the attempt of any authoritarian system to enforce total conformity through coercive means. These measures typically involve:
Intimidating political opposition, such that people and organizations engage in unseemly acts of anticipatory prostration.
Targeting those institutions — the free press, the judiciary and the academy — capable of challenging abuses of executive power.
Deconstructing government bureaucracy by targeting and firing honest and responsible civil servants and replacing them with fifth-rate boot-licking toadies.
I see where this is going.
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All said and done, however, people have no reason to fear the present US administration, since in the first hundred days of his second term, Trump has shown himself to be a:
Responsible steward of constitutional values.
Stalwart defender of NATO and the western alliance.
Capable formulator of sound environmental and economic policy.
Champion of human rights.
Charming dinner host.
Solutions
1:D, 2:E, 3:C, 4:C, 5:D - Answer A is Trump’s characterization of Joe Biden; B is his characterization of Kamala Harris; C is his characterization of Nancy Pelosi., 6:D - Answer A would be Pete Hegseth; B is Ed Martin Jr., Trump’s acting US attorney for the District of Columbia; C is an allegation leveled against Marjorie Taylor Greene., 7:C, 8:D, 9:E
Scores
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0 and above.
Ready for the next 100 days?
Note: Your answers to this quiz may be subject to subpoena by the Department of Justice.
Lawrence Douglas is a professor of law at Amherst College in Massachusetts
