This Week in Democracy – Week 34: Assassination, Recriminations, and a Trump 'Birthday Note' to Epstein
A week that began with shocking revelations about the president and the pedophile was quickly and shockingly overtaken by a brutal murder, followed by the dangerous smearing of Democrats and the left.
This past week truly and tragically underscored the dark moment the US is currently facing – not only because of the horrific and inexcusable killing of Trump ally and right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk, but also because of the response to it.
Instead of bringing the nation together in the face of escalating political violence, Donald Trump, as president, chose to further divide the country, immediately blaming everyone on the left (despite knowing nothing about the shooter). What Trump and his allies conveniently failed to mention is that Democrats have been the victims of a spike in political violence themselves, perpetrated by pro-Trump individuals on the right.
The Kirk news dominated the news cycle, as it will likely do for days to come, but in the background, Trump and his allies continued to take a number of actions that harm democracy, undermine the Constitution, and hurt free societies worldwide.
From Trump’s strange denial of what clearly looks like his signature on a birthday message to Jeffrey Epstein, to his border czar spreading disinformation about people protesting against the administration’s policies, to the Supreme Court allowing ICE to continue practices that effectively amount to racial profiling, here’s ‘This Week in Democracy – Week 34’:
Saturday, September 6
On Truth Social, Trump shared a meme that depicted him as an officer in the 1979 film ‘Apocalypse Now,’ with the title “Chipocalypse Now.” The caption read, “I love the smell of deportations in the morning…,” and continued, “Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of War.” In response, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker tweeted that Trump, whom he called a “wannabe dictator,” is “threatening to go to war with an American city,” and added, “This is not a joke. This is not normal.”
Thousands of people protested in Washington, DC, to demand the Trump administration end its federal law enforcement takeover of the nation’s capital, with signs that read “Trump must go now,” “Free DC,” and “Resist Tyranny.”
Sunday, September 7
On Truth Social, Trump said that Israel has accepted his terms for an agreement to free the hostages and end its war on Gaza and added that it’s “time for Hamas to accept as well.” He went on to say that he “warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting,” and noted, “This is my last warning, there will not be another one!” Drop Site News later reported that a senior Hamas official said the 100-word proposal “looks like it was written by the Israelis.”
In an interview on ‘60 Minutes Australia,’ comedian Rosie O’Donnell responded to Trump’s repeated threats to revoke her US citizenship, saying that while it would violate the Constitution, “he has pawns in the Supreme Court and you never know what he’d be able to do.” O’Donnell also noted that she’s being advised on “what would be right and healthy and what would be safe for myself and my family” when it comes to visiting the US from her new home in Ireland.
On Fox, Trump’s border czar Tom Homan said without evidence that those who are protesting the administration’s immigration crackdown are “absolutely” being paid to do so, and that those who are behind the funding “will be prosecuted too.”
Asked by NBC News reporter Yamiche Alcindor whether Trump is trying to go to war with Chicago based on his Saturday post on Truth Social, the president berated her, called her “darling,” and told her to “be quiet,” adding, “You never listen. That’s why you’re second-rate.”
Monday, September 8
The Trump administration filed an emergency appeal asking the Supreme Court to authorize the freezing of billions of dollars in foreign aid after a lower court ruled it must spend the funds before they begin to expire at the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.
Politico reported that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent threatened to punch Federal Housing Finance Agency director Bill Pulte “in the fucking face” during a private dinner last week, which was attended by dozens of Trump’s administration officials and advisers.
While speaking at the Museum of the Bible, Trump downplayed the seriousness of domestic violence, saying, “Things that take place in the home, they call crime … If a man has a little fight with the wife, they say, ‘This was a crime.’”
Trump also said that the Department of Education will be introducing new guidelines “protecting the right to prayer in our public schools,” while claiming that there are “grave threats to religious liberty in American schools.”
A federal appeals court rejected a lawsuit by a coalition of 19 states and DC, finding that they had no legal standing to sue the Trump administration over its mass firings of thousands of federal probationary employees.
