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Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
2:00 a.m.
Hello! Thank you for joining us here. We've got lots and lots to talk about, so let's get going:
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Did you approve your new avatar?
Guest
2:01 a.m.
Karen, you need a new avatar. This one is horrible. Were you allowed to approve it? ACCCK!
Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
2:01 a.m.
I was, and all I can say about it is, it's better than the first one they showed me.
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JJ
How is the Trump administration going to cut energy prices by 50% as Trump promised?
John Joseph IV
2:02 a.m.
How is the Trump administration going to cut energy prices by 50% as Trump promised?
Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
2:02 a.m.
It isn't.
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What’s JD Vance been up to?
Guest
2:04 a.m.
He’s disappeared into the background really quickly.
Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
2:04 a.m.
He was pretty invisible during the transition, but I saw a lot of him on Inauguration Day, and he swore in Marco Rubio as the new secretary of state. I can't think of any other situations in which a vice president would be taking center stage in a president's first week in office, unless there is a tie to break in the Senate.
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VI
How are we to get past Trump’s new rules on the House and Senate?
Vicki
2:08 a.m.
How are we to get past Trump’s new rules on the house and senate, if all areas of law are controlled by Republicans?
Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
2:07 a.m.
Republicans still are well short of the 60-vote majority they need to overcome filibusters in the Senate, which is why you are going to see the Republicans try to roll a lot into the budget reconciliation bill, which requires only a majority.
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TM
Do you think it makes sense to invade Panama before Greenland?
Tom Morin
2:09 a.m.
I think it's the best way
Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
2:09 a.m.
This is a joke, right? These days, hard to tell.
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Should Pam Bondi be confirmed?
Guest
2:10 a.m.
Do you agree with the Post editorial board that Pam Bondi should be confirmed? My views align more with the views of Ann Telnaes as depicted in one of her last cartoons published by the Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/11/27/ann-telnaes-cartoon-attorney-general-pam-bondi/
I also read a chilling article in the Atlantic on how Hitler seized power using (if I understand it) lawful means in an incredibly short period of time. I believe there are many parallels with Trump. What do you think?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/11/27/ann-telnaes-cartoon-attorney-general-pam-bondi/
I also read a chilling article in the Atlantic on how Hitler seized power using (if I understand it) lawful means in an incredibly short period of time. I believe there are many parallels with Trump. What do you think?
Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
2:10 a.m.
What? You don't think "better than Matt Gaetz" should be our new standard? As for Trump, I do think his aggressive use of executive power, and the fact that Congress will be supine, are both worrisome. But -- at this point -- I am leery of Hitler comparisons.
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Are there obstacles to prevent potential military orders?
Guest
2:12 a.m.
If Trump were to tell the military to take Greenland or the canal or do something terrible to protesters, are there obstacles in place to prevent those actions?
There are so many things to worry about. I've found these chats to be a comfort, even when the answers aren't especially comforting, so thanks for being there.
There are so many things to worry about. I've found these chats to be a comfort, even when the answers aren't especially comforting, so thanks for being there.
Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
2:12 a.m.
The Constitution says only Congress has the power to declare war, but they haven't done that since Pearl Harbor and we've seen our military in lots of armed conflicts costing 130,000 American lives since then. So, no, if he really wants to invade Greenland or Panama, he could do it and Congress wouldn't stop him. And should he invoke the Insurrection Act, you could see the military used in all sorts of disturbing ways. I wish I could be more comforting than that.
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MM
What action will the US be likely to take against the Mexican drug cartels with Trump’s exec order?
Michael McClain
2:13 a.m.
Will we see the CIA Orr our military “ invading a sovereign country?
Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
2:13 a.m.
Those are good and worrisome questions. As former defense secretary Mark Esper wrote in his memoir , Trump considered doing that his first term. He said: “We could just shoot some Patriot missiles and take out the labs, quietly,” and thought “no one would know it was us.” Ideas like this didn't happen, thanks to the people he had around them. Those people are gone.
Trump Proposed Launching Missiles Into Mexico to ‘Destroy the Drug Labs,’ Esper Says (Published...
