Trump has been emboldened Despite his low poll numbers, the president and his advisers believe that the Venezuela strike reignited his political momentum - and underscored the lack of concrete limits on his ability to wield power at home and abroad www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

“Trump has set up what critics say is an extortionist racket of Caracas. He told its new leader, in essence, “Give us the oil we want, and we’ll let you stay in power,” and privately joked that Venezuela could be in the running to become the 51st state” www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

NEW: Even for Donald Trump, it’s been quite the week Venezuela. Greenland. ICE. Powell. Iran. And more. Trump, though never restrained, is now pure id, acting on impulse and goaded on by advisers who see an opportunity to further expand executive power www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

Some around Trump have delighted in Europe’s impassioned reaction to his latest desires for the mineral-rich island “Let them squirm. Maybe we’ll take it; maybe we won’t. But after what we just saw in Caracas, do you want to try to call Trump’s bluff?” www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

“Trump has pointedly not ruled out taking Greenland by force. And if the U.S. goes down that road, NATO will effectively cease to exist the moment the first military personnel enter Greenlandic territory” www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

NEW: Is Greenland next? After Trump’s strike on Venezuela, some Europeans think he may now act upon his desire for Greenland And that, which could spell the end of NATO, might happen without any military force - and perhaps with just a Truth Social post www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

Back in April, President Trump boasted that he “ruled the world.” Honestly, it was hard to argue with him But as 2025 draws to a close, Trump seems a whole lot smaller www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

NEW: President Trump spent much of the year as a steamroller But as 2025 ends, he seems much smaller now Republicans took losses and are starting to defy him. He seems out of touch and focused on legacy. And Epstein won’t go away A shrinking president: www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

NEW: Susie Wiles aims to be a chief of staff who brings order to the White House and stays out of headlines Well then! That’s sure over now Inside Wiles’ stunning interviews - and how the White House’s response shows that Trump still needs her. For now www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

NEW: Ukraine’s Latest Attacks Showcase Its Desperation Kyiv had long resisted hitting tankers carrying Russian oil But with the Trump administration ramping up the pressure on Ukraine to take a deal - maybe a bad one - Zelensky opted to widen the war www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

NEW: www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

NEW: The Worst Part of Pete Hegseth’s Very Bad Week Lawmakers are finally waking up to the problems the defense secretary has created www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

There were tentative plans to get Trump on the road to support the Big Beautiful Bill But he instead focused on Gaza and Putin summit - and didn’t want to face questions when Epstein scandal exploded This year’s GOP candidates also only got tele-rallies www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

Trump’s echo chamber: Very little U.S travel No rallies or contact with supporters Right-wing media Dinners with rich donors and billionaires Truth Social Lack of staff to tell him no www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

Trump’s rallies always gave him a feel for his base - and a chance to meet local leaders In the first year of initial term, he did a lot of domestic travel. This October and November: not a single U.S. trip beyond his own clubs www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

NEW: President Trump has never before been in such an echo chamber His domestic travel has basically stopped. He sees rich donors and MAGA media, not actual voters Everyone around him is saying he is right. But polls show more Americans think he is wrong www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

The Trump Steamroller Is Broken Infighting. Bad polls. Party divisions. Midterm fears. It’s all back. www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

“A rare GOP rebellion on Capitol Hill rattled the West Wing and embarrassed Trump. And although the White House likes to project a political image of never surrendering, a pair of retreats in the past few days has punctured Trump’s aura of invincibility” www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

NEW: Ten months into the president’s second term, Trump 2.0 is for the first time starting to resemble the chaotic original That new sense of political weakness has emboldened Democrats and given the GOP a chance to - just maybe - create a little space www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

All this, of course, raises the question: What exactly is Trump trying to prevent from being released? www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

Some dread has crept into the West Wing now that Trump faces a rare rebuke from fellow Republicans, including some who have been among his most loyal MAGA foot soldiers But though his efforts to bully the House failed, Trump may push GOP senators next www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

NEW: Jeffrey Epstein is dead But the scandal continues to shadow Trump and its reemergence dealt another blow to a president already at the weakest moment of his second term Even a Trump ally says he is “not acting like someone who has nothing to hide” www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

NEW: Momentum was building towards ending the shutdown And then Election Day happened Quiet negotiations do continue. But both sides are digging in for a potentially long fight Trump shows no interest in comprising. And more real-world pain is coming www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

“Mamdani will take the oath of office on January 1 and start leading a city of nearly 8.5 million people. The five boroughs’ residents-–some excited, some uncertain-–will be watching. And so will one ex–New Yorker about 200 miles south” www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

Trump scrapped the Gateway Tunnel but has largely spared New York City - until now He was waiting for the mayor’s race. But with Mamdani’s win, Trump intends to pressure NYC: ICE raids, National Guard, more cancelled projects Mamdani says he’s ready www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