A federal appeals court upheld the $83 million judgment against Trump in a defamation case against writer E. Jean Carroll and rejected his claims that he should’ve been shielded from liability because of presidential immunity. The panel, which found that the jury’s damages awards were “fair and reasonable,” wrote that the hundreds of death threats Caroll faced due to Trump’s social media attacks and public statements against her supported the judge’s “determination that ‘the degree of reprehensibility’ of Mr. Trump’s conduct was remarkably high, perhaps unprecedented.”
The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 unexplained decision, paused a lower court ruling preventing federal immigration officials from stopping suspects in Los Angeles based solely on factors like their race, their occupation, having an accent, or speaking Spanish. In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote, “That decision is yet another grave misuse of our emergency docket. We should not have to live in a country where the Government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and appears to work a low wage job.”
Meanwhile, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts allowed Trump to move forward with the firing of a Biden-appointed member of the Federal Trade Commission, directly contravening a 1935 Supreme Court ruling that upheld a federal law meant to restrict the White House’s ability to control the agency, while litigation around her termination continues.
The House Oversight Committee released records from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate, including a note signed by Trump that was part of the sex trafficker’s 50th birthday “book,” which featured text framed around the outline of a naked woman. The text read, in part, “We have certain things in common, Jeffrey,” along with, “Happy birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.” The records also included another entry in the book from a long-time Mar-a-Lago member, which featured a photo of Epstein holding an oversized novelty check with the caption, “Jeffrey showing early talents with money + women! Sells ‘fully depreciated’ [woman’s name] to Donald Trump for $22,500.”
The Department of Homeland Security announced it launched “Operation Midway Blitz” in Chicago, in an effort to “target the criminal illegal aliens who flocked to Chicago and Illinois because they knew Governor Pritzker and his sanctuary policies would protect them and allow them to roam free on American streets.” In response, Pritzker tweeted that the operation “isn’t about fighting crime,” but “scaring Illinoisians.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson walked back the claim he made last week that Trump was an “FBI informant” against Epstein, saying he didn’t know if he used the “right terminology,” but that it’s “much ado about nothing.”
On Truth Social, Trump posted a video that promoted the long-discredited and debunked claim that vaccines cause autism. The video featured vaccine skeptic David Geier, who was hired to work as a senior data analyst in Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a study on links between vaccines and autism.
Asked on CNN about why Ghislaine Maxwell was moved to a lower-security prison, her former lawyer seemingly admitted that it was likely part of a deal with the Trump administration in exchange for her interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, saying, “when anybody who’s represented by a lawyer who knows what they’re doing goes in and meets with the government, there’s always a quid pro quo.”
Trump politicized the killing of a Ukrainian refugee on a North Carolina train to rail against cashless bail, saying “her blood is on the hands of the Democrats who refuse to put bad people in jail,” and calling on Republicans to vote for former RNC Chair Michael Whatley for US Senate.
Tuesday, September 9
NBC News reported that a more than 15-year-old ICE policy requiring officers in its Enforcement and Removal Operations division to fill out a form with details, including the name, known addresses, and criminal history of targeted immigrants before conducting any operations to arrest them, has ended under the Trump administration.
A Michigan state judge dismissed charges against a group of fake electors who signed certificates that falsely stated Trump won the state in the 2020 presidential election, ruling that there wasn’t sufficient evidence to prove their intent to commit fraud. Calling the dismissal a “very wrong decision,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said it marked “the most dangerous slippery slope for American democracy, when courts decide that violations of election laws shouldn’t even be heard by a jury.” Nessel added, “I am terrified for the 2026 elections … If they can get away with this, what can’t they get away with next?”
Israel launched a deadly attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, two days after Trump said his proposal for a ceasefire agreement was “last warning.” A Qatari security official was also killed. The illegal bombing of a sovereign country took place in a residential neighborhood and was condemned worldwide.
