This Week in Democracy – Week 18: White Supremacy in the White House and a ‘Pay-to-Play’ Dinner
Zeteo's project to document the ongoing, week-by-week growth of authoritarianism in the Trump second term.
Another Oval Office ambush. More unhinged rants spreading the tired lie that the 2020 election was stolen. And threats to investigate Beyoncé and Oprah.
This week, there was no shortage of things Donald Trump did or said that underscored his flair for made-for-TV drama – and distraction. But just as, if not more, concerning were other authoritarian actions Trump and his allies took against members of Congress, universities, international students, and the press.
From Trump escalating his assault on Harvard to House Republicans passing a bill that would strip health insurance from millions, here's what Trump and his supporters did this week that harm democracy and hurt people in the US and around the world:
Saturday, May 17
In an unhinged rant on Truth Social, Trump renewed conspiracy theories about the use of the auto-pen by the Biden administration, attacking the former president, along with James Comey and Barack Obama, and falsely claimed again, “The biggest crime of all is that THE 2020 ELECTION WAS RIGGED! I (MAGA!) WON THE ELECTION BY MILLIONS OF VOTES, AND EVERYONE KNOWS IT.
After Walmart announced it would raise prices due to Trump’s tariffs, the president threatened the company and told it to “EAT THE TARIFFS” and not raise prices for customers.
Trump threatened to take legal action against ABC News for its reporting on the $400 million jumbo jet the president plans to accept from Qatar.
Trump reposted a video promoting the long-debunked “Clinton body count” conspiracy theory, which baselessly accuses the Clintons of being responsible for the deaths of several people.
On CNN, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin refused to admit that Afrikaners weren’t facing genocide. Instead, she accused anchor Victor Blackwell, who is Black, of “defending race-based discrimination.” Additionally, she continued to accuse House Democrats who visited an ICE detention facility in Newark earlier this month of “bodyslamming” ICE officers, despite a DHS video showing that never happened.
The Washington Post reported that the Justice Department is considering a proposal to allow federal prosecutors to indict members of Congress without the approval of the DOJ’s Public Integrity Section.
Sunday, May 18
On ‘Face the Nation,’ former US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink said she resigned last month because she believes “that peace at any price is not peace at all” and said the administration’s policy has been “to put pressure on the victim, Ukraine, rather than the aggressor, Russia.”
Trump’s pardon attorney and the so-called “weaponization czar,” Ed Martin, repeated his promise to investigate Biden’s final pardons, saying on Twitter that the “integrity of the American Pardon system requires that we examine the Biden pardons and who did what,” adding that, “We will get to the bottom of it.”
Monday, May 19
Before asking a question at a White House press briefing, Liam Cosgrove, who works for the far-right ZeroHedge website, went on a bizarre one-minute diatribe about the "Clinton body count" conspiracy theory.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said “somebody is not telling the facts” about Joe Biden’s cancer diagnosis, which he characterized as “stage nine.” (There is no stage nine of cancer. Biden’s cancer is said to be a nine on the Gleason score system, indicating his cancer is aggressive.)
While Republicans made the rounds on news programs speculating about Biden’s cancer diagnosis, Vice President JD Vance told reporters, “We really do need to be honest about whether the former president was capable of doing the job.”
The Washington Post reported that US taxpayers would pay $5 million to Ashli Babbitt’s family as part of a settlement the Trump administration reached in relation to a wrongful death lawsuit. Babbitt was killed by Capitol police when she tried to break into the House Speaker’s Lobby during the Jan. 6 insurrection. Outgoing US Capitol Police chief Thomas Manger noted that the settlement “sends a chilling message to law enforcement nationwide.”
Three days after one of the worst storms in the history of St. Louis, Missouri, Mayor Cara Spencer said the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) hasn’t been involved in the recovery, which caused an estimated $1 billion in damages.
Alina Habba, the acting US attorney for the District of New Jersey, announced that her office is dropping its case against Newmark Mayor Ras Baraka. However, she added that it would charge Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver for “assaulting, impeding and interfering with law enforcement.” McIver called the move “political intimidation.”
CBS News president Wendy McMahon was forced out of her role, telling her staff in a memo that “it’s become clear the company and I do not agree on the path forward,” as parent company Paramount continues to seek a settlement in a Trump lawsuit related to Kamala Harris’ 2024 ‘60 Minutes’ interview.
During a press conference, Trump again claimed the 2020 presidential election was rigged “like nobody’s ever seen.”
