29. Mai 2025

Donald Trump’s ascendancy within the Republican Party is best understood as the culmination of a decades-long, self-reinforcing process of radicalization—one that the party itself initiated through strategic choices, institutional reforms, and the cultivation of a particular media environment. This process is deeply intertwined with the phenomenon of asymmetric polarization, a concept widely discussed in political science to describe the fact that, over the past several decades, the...

02. Mai 2025

The Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) data collection practices, while framed as a technocratic tool for streamlining bureaucracy, represent a seismic shift toward centralized, unaccountable governance that mirrors-and in some ways accelerates-the logic of surveillance systems in authoritarian regimes like China. At its core, DOGE’s approach weaponizes the veneer of efficiency to justify bypassing democratic safeguards, collapsing the distinction between public service and...

01. Mai 2025

The Trump administration’s strategic exploitation of legal and institutional frameworks to expand executive power provides a compelling case study in the academic discourse on democratic backsliding-a process marked by the gradual erosion of checks on authority, the subversion of independent institutions, and the manipulation of legal systems to consolidate control. This pattern aligns with scholarly models that identify democratic decline not through overt coups or authoritarian power grabs,...

24. April 2025

Donald Trump’s repeated references to the U.S. tariff policy of 1870 to 1913 as a model for today’s government financing reveal a historically incoherent and economically naïve worldview that disregards both radically changed fiscal realities and the social costs of that earlier system. His claim that tariffs could replace the income tax fails at the most basic empirical level: Between 1870 and 1913, tariffs accounted for an average of 38–50% of federal revenue, at a time when government...

18. April 2025

Donald Trump’s recent actions against Venezuelan migrants represent nothing less than an authoritarian breach in American politics. By designating the Venezuelan gang “Tren de Aragua” as a terrorist organization and invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798—a relic from an era of existential threat—Trump is weaponizing the legal system to stigmatize and exclude political opponents and minorities. The real scandal, however, lies in how openly and systematically the Trump administration...

06. April 2025

Since Donald Trump’s second term began in January 2025, his administration has embarked on a radical restructuring of American governance, revealing a disturbing alignment with Curtis Yarvin’s neo-reactionary philosophy. Yarvin, a political theorist and key figure in the "Dark Enlightenment" movement, has long advocated for dismantling democracy in favor of centralized, authoritarian rule. His ideas, once confined to niche intellectual circles, are now being operationalized at the highest...

05. April 2025

The GOP’s FY2025 budget proposal is more than just a fiscal plan—it’s a bold statement of priorities, ideology, and strategy that reflects decades of Republican economic thinking. At its heart, the proposal doubles down on tax cuts as the engine of economic growth, deep spending reductions to rein in deficits, and a focus on defense and border security. But while it’s ambitious in scope, it raises serious questions about sustainability, equity, and the political risks of such sweeping...

28. März 2025

Dear readers, I wanted to let you know that I'll be writing fewer blog entries in the near future as I've embarked on an exciting new project. I'm thrilled to announce that I've started a weekly podcast with Handelsblatt and Nicole Bastian called "Trump Watch." This new podcast, which launched in 2025, focuses on analyzing the second term of Donald Trump's presidency1. Each Wednesday afternoon, Nicole Bastian (co-head of Handelsblatt's podcast, video, and live journalism department) and I dive...

17. März 2025

Elon Musk’s role as de facto shadow president in Donald Trump’s administration exemplifies the dangerous erosion of democratic norms through the unchecked fusion of corporate power and federal authority. Appointed as a "special government employee" to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk has exploited ambiguities in his mandate to orchestrate a chaotic, self-serving overhaul of federal operations—all while evading accountability and enriching his empire. The...

04. März 2025

As President Donald Trump prepares to address Congress tonight at 9 PM ET, the nation braces for what will undoubtedly be a disturbing display of autocratic ambition and democratic erosion. In just six weeks since regaining office, Trump has unleashed a relentless assault on American institutions, values, and global standing that will likely be both celebrated and amplified in his speech. Trump's address comes at a critical juncture, with his administration's actions already sending shockwaves...