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A Blow to Global Authoritarianism

April 13, 2026 at 12:35 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Jacob T. Levy: “It’s not just that Orbán losing inspires hope in other competitive-autocratic countries ruled by right-wing nationalist authoritarians. It’s that his loss materially changes things in those other countries, because he’s been operating as a headquarters and funding source for the international ideological movement.”

Timothy Ash: “People may go along with a kleptocracy for as long as an economy is doing well, but ultimately, if the economy starts failing, and they see all these guys lining their pockets, then you can expect a reaction.”

Trump’s Erratic Behavior Revive Mental Health Debate

April 13, 2026 at 12:32 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “President Trump’s erratic behavior and extreme comments in recent days and weeks have turbocharged the crazy-like-a-fox-or-just-plain-crazy debate that has followed him on the national political stage for a decade.”

“A series of disjointed, hard-to-follow and sometimes-profane statements capped by his ‘a whole civilization will die tonight’ threat to wipe Iran off the map last week and his head-spinning attack on the ‘WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy’ pope on Sunday night have left many with the impression of a deranged autocrat mad with power.”

Illiberalism Is Not Inevitable

April 13, 2026 at 11:39 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Anne Applebaum: “Orbán’s loss brings to an end the assumption of inevitability that has pervaded the MAGA movement, as well as the belief—also present in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rhetoric—that illiberal parties are somehow destined not just to win but to hold power forever, because they have the support of the “real” people. As it turns out, history doesn’t work like that. “Real” people grow tired of their rulers. Old ideas become stale. Younger people question orthodoxy. Illiberalism leads to corruption.”

“And if Orbán can lose, then his Russian and American admirers can lose too.”

Trump Removes Post Depicting Himself as Jesus Christ

April 13, 2026 at 11:36 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump has deleted his post portraying himself as Jesus after facing some backlash from his own supporters, CNN reports.

Trump Threatens to Blow Up Boats in the Strait of Hormuz

April 13, 2026 at 11:29 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Donald Trump threatened to blow up any Iranian ships attempting to violate his newly imposed blockade on Monday morning, with the commander in chief saying any boats that try it will be ‘ELIMINATED’ in the same way his administration attacked suspected drug-running boats from South America,” Mediaite reports.

Swalwell’s Fall Punctuates Woes of Democrats in California

April 13, 2026 at 11:27 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “The California governor’s race was supposed to give Democrats a chance to elevate a new party leader in the nation’s most symbolically significant liberal state, and fill a powerful perch with a progressive voice leading the opposition to President Trump.”

“Instead, the contest to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom has played out more like a series of unfortunate events, culminating with the demise of Representative Eric Swalwell’s campaign in a stew of sexual misconduct accusations.”

Judge Dismisses Trump Suit Against Wall Street Journal

April 13, 2026 at 10:25 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

CBS News: “A federal judge in Miami handed President Trump a defeat in his defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal over a story about a birthday book for Jeffrey Epstein, saying the president’s legal team failed to clear the legal bar needed to bring the case.”

Trump’s Post Called ‘Blasphemous’

April 13, 2026 at 10:19 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “President Donald Trump’s posting of a rendering that appeared to depict him as Jesus drew rare criticism from the religious right, prompting calls for him to take down the post and allegations of blasphemy.”

“Shortly after posting a screed against Pope Leo XIV on Sunday night as he returned to Washington from Florida, Trump shared an AI-generated image in the style of a painting, depicting him in a long white robe. In one hand was an orb glowing with light; Trump’s other hand rested on the forehead of a man in what resembled a hospital bed — light beaming from the man’s head as Trump appeared to pray for his healing. Patriotic symbols including an eagle, fireworks and the Statue of Liberty filled the frame.”

Why Trump Is Picking a Fight with the Pope

April 13, 2026 at 9:39 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

It would normally be political malpractice to pick a public fight with Pope Leo.

There are more than 50 million Catholic voters in the United States, and antagonizing their spiritual leader is the kind of move rational campaigns would try to avoid.

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Polls Reopen in Peru

April 13, 2026 at 9:09 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Bloomberg: “Thousands of Peruvians are set to go to the polls again on Monday after their ballots never showed up the day before, a mishap that has the potential to affect the results in a tight race.”

The World’s Economy Is About to Change Abruptly

April 13, 2026 at 7:55 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Robert Pape: “The global economy is about to shift from price shock to physical constraint—and once that happens, policy will no longer stabilize the system; the system will begin forcing policy.”

“The language of this crisis is still wrong. Most commentary continues to describe rising oil prices as the central problem, as if this were another cyclical disruption that markets will absorb. That framing is now obsolete. What is unfolding is not primarily a price event but a structural supply shock operating on a system that lacks the capacity to adjust in the time that matters.”

When the Iran War Gets Real for Most Americans

April 13, 2026 at 7:46 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The collapse of weekend peace talks is more than a diplomatic failure — it’s the moment the Iran war begins to migrate from the foreign policy pages into domestic politics.

And that’s where the real danger lies for President Trump and the Republican Party, which has largely marched in lockstep behind him.

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Trump Posts Image Portraying Himself as Jesus Christ

April 13, 2026 at 7:27 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump triggered a rare wave of backlash from his most loyal supporters late last night after he shared an image portraying himself as Jesus Christ that infuriated religious followers who accused him of “blasphemy,” Mediaite reports.

Time Is On Iran’s Side

April 13, 2026 at 7:25 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Gideon Rachman: “The Iranians believe that time is on their side in this confrontation and they are probably right. The longer the Strait of Hormuz is closed, the more the economic and political pressure on the US and its allies will mount.”

“As a result, Iran’s negotiating hand is likely to be stronger — if and when peace talks resume.”

Time Is Running Out for Janet Mills

April 13, 2026 at 7:24 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Gov. Janet Mills’ supporters publicly insist she can still win Maine’s Senate seat. But quietly, many of them in both Maine and Washington say she’s running out of time to defeat Graham Platner in the primary,” NOTUS reports.

Said one Democratic official: “In the last week, for a lot of people, the perception of her race has really changed. I just think her negative ads don’t feel like they’re working.”

Will Musk Be Forced to Explain What He Did with DOGE?

April 13, 2026 at 7:21 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Elon Musk was ubiquitous in Washington last spring, wielding unprecedented power helping the Trump administration reshape and, in some cases, dismantle federal agencies across the government,” CNN reports.

“But now, his legal adversaries can’t find him to answer questions under oath about the role he played at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency in the first months of President Donald Trump’s administration.”

Eric Swalwell Probed for Illegally Employing a Nanny

April 13, 2026 at 7:15 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Trump administration’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency has referred allegations of Rep. Eric Swalwell illegally employing a Brazilian nanny several years ago to law enforcement officials at the Department of Homeland Security for investigation,” Politico reports.

Young Voters Hate Trump

April 13, 2026 at 7:10 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Yale Youth Poll finds 57% of all voters disapprove of Donald Trump’s job performance as president, including 68% of voters aged 18-22 and 72% of voters aged 23-29.

Compared to the fall 2025 poll, Trump has lost the most ground with women under 35 and men under 30.

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About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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