On Truth Social, Trump said he would call for an investigation into Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey, Bono, and Bruce Springsteen, who he baselessly claims were illegally paid to endorse Kamala Harris for president in 2024. In another post, he called Beyoncé’s endorsement “AN ILLEGAL ELECTION SCAM AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL!” (In November, Oprah issued a statement saying she "was not paid a dime" for endorsing Harris or attending a livestreaming event to support her campaign.)
A federal judge struck down the Trump administration’s effort to dismantle the US Institute of Peace as “null and void.”
An appeals court upheld an order requiring the Trump administration to facilitate the return of Daniel Lozano-Camargo, a Venezuelan man who was deported to El Salvador’s mega-prison in March.
The Supreme Court approved an emergency appeal from the Trump administration, allowing it to move forward with the termination of Temporary Protected Status for approximately 350,000 Venezuelans living in the US, setting them up to be deported.
A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deporting immigrants under the Alien Enemies Act from the District of Central California.
The New York Times reported that Trump is considering nominating his former criminal defense attorney and current senior Justice Department official Emil Bove to serve as a federal appeals judge. Bove played a key role in dismissing the corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams earlier this year.
The Senate voted to confirm Charles Kushner, the father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, as the US Ambassador to France. In 2020, he was pardoned by Trump after being convicted in 2005 of tax evasion, retaliating against a federal witness, and lying to the Federal Election Commission.
Richard Grenell, the Trump-appointed president of the Kennedy Center, said he was referring the organization’s “criminal” finances to the US attorney’s office. Former Kennedy Center president Deborah Rutter said the organization was “fiscally sound” when Trump fired her and added that “perhaps those now in charge are facing significant financial gaps and are seeking to attribute them to past management.”
Tuesday, May 20
Speaking to reporters, Trump said his administration is going to look into the Biden administration’s use of the autopen, claiming he doesn’t believe Biden knew about the executive orders signed by it. He also shared these claims on Truth Social, calling Biden “cognitively impaired” and adding that “Something very severe should happen to these Treasonous Thugs that wanted to destroy our country, but couldn’t, because I came along.”
Trump also baselessly claimed that “if we had honest elections, I think I would’ve won California, I would’ve won New York. I even think I would’ve won Illinois.”
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to maintain custody of a group of immigrants being flown to South Sudan, saying the move may have violated a court order preventing administration officials from deporting individuals to a third country without due process.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that his department has likely revoked thousands of visas since Trump’s term began in January, adding that “we probably have more to do.”
During a hearing by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem incorrectly defined habeas corpus, calling it “a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country.” (Habeas corpus is the right for people to challenge their detention in court, and can only be suspended by Congress in instances of “rebellion” or “invasion.”)
A federal judge rejected a bid by the Justice Department to provide $63,000 in restitution to a Jan. 6 rioter, saying the payout would need to be approved by Congress.
Speaking via video at the Qatar Economic Forum, Elon Musk said he would spend “a lot less” on political contributions in the future, saying, “I think I’ve done enough,” and that he doesn’t “currently see a reason” to invest in politics.
The New York Times reported that the Justice Department launched a criminal investigation against Andrew Cuomo in April. Cuomo, the perceived frontrunner in the upcoming New York City mayoral election, was accused of lying to Congress by Republicans over the number of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes during his time as governor.
The Washington Post reported that the Trump administration is planning to spend up to $250 million in foreign aid funds to repatriate immigrants to active conflict zones, including 700,000 Ukrainian and Haitian migrants.
As Trump continues to overhaul FEMA, AP reported that Mississippi residents have been waiting for more than two months for the agency to provide recovery assistance after the state was hit by a series of tornadoes.
CNN reported that the Trump administration actually initiated talks with Qatar about acquiring a Boeing 747 that could be used as an Air Force One, disputing the narrative by the president that Qatar reached out about offering the jumbo jetliner as a “gift” to him.
The New York Times reported that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s chief of staff ordered analysts to edit an assessment on Tren de Aragua and Venezuela, writing in an April 3 email that “We need to do some rewriting … so this document is not used against the DNI or POTUS.”
Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin asked the Inspector General of the Justice Department to investigate possible “illegal insider trading” by Attorney General Pam Bondi and other Trump administration officials in the hours leading up to Trump’s “liberation day” tariffs announcement. (Bondi reportedly sold between $1.25 million and $5.5 million worth of shares in Trump Media during that period.)
While taking questions from the press, Trump attacked a reporter with NOTUS, a nonprofit digital news outlet owned by the Allbritton Journalism Institute, telling them to “get yourself a real job.”
