menu_open Columnists
Heather Digby Parton

Heather Digby Parton

Salon

We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

MAGA's mixed messages on tariffs share one disturbing theme

MAGA's mixed messages on tariffs share one disturbing theme

While the billionaires in Trump's orbit may have different visions, they all want the same thing

previous day 10

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Trump's tariffs are the ultimate MAGA loyalty test

Trump's tariffs are the ultimate MAGA loyalty test

Self-preservation may start to look a little different to Republicans if the country is mired in a recession

07.04.2025 30

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Trump's tariffs regime aims for much worse than a global trade war

Trump's tariffs regime aims for much worse than a global trade war

Everyone knew that President Trump was going to pull the trigger on his big tariff policy on Wednesday, but he actually dropped a nuclear bomb. He put...

05.04.2025 20

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Elon Musk delivers hope and change for Democrats

Elon Musk delivers hope and change for Democrats

A victory in a tight Wisconsin race boosts Democrats in their quest to defeat the billionaire's DOGE plans

02.04.2025 50

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Bracing for "Liberation Day"

Bracing for

Trump's plans for the future grow more fantastical

31.03.2025 8

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

America has hit the MAGA tipping point

America has hit the MAGA tipping point

We won't be able to ignore what Trump and his accomplices are doing once it starts to impact us personally

28.03.2025 100

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

The most chilling lesson of Signalgate

The most chilling lesson of Signalgate

From what we can see on newly released text messages, Trump's people don't know what he's talking about

26.03.2025 5

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Trump resurrects George W. Bush's rendition regime

Trump resurrects George W. Bush's rendition regime

Trump's rationale for dredging up wartime powers to render foreigners to a foreign prison is rather familiar

24.03.2025 9

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Taking down Jackie Robinson reveals what the fight against DEI is all about

Taking down Jackie Robinson reveals what the fight against DEI is all about

The Trump administration wants to pretend that the world is a meritocracy where white men happen to be the best

21.03.2025 7

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Trump is becoming a bigger problem for the Supreme Court — and John Roberts can't control it

Trump is becoming a bigger problem for the Supreme Court — and John Roberts can't control it

After extending presidential immunity in Trump's Jan. 6 case, the court has no room to stop his judicial attack

19.03.2025 10

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Trump's push for deportations without due process is meant to cause a constitutional crisis

Trump's invocation of the 1798 Aliens Enemies Act, explained

17.03.2025 20

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

How much corruption can MAGA stomach? Trump and Musk test the limit

Autocracy? Oligarchy? Kakistocracy? No, Trump's Mad King behavior is a hallmark of patrimonialism

14.03.2025 40

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Trump takes advantage of our collective COVID amnesia

The pandemic has gone so far down the memory hole that it's like it never happened

12.03.2025 30

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

"Canada will never ever be part of America": Trudeau's replacement immediately takes it to Trump

"We can give ourselves far far more than Donald Trump can ever take away"

10.03.2025 20

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Trump's attempt to clean up after Elon Musk backfires

One question remains: What is the true motivation behind Musk's DOGE project?

07.03.2025 6

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Trump's speech to Congress makes it clear: They're coming for Social Security

The address was an interminable litany of lies that featured a dull recitation of alleged fraud in Social Security

05.03.2025 50

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Who benefits from Donald Trump's revenge diplomacy? Putin

Trump believes Putin is entitled to take what he wants

03.03.2025 3

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Elon Musk is Trump's method of punishment

Trump's global revenge crusade is in full swing

28.02.2025 3

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

America's allies adjust to Trump's abandonment

A mournful requiem for the great post-war alliance

26.02.2025 10

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Too unpopular to help: Democrats hang Republicans out to dry

Democrats have their first real chance to resist the Trump-Musk takeover. They just have to say "no"

24.02.2025 8

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

"Never meant to be ruled by a dictator or a king": The DOGE backlash hits Trump districts

The resistance is wide awake — and includes Republican voters this time

21.02.2025 20

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Trump's delusional path to peace: Handing over Ukraine to Russia

Flattering Vladimir Putin will not win the Nobel Peace Prize

19.02.2025 6

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

MAGA's push for a constitutional showdown sparks unexpected resistance

A Republican rift is forming over the issue of judicial review — but don't expect Congress to defy Donald Trump

12.02.2025 20

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

"To the victor belongs the spoils": Trump's imperial ambition is fueled by the myth of his mandate

After winning by a bigger margin than in 2016, Donald Trump now sees himself as omnipotent and invincible

11.02.2025 30

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Pam Bondi's Department of Justice seeks Trump's revenge

More than just Elon Musk: Donald Trump's Cabinet hits the ground running

07.02.2025 10

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Trump's Gaza delusion: A dangerous escalation in the Middle East spurred on by one man's ego