NEW: Zohran Mamdani will be the unlikeliest mayor in NYC history He vanquished Cuomo (again) and will have to trade lofty promises for gritty governing And now Mamdani faces a war with the president, himself a New Yorker. It’s the fight Trump wants www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

We get a Game 7 tonight Baseball is thriving. Don’t blow it. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

NEW: Baseball is thriving. Now please, MLB, don’t blow it A classic World Series shows again that the sport is back. But a long work stoppage looms after next year - and risks enraging fans and undoing all of the game’s momentum Make a deal. My latest: www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

“But when it comes to the government shutdown, Trump barely seems to be paying attention” www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

“The president loves the idea of DONALD J. TRUMP BALLROOM—written in gold letters—etched in the White House. (He recently told reporters that he would not name it after himself, and, if you believe that, we’ve got a fully intact East Wing to sell you)” www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

NEW: The government is closed. The President is MIA Believing Democrats would splinter, Trump deliberately ignored the shutdown. But his polls have tumbled. And more Americans will hurt in the days ahead Now even some in GOP think Trump needs to act www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

The U.S. hasn’t sent this many ships to the Caribbean since the Cuban missile crisis The carrier group provides far more firepower than needed for occasional attacks on boats. But the ships could be ideal for launching a stream of strikes inside Venezuela www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

Admiral Alvin Halsey left his post atop the Pentagon’s Southern Command after a tense meeting with Hegseth over Caribbean boat strikes Since then, the U.S. has moved far closer to war in Venezuela. The next step could be attacks on land www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

Zelensky went to Washington thinking he was getting Tomahawks. But he was undercut by Putin’s surprise call and summit invitation Zelensky hoped to build on momentum from Gaza deal to push for an Ukraine ceasefire. But once again he got little from Trump www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

The week began with a diplomatic breakthrough and a (fragile) cease-fire in one war. It ends with another conflict stuck in a bloody, frustrating rut Trump got the Gaza deal by applying full pressure. But in Ukraine, he again would not push Putin www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

NEW: Why Democrats Think They’re Winning the Shutdown Fight The party has found its footing and succeeded in elevating the issue of health care Cracks are starting to show in the Republican front - with polls showing the GOP taking more of the blame www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

NEW: The Trump administration is portraying its boat-bombing campaign near Venezuela as an anti-drug mission The evidence suggests it's about a lot more www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

First James Comey. Now Letitia James. Trump’s retribution is here www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

“It bears pausing on the starkness of these facts: The president of the United States demanded the jailing of two elected officials who belong to the opposing political party” www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

NEW: Retribution is here President Trump today called for the arrests of Illinois’ governor and Chicago’s mayor And he has an AG who has proven pliant - as evidenced by the Comey arraignment minutes later Inside Trump’s escalating campaign of payback: www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

NEW: A government shutdown, weaponized Projects slashed. Layoffs threatened. Russ Vought looming It took President Trump fewer than 24 hours to turn a shutdown into a weapon wielded against the civil servants and opposing party he has long derided www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

NEW: The federal government seems to be hurtling toward a shutdown If that happens, the Trump administration might use it to finish the job that DOGE started Inside the White House’s shutdown plan - which may include permanent mass firings www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

“He mocked alliances and the UN itself, outlining something of a Trump Doctrine that prioritizes individual nations’ sovereignty and a transactional approach that rewards only those nations that can do something for the United States—or him personally” www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

NEW: Seven years ago, the world laughed at Donald Trump But his return to the UN underscores how dramatically his relationship with the world has changed - and how he has led a campaign to upend the global order that the U.S. built following World War II www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

NEW: Kamala Harris’ “first choice” for running mate in 2024 was Pete Buttigieg But Harris believed “we were asking too much of America” to accept a ticket with “a Black woman married to a Jewish man” with a gay man It was “too big of a risk,” she wrote www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

“The West Wing is aware of these weak job numbers, and is warily watching inflation and looking for ways to juice the economy. Officials are discussing a sweeping deregulation effort due this fall that is meant to spark business growth” www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

Trump remembers how Democrats wielded the majority after capturing the House in 2018 If that happens again next year, it would end whatever was left of Trump’s agenda And it would also consume his White House in investigations - and possibly impeachment www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

NEW: Redistricting. Seizing the Fed. National Guard in U.S. cities President Trump’s extreme moves are in part fueled by fear of losing the midterms Because if Democrats win the House, Trump will be plagued again by investigations - and maybe impeachment www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

The boat was chosen as the first target based on actionable intelligence, and followed the development of a policy and the completion of a legal review Plans to strike were in place by last week, but the U.S. waited until it was in international waters www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

NEW: The military wasn’t built to fight crime A missile strike in the Caribbean and National Guard deployments in U.S. cities are pushing the armed forces beyond their traditional mission And President Trump is planning for an expansion on both fronts www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...