As Donald Trump once told his supporters: “I am your retribution.”

Now he’s making good on that promise.

President Trump is now celebrating what he calls “Liberation Day,” a full-throated embrace of American withdrawal from the global trading system.

It’s a message that carries an eerie resemblance to Britain’s ill-fated divorce from the European Union.

A friend recently suggested reading The Lost Tycoon, Harry Hurt’s 1993 biography of Donald Trump.

The book paints a vivid portrait of Trump long before his turn to politics — and it’s a revealing one.

The latest episode of Trial Balloon is live for members.

Donald Trump starts a trade war while Cory Booker gives Democrats hope.

Just for members: The latest edition of Inside Elections.

This issue includes some early analysis and perspective on the recent House special elections in Florida and the state Supreme Court race in Wisconsin and the state of the national political environment.

It’s hard to find a single Republican who ran for office promising to raise tariffs. Trade wars have never been part of the modern GOP orthodoxy. And yet, Donald Trump is now fully embracing one—openly and aggressively.

And the consequences? They belong entirely to Republicans.

I’ll admit that when Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) launched into a 25-hour speech on the Senate floor, I rolled my eyes.

It had all the markings of a political stunt — the kind of thing meant to score a few viral clips. And it was absolutely a stunt. But it was also a good political move.

Democrats notched a major victory in the first high-stakes swing-state contest since Donald Trump reclaimed the presidency.

While the party fell short in two deep-red congressional special elections, they did post significant gains compared to their showing just five months ago — a clear signal that Democratic energy is far from fading.

The latest episode of Trial Balloon is live for members.

We learned a lot about the Trump administration from the Signal chat fallout.

After senior Trump national security officials denied sharing “war plans”—classified or not—in a Signal group chat that accidentally included The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, the magazine is now publishing excerpts from the conversation that had been previously withheld due to national security concerns.

Some initial thoughts:

Last week was rough for Democrats — not because of any electoral setback, but because of the symbolism.

In quick succession, an Ivy League university and a prestigious law firm folded like lawn chairs under pressure from Donald Trump. There was no grand defense of institutional integrity. No push back. Just swift, unceremonious retreat.

The latest episode of Trial Balloon is live for members.

Democrats reel while the country moves into a constitutional crisis.