It's yet another absurd declaration by a man whose been able to escape any accountability

05.02.2025 10

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Chaos economy: Trump's new tariffs signal dark days for America

How Trump thinks hitting Mexico and Canada with tariffs is supposed to solve America's drug problem is a mystery

03.02.2025 40

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Trump's underlings inadvertently undermine his return

A well-oiled, systematic, authoritarian machine they aren't — but they can still do a whole lot of damage

01.02.2025 30

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Trump still can't escape Jan. 6 — and ultimately, it will destroy him

Trump will never face prosecution, but his deranged obsession with Jan. 6 is massively unpopular

29.01.2025 20

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Are there any real Republicans left? Tulsi, RFK Jr. offer them a chance to stand up

Republicans capitulated on Pete Hegseth, though they knew better. Now come the most noxious nominees of all

27.01.2025 30

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Trumponomics is back: Tech-bros are delighted, but the price of eggs is soaring

Trump thinks he won by talking about the economy — and now he gets to wreck it and enrich his billionaire pals

24.01.2025 30

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Trump's "shock and awe" campaign hits the wrong targets

Republicans scramble to defend Donald Trump's shocking decision to pardon nearly 1,500 Jan. 6 rioters

22.01.2025 8

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Trump's MAGA agenda is already stalled in Congress

Republicans in Congress are so far behind in crafting a legislative agenda

17.01.2025 20

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Making American oligarchy great again

Donald Trump has no idea what the billionaire tech titans suddenly flocking to his side are really after

15.01.2025 4

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Republicans see the LA wildfires as an opportunity to punish California

People who refuse to do anything about the real crisis we're facing, climate change, pounce straight to punishment

13.01.2025 3

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Trump's minions are laying the groundwork for military action

Many people still don't have the stomach to follow politics these days after the disappointment of the last election and the return of the Trump...

08.01.2025 4

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Donald Trump has turned Jan. 6 into a triumph

Four years ago today while I watched on television as Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol during the joint session of Congress to stop the...

06.01.2025 10

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Mike Johnson is still fighting for his job because Donald Trump no longer has the juice

After a brief hiatus for the holidays, the circus is back in Washington, D.C., and the high-wire act of Speaker Mike Johnson and the Flying...

03.01.2025 8

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

It's Elon Musk over MAGA: Donald Trump makes his pick

A couple of days after Christmas, Donald Trump posted something very odd, even by his standards. He accidentally posted a personal text to his BFF,...

30.12.2024 2

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Donald Trump's threats against foreign nations are not about revenge

One of the more annoying conceits of the MAGA cult is its insistence that Donald Trump is some kind of religious figure dedicated to bringing world...

23.12.2024 10

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Elon Musk just killed Donald Trump's honeymoon

Back in 2016, the whole country was left in shock when celebrity businessman Donald Trump managed to take over the Republican Party and win the...

20.12.2024 5

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

The press is giving Donald Trump the George W. Bush treatment

President-elect Trump held his first press conference since the election this week and seemed surprised that he is suddenly so popular with all the...

18.12.2024 50

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Trump's corporate coronation: The rich rush to curry favor ahead of inauguration

In May of 2023, the world watched as Charles III was crowned King of England after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, passed away at the age of 96....

16.12.2024 10

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Christopher Wray's cowardly exit: What's left when the FBI director acquiesces to Trump in advance?

One of the most famous episodes in the Watergate saga 50 years ago was when CBS News reporter Daniel Schorr got a hold of Richard Nixon's "enemies...

13.12.2024 20

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Republicans fall in line for Trump's Cabinet picks — but are they holding fire for a bigger battle?

If it feels as though the new Trump administration is taking shape at warp speed, that's because it is. It's unusual for an incoming administration...

11.12.2024 3

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Elon Musk can no longer hide Donald Trump's mess

Last month's presidential election was a disappointment, to say the least. Ever since then, it's felt as if the air has just been slowly leaking...

09.12.2024 9

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Donald Trump is not even bothering to hide the corruption this time

Last February, as Donald Trump was running for the Republican presidential nomination, he appeared at SneakerCon in Philadelphia to debut his...

06.12.2024 7

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Donald Trump is ready to make Republicans touch the third rail

There are a thousand election hot takes and post-mortems floating around these days and I'm sure we'll soon come to some consensus about what drove...

04.12.2024 7

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

The (perceived) persecution of Kash Patel

Once upon a time, there was a Trump toadie who wrote a fatuous children's book about a good king being persecuted by an evil queen named Hillary...

02.12.2024 10

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Trump's hatchet woman: Pam Bondi is plotting revenge on the Department of Justice

Many Americans were sorely disappointed this week when special prosecutor Jack Smith decided to drag up and withdraw the Jan. 6 indictment and the...

27.11.2024 20

Salon

Heather Digby Parton