Qatar, which has hosted Hamas’ political leadership in part at the request of the US, has been a key mediator in negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage deal. “I think that what [Benjamin] Netanyahu has done yesterday, he just killed any hope for those hostages,” Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Trump administration was notified of the action by the US military, but CBS News reported that Israel told the US, which has a military base in Qatar, about the strike just before it happened. On Truth Social, Trump said the operation was “not a decision made by me” but called the elimination of Hamas a “worthy goal.” He also said that he directed Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to inform Qatar of the impending strike, “which he did, however, unfortunately, too late to stop the attack.”
Asked about Trump’s Monday comments downplaying domestic violence during a White House press briefing, Leavitt baselessly claimed that women are falsely reporting cases of domestic violence as a crime “to undermine the great work” Trump’s task force is doing in DC.
The Supreme Court said it would take up Trump’s emergency appeal related to the legality of his global tariffs, with oral arguments expected in November. In the meantime, the tariffs will remain in place.
The New York Times reported that Tulsi Gabbard ordered the retraction of an intelligence report on Venezuela and Richard Grenell, who serves as an envoy to the country and has called for negotiations with its government. The report, which was recalled several months ago while Grenell was negotiating the return of undocumented immigrants to Venezuela, focused on his conversations and negotiations with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The Missouri state House voted to approve a new gerrymandered congressional map that would likely result in Republicans gaining another US House seat in the 2026 midterm elections. The map now moves to the state Senate, which is expected to pass it this month.
Speaking to reporters, Trump denied that he signed the letter included in Epstein’s 50th birthday book, saying, “It’s not my signature and it’s not the way I speak, and anybody that’s covered me for a long time know that’s not my language.”
A federal judge temporarily blocked Trump from firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, finding that the president’s decision to terminate her over accusations of mortgage fraud that allegedly occurred before her tenure is outside the bounds of the “for cause” provision, which is limited to her behavior in office.
The New York Times reported that Trump’s Justice Department is quietly building the largest national voting database in the agency’s history, which includes data from more than 30 states. Experts say efforts to collect information about individual voters, including their names and addresses, may be against the law, and have raised concerns about the data being used to revive debunked claims about the 2020 presidential election being stolen, or to discredit the results of future elections.
The Supreme Court temporarily authorized the Trump administration to freeze approximately $4 billion in foreign aid set to expire at the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, which includes funding for global health and HIV/AIDS programs.
Wednesday, September 10
Trump ally and MAGA pundit Charlie Kirk was fatally shot while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University. His killing was immediately condemned by politicians and pundits across the political spectrum.
While top Democrats, including Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Gavin Newsom, denounced Kirk’s killing, some far-right commentators immediately attempted to blame the left for the shooting. Elon Musk tweeted that “The Left is the party of murder,” while conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer called on the Trump administration to “shut down, defund & prosecute every single Leftist organization.”
Meanwhile, Trump issued a video message from the Oval Office, in which he said, “For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals … My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity, and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund it and support it, as well as those who go after our judges, law enforcement officials, and everyone else who brings order to our country.” Trump’s warning came despite the fact that the shooter hadn’t yet been identified in Kirk’s killing, and their motive remained unclear.
AP reported that the Trump administration is reviewing material at national parks and historic sites related to slavery, the destruction of Native American culture and language, the climate crisis, and other information that could be “disparaging” to the US. Additionally, the National Park Service had until July 18 to flag “inappropriate” signs, exhibits, and other material.
A federal appeals court reinstated the copyright chief of the Library of Congress while she continues to challenge Trump’s effort to fire her in court.
ProPublica reported that the Education Department cut funding for programs in eight states that help students who have hearing and vision loss, with a spokesperson for the department citing concerns about “divisive concepts” and “fairness” in relation to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The funding, which will stop at the end of September, was expected to continue through September 2028.
Three former senior FBI officials, including former acting director Brian Driscoll, sued Kash Patel for their firings, arguing they were unlawful and politically motivated. The lawsuit claims that Patel “deliberately chose to prioritize politicizing the FBI over protecting the American people. The suit also details an interview Driscoll undertook before he was appointed as acting director, which appeared to be a loyalty test. The interview included questions about whether he voted for a Democrat in the last five elections and if FBI agents who raided Mar-a-Lago in 2022 “should be held accountable.”
