Chris Lehmann

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Chris Lehmann is the DC Bureau chief for The Nation and a contributing editor at The Baffler. He was formerly editor of The Baffler and The New Republic, and is the author, most recently, of The Money Cult: Capitalism, Christianity, and the Unmaking of the American Dream (Melville House, 2016).

US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson paces just prior to the House's approval of a stopgap spending bill.

The Spending Fiasco Was a Preview of the Trump-Musk Administration The Spending Fiasco Was a Preview of the Trump-Musk Administration

Congress narrowly averted a shutdown, but the whole episode offers a sneak peak of the oligarchy in store.

Dec 21, 2024 / Chris Lehmann

John Fetterman and Elise Stefanik

Brain-Dead Bipartisanship Is Getting Us Nowhere Brain-Dead Bipartisanship Is Getting Us Nowhere

Democrats are making a show of their willingness to cooperate with the incoming Trump administration. That’s not their job.

Dec 20, 2024 / Chris Lehmann

A Guide to Some of the Key Movers and Influencers in Trump's Orbit

A Guide to Some of the Key Movers and Influencers in Trump's Orbit A Guide to Some of the Key Movers and Influencers in Trump's Orbit

While showboats like Elon Musk and RFK Jr. get all the attention, the real power in a second Trump term is likely to be wielded by quietly effective bureaucrats and policy intelle...

Dec 18, 2024 / Feature / Chris Lehmann

Donald Trump, George Stephanopoulos

Trump’s Attack on the Free Press Is Just Getting Started Trump’s Attack on the Free Press Is Just Getting Started

The president-elect’s recent settlement with ABC News is an early volley in an all-out MAGA war against media independence.

Dec 17, 2024 / Chris Lehmann

Kamala Harris at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

What Happened to the Democratic Party? What Happened to the Democratic Party?

The squalid state of our present political institutions points to a failure of not just individuals but the system as a whole.

Dec 16, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Chris Lehmann

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamie Raskin

Democrats Are Overdue for New Leadership Democrats Are Overdue for New Leadership

To mount an opposition under the coming Trump administration, the party needs new ideas—not the same establishment clinging to power.

Dec 12, 2024 / Chris Lehmann

President Biden Returns To The White House After Speaking In Baltimore

President Biden Should Issue a Blanket Pardon of Undocumented Immigrants President Biden Should Issue a Blanket Pardon of Undocumented Immigrants

Protecting Trump’s enemies from prosecution just reinforces the idea of politics as retribution. Instead, Democrats should be defending his most vulnerable targets.

Dec 9, 2024 / Chris Lehmann

Pete Hegseth hosts FOX News Channel's

Pete Hegseth, Belligerent Drunk, May Be Too Much Even for Trump Pete Hegseth, Belligerent Drunk, May Be Too Much Even for Trump

The Fox News pundit—an alleged sexual assaulter with a drinking problem—has moved into Matt Gaetz territory.

Dec 4, 2024 / Chris Lehmann

Kash Patel at the Team Trump Bus Tour in Charlotte, North Carolina, on October 10, 2024.

Kash Patel Is Trump’s Scariest Cabinet Appointment Yet Kash Patel Is Trump’s Scariest Cabinet Appointment Yet

The president-elect wants to put a “deep state” conspiracy theorist in charge of the actual deep state.

Dec 3, 2024 / Chris Lehmann

Donald Trump, Kid Rock, and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk pose for a photo as they attend UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden in New York, in November 2024.

Somehow, Americans Are Liking Trump Better Every Day Somehow, Americans Are Liking Trump Better Every Day

The incoming administration's cabinet appointments are a bizarre disaster. So why are the president-elect's approval ratings going up?

Nov 26, 2024 / Chris Lehmann

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