Wednesday, May 21
During an Oval Office meeting, Trump ambushed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa with a series of videos and articles pushing white supremacist-inspired false claims of “white genocide” in South Africa. Trump described one video as showing a row of crosses marking a “burial site” of 1,000 white farmers who were killed, but the footage was actually from a 2020 protest after the reported murder of just two farmers. Trump also showed a screenshot of a Reuters video that he claimed were all “white farmers that are being buried,” but the February video was actually footage of humanitarian workers lifting body bags in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Ramaphosa was subsequently praised by the media for his handling of the ambush, with many outlets reporting he remained calm.
Also during the meeting, Trump lashed out at NBC News reporter Peter Alexander after he asked a question about the jumbo jet gift from Qatar. Trump called Alexander an “idiot,” a “disgrace,” and a “terrible reporter,” adding, “No more questions from you.” He also suggested the chair of Comcast, NBC News’ parent company, and other executives should be investigated.
Republican Rep. Nancy Mace filed a resolution to expel Rep. LaMonica McIver from Congress after the Justice Department charged the New Jersey Democrat with assaulting an officer – charges she denies.
McIver was released on her own recognizance by a federal judge in New Jersey during her first court appearance on the two assault charges. Prosecutors say each charge carries a maximum sentence of eight years in prison. McIver maintains she was the one who was assaulted.
The Trump administration filed an emergency appeal asking the Supreme Court to prevent Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from being forced to share records with the government watchdog organization Citizens for Responsible Ethics in Washington (CREW), arguing DOGE is a presidential advisory body rather than a federal agency.
The Trump Organization held a groundbreaking ceremony for a luxury golf resort near Hanoi, Vietnam, one week after the country’s government approved the development and as negotiators work to avoid 46% “reciprocal” tariffs from the US.
A federal judge agreed to dismiss a trespassing charge against Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, calling his arrest a “worrisome misstep” by the state US attorney’s office. The judge scolded the Justice Department lawyer, saying, “Your role is not to secure convictions at all costs, nor to satisfy public clamor, nor to advance political agendas.”
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced it will end negotiations for court-approved settlements with police agencies in Minneapolis and Louisville sparked by the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. The move comes despite the DOJ previously concluding that police in both cities regularly violated the civil rights of Black people. Additionally, the division is also ending investigations and retracting findings of wrongdoing by six other local police departments in Arizona, New Jersey, Tennessee, New York, Oklahoma, and Louisiana.
A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration “unquestionably” violated a court order by deporting seven men to South Sudan without due process, with administration officials possibly facing criminal contempt penalties. The judge’s order requires DHS to conduct “reasonable fear” interviews with the individuals who were sent to South Sudan, and the department must maintain custody of them throughout the process.
The Defense Department confirmed that the US government formally accepted the jumbo jet as a gift from Qatar to be used as a new Air Force One by Trump.
A federal judge reversed Trump’s February firings of two Democratic members of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, an independent watchdog agency.
In a press release, Mahmoud Khalil’s legal team said ICE and private prison contractor GEO Group refused to allow a contact visit with his wife and newborn child, which the lawyers argue violates ICE’s own standards to preserve parental rights and minimize disruptions to family life.
The Daily Beast reported that ABC News president Almin Karamehmedovic suggested the co-hosts of ‘The View’ should tone down their political rhetoric, encouraging them to focus on coverage of celebrity guests instead. The move comes as Trump continues to ramp up his attacks against the network.
A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from canceling funds for an education grant to support desegregation efforts in southern schools.
A federal judge in Columbus, Georgia, temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deporting a Venezuelan man detained in the district to El Salvador.
Thursday, May 22
In the middle of the night, House Republicans narrowly passed Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” which could force some 8 million people off Medicaid, result in potentially half a trillion in cuts to Medicare, add nearly $4 trillion to the national debt, and reduce spending on food aid by over $250 billion. The bill would also cut $700 billion in Medicaid spending by adding “community engagement requirements” to be eligible for Medicaid, extend massive tax cuts for the ultrawealthy, and allocate over $45 billion to revive construction on the Trump border wall.
The bill also includes a measure restricting federal courts from holding government officials in contempt for violating court orders.
The Supreme Court deadlocked in a 4-4 split over a case to decide whether openly religious schools should receive public money through state charter school programs, leaving a lower court ruling that denied public funding in Oklahoma in place. The ruling, which Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself from, did not set a precedent on the issue, leaving open the possibility of a similar case being heard by the Supreme Court in the future.
