NEW: Keeping a Contemporaneous Account

A New Feature to My Newsletter

Day 1 (December 1, 2024): Appointments

President-elect Trump announced that he will appoint both his daughters’ fathers-in-law to positions in his administration. One of the two served in federal prison for a variety of federal crimes—including paying a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law as part of a witness intimidation scheme. Chris Christie called it “one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes" he prosecuted as U.S. Attorney for New Jersey. Trump pardoned him at the end of his last term; and he will now be nominated to serve as the US Ambassador to France.

Trump also announced late the night before that he will name a far-right conspiracy theorist (Qanon included) and coup participant to be his FBI director—even though the current FBI director (whom he appointed) has three years remaining in his 10-year term, and has not offered to resign. Trump’s pick has promised to seek revenge against Trump’s perceived enemies, including dismantling the FBI itself. Trump’s former National Security Advisor compared the pick to to a notorious secret police chief under Joseph Stalin.

The more I read, the more I have come to value contemporary accounts of history as it unfolds. From soldiers’ diaries to Captain Cook’s final voyage to the US Ambassador’s writings in 1930s Germany, those who keep journals and document events provide a timeless gift to the future—a written record that includes desperately needed context as well as the best defense against future, self-serving censorship.

In many ways, what I’ve written here and in my books (and even what I’ve painted) has been an indirect way to do this. But given Trump’s victory, and the even greater possibility that all that’s about to happen will be viewed through post-censorship eyes, I’ve decided to do something new.

Every day, I will provide a short (I promise!) and unvarnished snippet of what I consider a significant event or two that happened the day before regarding Trump’s tenure in leadership. Of course, I will provide my usual content, but each day will include that snippet, told in as straightforward and concise manner as possible.

My goal is to create a long and consistent record of all that we witness and experience. Written down. And, ultimately, printed out.

And while my initial plan was to start this on Inauguration Day, so much is already happening I feel compelled to start today. See above.

I look forward to your feedback.