The Trump administration announced it would withhold $350 million in grants to hundreds of colleges serving students of color, reallocating the funds away from eight discretionary grant programs that support Black, Native, Hispanic, and Asian American students.
The Trump administration walked back its claims that hundreds of Guatemalan children it tried to deport back to their home country last month had been requested to return by their parents after a Justice Department attorney acknowledged that the claims had no factual basis and had been contradicted by a Guatemalan government review, which concluded that most of the parents couldn’t be located and the majority who were had wanted their children to remain in the US.
Trump’s 30-day emergency order involving the federal takeover of law enforcement in DC officially expired, though National Guard troops and ICE agents will remain in the area. Meanwhile, The Washington Post reported that National Guard documents concluded that public sentiment about Trump’s takeover has been perceived as “leveraging fear,” driving a “wedge between citizens and the military,” and promoting a sense of “shame” among some troops and veterans.
The New York Times reported that the Venezuelan boat destroyed by the US military in the Caribbean last week, which killed 11 civilians, had altered its course and appeared to have turned around before the strike began after people on board saw a military aircraft following them. The new details about the strike, which experts say may have violated international law, further undermine the Trump administration’s claim that it was legally justified as self-defense.
A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from subpoenaing the medical records of trans patients who received gender-affirming care at a children’s hospital in Boston, calling the move improper and “motivated only by bad faith.”
A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from restricting access to services for undocumented immigrants, including the federal preschool program Head Start, as well as health clinics and adult education.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick suggested to Axios that the Trump administration may begin targeting a share of funds generated by patents developed at major universities that receive federal funding, saying, “I think if we fund it and they invent a patent, the United States of America taxpayer should get half the benefit.”
Thursday, September 11
Speaking to reporters, Trump escalated his dangerous rhetoric following Kirk’s killing, saying, “We have radical left lunatics out there and we just have to beat the hell out of them.”
House Democrats sent a letter to the inspector general of the Federal Housing Finance Agency requesting a review of director Bill Pulte’s mortgage fraud allegations against Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. In the letter, the lawmakers asked the IG to “review all the circumstances and activities” related to the agency’s acquisition and review of Cook’s mortgage application, along with “any announcements, statements, and release of documents related to this matter in order to determine whether any statutory, regulatory, or agency policies may have been violated.”
Trump asked a federal appeals court to immediately pause a lower court ruling that blocked his firing of Lisa Cook, and requested a ruling by Monday, which is one day before the Fed’s board starts meeting to vote on whether to lower interest rates. Cook will be able to attend the meeting if the block on her firing remains in place.
Bloomberg reported on a trove of Epstein emails from his personal Yahoo account that hadn’t been made public until now, which largely shed light on his partnership with Maxwell. In one email from Sept. 2006, two months after Epstein was charged in Florida with solicitation of prostitution, Maxwell sent Epstein a list of 51 people, including politicians, business executives, and Wall Street powerbrokers, writing, “Pls review list and add or remove peeps.” Epstein responded, “Remove trump.” A White House spokesperson called the article “more stupid, fake news playing into the hands of the Democrat Hox trying to link” Trump and Epstein.
A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deporting dozens of Guatemalan and Honduran children who came to the US alone, extending her order until at least Sept. 26. The judge also raised concerns about whether the government made arrangements for the children’s parents or legal guardians to take custody of them.
On Twitter, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau announced that the State Department will “undertake appropriate action” against immigrants who are “praising, rationalizing, or making light” of Charlie Kirk’s killing on social media, saying they “are not welcome visitors to our country.” He also called on Twitter users to report immigrants who have made such comments.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced to over 27 years in prison after the country’s Supreme Court found him guilty of plotting a coup d’état following his loss in the 2022 election. Trump, who has called Bolsonaro’s prosecution a “witch hunt,” compared the former president to himself, telling reporters, “It’s very much like they tried to do with me, but they didn’t get away with it.”