It is one of the moments in his upcoming memoir that the former defense secretary described as leaving him all but speechless.
FULL STORY
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CJ
Who is controlling Trump?
CJS
2:15 a.m.
The things Trump says that are not true, i.e. millions coming over border, illegals are all criminals, and Gulf of America and annexing Canada - do you think these are coming from his warped brain or is there someone else that he gets these ideas from someone else?
Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
2:15 a.m.
I don't think anyone "controls" Donald Trump, the most unfiltered politician any of us has ever seen. He picks up these ideas all over the place (it reportedly was Ronald Lauder, the cosmetics billionaire, who planted his obsession with Greenland), and we are seeing how his mind processes them.
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CJ
Help. How do we get through the next four years?
CJS
2:16 a.m.
How do we get through the next 4 years with all the lies and misinformation and crazy things like annexing Canada and Gulf of America?
Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
2:16 a.m.
I've made a resolution: I am going to try to keep my focus on substantive things, and ignore the rest. As I wrote in my column on inauguration day:
Trump is a master of distraction, a virtuoso of flooding the zone with bluster and illusion. One of the biggest mistakes that his political opponents — and, yes, the news media, too — made during Trump’s first term was to follow him down every rhetorical rabbit hole and explode whenever he posted something outrageous on social media. This time around, let’s try something different. Let’s keep an eye on what he actually does and measure him by what his policies yield.
Trump is a master of distraction, a virtuoso of flooding the zone with bluster and illusion. One of the biggest mistakes that his political opponents — and, yes, the news media, too — made during Trump’s first term was to follow him down every rhetorical rabbit hole and explode whenever he posted something outrageous on social media. This time around, let’s try something different. Let’s keep an eye on what he actually does and measure him by what his policies yield.
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How will Trump impact Title 1 and IEP funding?
Guest
2:18 a.m.
My husband works at a private special education school entirely federally funded by IEPs etc, and my children go to a Title 1 school. Will Trump actually close the Department of Education? If so what will happen to Special Education and Title 1 funding? Will my husband’s school close? Will my children’s school lose funding?
Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
2:18 a.m.
Put me down as skeptical that Trump will actually succeed in actually closing the Department of Education, which -- as was the case with creating it -- would require an act of Congress. But as to Title 1 funding, it is probably worth noting that there was no Department of Education when it was created in 1965. Federal special education funding was established in 1975. The free-standing Education Department didn't come along until 1980. So I assume the functions of the department would be distributed to other agencies. What is worth worrying about is whether that funding may be cut by Congress, and whether new conditions would be imposed on schools that receive it. And that is where concerned citizens and their advocates would need to be vigilant.
Title I at 50: Past, Present, and Future
This spotlight takes a look at the history of Title I, how the program has changed over time, and how it affects children, schools, families and education policy. Experts weigh in on the program's pas...
FULL STORY
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TW
Has The Post lost its soul?
Trick Wheel
2:20 a.m.
David Marannis: “ The Washington Post editorial this morning essentially equating Biden's questionable pardons with Trump's outrageous Jan. 6 pardons was unconscionable. The newspaper I've been part of for 48 years has utterly lost its soul.”
A lot of journalists have left the Post; I suspect you understand many more will do so in the near future. Similarly, readership and subscriptions have declined dramatically. Both the loss of talent and the significant drop in readership and advertising are a direct result of a loss of trust in the Post.
Tell us, Karen, why are you staying? Are you content to have your work throttled or injected with both-siderism? What’s the price of integrity these days?
A historical context: those who formed the Vichy government in France during WWII did so for a number of reasons. Some believed they were saving France, others saw political opportunism, some just gave up and went with the flow. Regardless their motivation, history condemned in the end.
A lot of journalists have left the Post; I suspect you understand many more will do so in the near future. Similarly, readership and subscriptions have declined dramatically. Both the loss of talent and the significant drop in readership and advertising are a direct result of a loss of trust in the Post.
Tell us, Karen, why are you staying? Are you content to have your work throttled or injected with both-siderism? What’s the price of integrity these days?