The Trump administration revoked Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students, with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem accusing the school of allowing “anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators” to assault Jewish students on campus, as well as coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party. The move could mean nearly 7,000 international students from over 100 countries – more than 25% of Harvard’s student body – will have to transfer to other schools or lose their legal status and be forced to leave the US.
On Fox, Noem said that banning international students from Harvard “should be a warning to every other university to get your act together.”
After a lawsuit against DHS for sending immigrants to Guantanamo Bay was dropped, Noem shared a screenshot of the dismissal on Twitter, writing, “Suck it.”
A federal judge temporarily barred the Trump administration from terminating the legal status of international students across the country while a court case challenging the move proceeds. The order also prohibits the government from arresting, incarcerating, or moving international students based on their legal status.
The Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s order allowing Trump to fire two independent labor agency heads who he fired without cause while their cases go through an appeals process. In her dissent, Justice Elena Kagan wrote, “Not since the 1950s (or even before) has a president, without a legitimate reason, tried to remove an officer from a classic independent agency.”
A federal judge indefinitely blocked Trump’s efforts to downsize federal agencies and lay off thousands of employees as part of a sweeping overhaul of the federal government.
ABC News reported that Trump’s new Social Security Administration head had to Google the job when he was first offered it because he wasn’t familiar with the position.
Trump held what Democrats called a “pay-to-play” dinner at his Virginia golf club with guests made up of those who have spent the most on his personal cryptocurrency, the majority of whom were likely from foreign countries. Several dinner guests told the New York Times they attended the event “with the explicit intent of influencing Mr. Trump and US financial regulations.”
A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from dismantling the Department of Education and ordered the reinstatement of fired agency employees.
A federal judge in Louisiana rejected a request to terminate the deportation proceedings of Mahmoud Khalil, but denied a motion from the Trump administration that would have prevented Khalil from raising an asylum claim. The same day, Khalil was allowed to hold his 1-month-old son for the first time after a federal judge in New Jersey authorized the visit.
CNN reported that the White House removed a database of official transcripts detailing Trump’s announcements and appearances, replacing them with YouTube videos.
Mother Jones reported that Arthur Schwartz, an adviser to Donald Trump Jr., responded to a journalist’s inquiry about ethical issues surrounding the Trump family profiting from the presidency by saying, “We don’t actually give a fuck.”
Friday, May 23
A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s effort to prohibit international students from enrolling at Harvard University, just hours after the school filed a lawsuit challenging the move.
On Truth Social, Trump claimed that trade negotiations with the European Union are “going nowhere” and announced he would recommend a blanket 50% tariff on the EU beginning June 1. He also threatened to implement a 25% tariff on Apple if the company did not manufacture and build its products in the US. It’s unclear whether the president can unilaterally tariff an individual company’s products because they choose to make them in another country. (One analyst told Axios a US-made iPhone could cost customers several thousand dollars.)
In an effort to ramp up deportations, the Trump administration launched a new operation to terminate the immigration court cases of some immigrants in an effort to immediately arrest them and fast-track their deportation process.
During a signing session of Executive Orders targeting regulations and expanding nuclear energy, Trump appeared not to know what exactly was in the Executive Order he was signing, asking “Are we doing something about the regulatory in here?”, which prompted the Business Executive at the White House to intervene and explain.
An appeals court declined to revive former Trump adviser Carter Page’s $75 million lawsuit claiming he was illegally surveilled by the Justice Department during an investigation into Trump’s 2016 campaign’s ties to Russia.
A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from removing medical research from a Health and Human Services database that contains references to trans people, calling the move a “textbook example of viewpoint discrimination.”
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts issued a temporary order preventing DOGE from being forced to turn over records to government watchdog organization CREW.
A federal judge blocked Trump’s executive order targeting law firm Jenner & Block, saying the move violated the First Amendment and “seeks to chill legal representation the administration doesn’t like, thereby insulating the Executive Branch from the judicial check fundamental to the separation of powers.”
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What a mess. I still have difficulty grasping how over 77 million of my fellow citizens voted for a man who was a convicted felon, an adjudicated rapist, a person convicted of numerous frauds, serial bankruptcies, indicted for election fraud and mishandling top secret documents, and who sent a mob to attack the capital to incite a coup. What has my country become?
The litany of lies, abuses, grift, criminality of Trump and his enablers go on daily. The immediate victims are at great risk but the rest of us should worry about who is next. I say fight back.