Trail Notes
Trump blames Biden for failing economy / No Halloween this year? / Widespread appointee grift / Will Musk dodge federal penalties? / New D.C. uber rich club
Remember, It’s Never Trump’s Fault
When the Gross Domestic Product contracts into negative territory after a strong fourth quarter, when the stock market loses $10 trillion in value since Inauguration Day, when retailers start talking about the prospect of empty shelves, there can be only one explanation:
It’s Joe Biden’s fault.
That’s what Donald Trump reminds us whenever he can, although the Wall Street Journal dared to suggest that “the main driver of the first quarter contraction was Trump’s trade war.” That conclusion is based on data showing that U.S. businesses built up their inventories by importing heavily to prepare for the coming of “Liberation Day” in early April when Trump announced his across-the-board tariffs.
And it looks like there will be even more to blame on Biden in the months ahead. Companies such as Adidas have begun announcing price hikes on their products. A growing number of businesses have decided not to participate in Amazon’s Prime Day because they don’t think they can afford to offer discounts this year. Chinese factories have started to shut down, and container bookings of products from China to the United States are down by as much as 60 percent, increasing the likelihood of supply chain turmoil in the coming months.
Damn you, Joe Biden.
A Terrifying Time for Halloween
For years, it’s been a reliable Fox News trope that the woke crowd is intent on “canceling Christmas.” But is Halloween now at risk?
That’s a concern already being expressed by business owners who say Trump’s tariff trauma could put a serious dent in America’s dress-up day. Because most costumes and other Halloween products come from China, the big drop in imports tied to the current sky-high tariffs on that country is already being felt by U.S. companies dependent on holiday business.
It’s an “existential moment” for that group, according to Robert Berman, a board member of the Halloween and Costume Association. “If products don’t land on time or become too expensive for families, Halloween simply doesn’t happen,” he said. “There is no backup plan.”
Berman pointed out that most of those costumes and other Halloween paraphernalia are only weeks away from when they ordinarily would be shipped. If the tariffs keep that from happening, the resulting supply shortage would drive up prices. By one estimate, costumes that once cost $19.99 will jump to $40, and even the cost of a simple mask could double to $10. As for Christmas, there’s rising anxiety among storeowners who rely heavily on toys made in China. As one business executive told Axios, “You can’t move a supply chain overnight.”
Turning Up the Grift
Back in March, it was something to see Elon Musk escort the president of the United States around the Tesla showroom on the White House driveway. Neither seemed the least bit chastened as Musk shilled for his suddenly toxic brand.
That was one stunning flash of grift, but apparently it runs deep in this administration, thanks to its laissez-faire take on the matter of ethics. According to the nonprofit Campaign Legal Center, at least eight people nominated for executive branch positions would have been banned or limited to more restricted roles in previous administrations due to their recent work as lobbyists.
A recent CNN review cited several other examples of potential conflicts of interest:
· After he was sworn in as energy secretary, Chris Wright received a million-dollar bonus from Liberty Energy, the fracking company he founded and now plays a major role in regulating.
· Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick handed control of his financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald to his 27-year-old son.
· Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. has said he would turn over any payment he might receive in a lawsuit against a vaccine maker—again, an industry he now regulates—to one of his sons.
Will Musk Dodge Penalties?
No question that Elon Musk has a considerably lower profile in Washington than back when he was holding court in the Oval Office with a boy on his head. But his time as the DOGE king will no doubt pay sweet dividends until he’s finally living on Mars.
Take, for instance, the estimated savings in potential civil and criminal penalties he can use his White House juice to avoid. According to a memorandum released by Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Musk and his companies face “at least 65 actual or potential actions by 11 different federal agencies.” The penalties from 40 of those actions alone could total as much as $2.4 billion, Blumenthal said. The senator was not able to provide an estimate for the other 25 matters, which include multiple investigations by the National Highway Safety Administration into unexpected braking and acceleration, detached steering wheels, and crashes involving Tesla’s autonomous driving technology.
There’s a Waiting List for a New D.C. Club for the 1 Percent
Ultra-rich execs are about to have their own exclusive private club in Washington, D.C. Politico reports that the club, called Executive Branch, is going to be located in the Georgetown section of town. It will have an entry fee of more than half a million dollars, although the word is that some hopeful members are offering to pay double that fee to get off the waiting list and in the door.
The idea reportedly is to establish the highest-end club the city has ever known and cater to business and tech execs who want to stay cozy with the Trump administration. The club owners include Donald Trump; Jr., Zach and Alex Witkoff, the sons of billionaire developer and Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff; and banking executive Omeed Malik.
Among the attendees at the party last weekend where the club’s opening was officially announced were Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson, Security and Exchange Commission Chair Paul Atkins, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and, representing Fox News, Laura Ingraham.
So Much for Cost-Cutting
For all the White House’s talk about cutting costs, the federal government has spent about $220 billion more in Trump’s first 100 days compared to the same period last year when Joe Biden was still in the White House. And, according to House Democrat Jasmine Crockett of Texas, as of March 30, Trump’s multiple weekend excursions to his golf courses cost taxpayers roughly $26 million.
“The last time I checked, we’re not getting anything in return for that,” Crockett said during her April 8 testimony before the House Delivering on Government Efficiency subcommittee. “So, I will get back on my remarks, but I just wanted to point out that maybe we need to talk about the president and his golfing habits.... He has decided that he wanted to play games while the rest of us are really trying to make sure that we can serve the American people.”
Randy Rieland is a former columnist at Smithsonian magazine, website director at the Discovery Channel, and senior writer at Washingtonian magazine.
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Great reporting Elliott!