Feature / January 20, 2025

Inauguration Day 2: The Call Is Coming From Inside The Building

In 2020, after losing his bid for reelection to Joe Biden, Donald Trump summoned a mob to the Capitol. Today, as we mark the peaceful transfer of power, we offer this reminder.

Steve Brodner
Illustration by Steve Brodner.

 1. John Roberts Chief Justice
 2. Tom Homan Border Czar
 3. Sean Duffy Transportation
 4. Stephen Miller Deputy Chief of Staff
 5. Kristi Noem DHS
 6. Russell Vought OMB
 7.  RFK Jr. HHS
 8. Mehmet Oz Medicare and Medicaid
 9. Jared Isaacman NASA
10. Linda McMahon Education
11. Susie Wiles Chief of Staff
12. Lori Chavez-DeRemer Labor
13. Lee Zeldin EPA
14. Doug Burgum Interior
15. Howard Lutnick Commerce
16. Chris Wright Energy
17. Scott Bessent Treasury
18. Karoline Leavitt Press Secretary
19. Marco Rubio State
20. Elise Stefanik UN
21. Michael Waltz National Security Adviser
22. Steven Cheung Communications Director
23. Pam Bondi AG
24. Kash Patel FBI
25. John Ratcliffe CIA
26. Brendan Carr FCC
27. Pete Hegseth Defense
28. Tulsi Gabbard DNI
29. Vivek Ramaswamy DOGE
30. Elon Musk DOGE

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The chaos and cruelty of the Trump administration reaches new lows each week.

Trump’s catastrophic “Liberation Day” has wreaked havoc on the world economy and set up yet another constitutional crisis at home. Plainclothes officers continue to abduct university students off the streets. So-called “enemy aliens” are flown abroad to a mega prison against the orders of the courts. And Signalgate promises to be the first of many incompetence scandals that expose the brutal violence at the core of the American empire.

At a time when elite universities, powerful law firms, and influential media outlets are capitulating to Trump’s intimidation, The Nation is more determined than ever before to hold the powerful to account.

In just the last month, we’ve published reporting on how Trump outsources his mass deportation agenda to other countries, exposed the administration’s appeal to obscure laws to carry out its repressive agenda, and amplified the voices of brave student activists targeted by universities.

We also continue to tell the stories of those who fight back against Trump and Musk, whether on the streets in growing protest movements, in town halls across the country, or in critical state elections—like Wisconsin’s recent state Supreme Court race—that provide a model for resisting Trumpism and prove that Musk can’t buy our democracy.

This is the journalism that matters in 2025. But we can’t do this without you. As a reader-supported publication, we rely on the support of generous donors. Please, help make our essential independent journalism possible with a donation today.

In solidarity,

The Editors

The Nation

Steve Brodner

Steve Brodner is an award-winning graphic artist/journalist and the winner of the 2024 Herb Block Prize for editorial cartooning.

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