The Trump administration told the New York Times it had ordered the destruction of nearly $10 million worth of birth control pills and other contraceptives meant to go to individuals in low-income countries, even though several international organizations offered to buy them or accept them as donations. The estimated cost to destroy the products was $167,000. Authorities in Belgium, where the products were being held, later told the Times that the stockpile hadn’t been destroyed yet.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox warned about a “tremendous amount” of disinformation circulating on social media in relation to Charlie Kirk’s killing.
Senate Republicans broke precedent by changing a rule to lower the existing 60-vote threshold for considering a group of presidential nominees to a simple majority, further eroding the filibuster in the process and making it more difficult for individual senators to block specific nominees.
Several historically Black colleges and universities in the South were put on lockdown and had classes canceled after receiving “potential threats to campus safety.” Meanwhile, Capitol Police responded to a “potential security concern” at the Democratic National Committee headquarters, which turned out to be a non-credible bomb threat.
A federal appeals court cleared the way for the Trump administration to move forward with blocking Medicaid funds to Planned Parenthood as part of the president’s tax and spending bill passed in July.
Friday, September 12
During a one-hour interview on Fox, Trump announced that a 22-year-old suspect in the killing of Charlie Kirk had been taken into custody, and once again called for “quick trials,” saying that suspects who are caught on tape “should have a trial the following day.” The suspect was later named as Tyler Robinson.
Also during the interview, Trump falsely said he could “change the mayor” of DC if he wants, claimed Chicago is “worse than Afghanistan,” and ludicrously said that “California doesn’t have ballot boxes.” Additionally, he accused, without evidence, the Jan. 6 Select Committee of “burn[ing] all the information because we were right on everything.” He claimed that “radicals on the right oftentimes are radical because they don’t want to see crime. The radicals on the left are the problem.” He also said his administration is going to “look into” Jewish billionaire and Democratic Party donor George Soros, adding he believes “it’s a RICO case against him and other people.”
Trump announced that Memphis, Tennessee, will be his administration’s next target of a National Guard deployment to fight crime, saying, “We’re going to fix that just like we did Washington.” He added, “I would’ve preferred going to Chicago … we’ll bring in the military too if we need it.”
Reuters reported that the Trump administration is planning to propose significant restrictions on the right to asylum at the United Nations later this month. The proposed framework would require asylum seekers to claim protection in the first country they enter, rather than a country of their choosing. Additionally, asylum would be temporary, and the country providing asylum would be able to determine whether conditions in home countries have improved enough for their return.
The Washington Post reported that Trump health officials are planning to link COVID-19 vaccines to the deaths of 25 children based on information submitted to the federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, which contains unverified reports of side effects from vaccines that can be submitted by anyone. The move comes as the Trump administration considers limiting who can get the COVID-19 vaccine.
A federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s policy that directed immigration judges to dismiss deportation cases, a move that has resulted in ICE arresting immigrants in and around courthouses.
Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it would move to end a 15-year-old program that requires thousands of polluters to report the amount of greenhouse gases they emit, with EPA administrator Lee Zeldin saying in a statement that the program “is nothing more than bureaucratic red tape.”
CBS News reported that the US Secret Service put an agent on leave after writing a Facebook post about Charlie Kirk’s killing, noting he “spewed hate and racism on his show.” In a memo, the Secret Service director said that members “must be focused on being the solution, not adding to the problem.”
Lisa Cook, the Federal Reserve governor who Trump tried to fire over allegations of mortgage fraud, listed the Atlanta property at the center of those allegations as a “vacation home,” according to a document reviewed by Reuters. The 2021 document, says Reuters, “appears to counter other documentation that Cook’s critics have cited in support of their claims that she committed mortgage fraud.”
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Thanks, as always. This past week was more disturbing than most. I was not surprised to learn that the guy who killed Kirk was a right wing extremist. I now know who Nick Fuentes is, and what a "groyper" is, but learning this has only increased my level of angst!
My problem is that while you take a deep dive on Charlie Kirk citing his background and past comments. It would be enlightening if you could a thorough background check on the perpetrator.
Lack of this information leaves it to most outlets claiming this was caused by 'the left'.