A historical context: those who formed the Vichy government in France during WWII did so for a number of reasons. Some believed they were saving France, others saw political opportunism, some just gave up and went with the flow. Regardless their motivation, history condemned in the end.
Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
2:20 a.m.
I see a lot of questions in the queue regarding the Post. My plans are to stay here. I love the Post, and I have not had any constraints placed on what I write or what subjects I pursue. I suggest you look at some of my recent columns and judge for yourself. My other resolution in the second Trump administration is to try to maintain my focus on issues of substance, and not chase the distractions that he flings at us on a daily -- sometimes hourly -- basis. Here, for instance, is something I wrote last week: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/01/17/trump-impoundment-congress-power-grab/
Opinion | Trump plans an audacious grab for congressional ‘power of the purse’
He would trample what the Founders intended.
FULL STORY
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Will The Post have a Project 2025 checklist?
Guest
2:21 a.m.
Will the Post be tracking Trump's actions to the Project 2025 list? Would be fascinating to review that.
Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
2:21 a.m.
I agree. I don't know what the news side's plans are on this, but you are correct that -- even though he said during the campaign that he had no idea what was in Project 2025's plans -- much of what he is doing was in there. Honestly, though, I don't know which was the egg and which was the chicken here. My hunch is Trump would be doing this stuff even if Project 2025 had never existed.
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MB
Any hope of stopping some awful picks for Cabinet positions?
Mike B
2:22 a.m.
Which one of the Cabinet nominees has the best chance of getting rejected?
Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
2:22 a.m.
After watching the warm bubble bath that was the Pete Hegseth hearing, which will be followed by his confirmation as early as today, I think they are all going to get through the Senate.
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A(
Could Trump’s adjustment to corporation tax rates make multinationals relocate out of Ireland?
Alison (Dublin)
2:25 a.m.
Trump’s Adjustment to Corporation tax rates, could it make multinationals relocate out of Ireland? Thank you
Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
2:25 a.m.
Getting companies to relocate back in the US is the stated goal of Trump's corporate tax and tariff proposals. But as the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has noted, lowering the tax rate from 21 to 15 percent for corporations that make their products in America could reduce revenue by about $200 billion through Fiscal Year 2035. So this tax cut could be hard to get through Congress, and especially the Republican hardliners in the House, without some serious offsetting spending cuts, which probably would require whacking back some very popular programs. So let's watch how they try to make the arithmetic work.
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BB
Will Trump keep his promises made?
Bill Brasky
2:25 a.m.
What’s with the price of eggs and why hasn’t Trump solved this yet?
Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
2:25 a.m.
Maybe he was too busy working on ending the war in Ukraine, as promised, on day one.
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What can the courts do?
Guest
2:25 a.m.
Reading about all the appalling proclamations obviously crafted by others (he asked "What's this one? Oh!" when informed about the WHO order) and some created on a whim, as the wholesale pardons, I am overwhelmed. And of course we're meant to be, as well as breathless, waiting for brutal and thoughtless decisions from the administration. I just wrote my senators about denying Hegseth the nomination, and I'm sending money, when my limited funds allow, to ACLU and Indivisible. Do you think we can rely on the courts to stall or stop any of these actions?
And thanks for being there. I find these chats by you and Eugene Robinson strangely comforting, even when the answers aren't.
And thanks for being there. I find these chats by you and Eugene Robinson strangely comforting, even when the answers aren't.
Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
2:25 a.m.
Thank you for your kind words. I wish I had some to assuage your concerns in return. And yes, you are right: we are going to be relying on the courts to step up to the challenges, because Congress sure isn't going to do it.
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Why would any country take the U.S. at its word?
Guest
2:26 a.m.
The sudden cancelation of refugee resettlements, scheduled asylum appointments, trade deals (even ones negotiated by Trump), etc all chopped by EO...why would any country sign any deal with the US going forward?
Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
2:26 a.m.
I'd add backing out of the Paris climate accord -- for the second time -- to your list.
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RF
What effects do you expect DOGE to have on the REAL government workforce?
Ron from Virginia
2:31 a.m.
At the agency where I worked for years, more than half of "staff" were contractors. I believe that similar situations exist in most, if not all, agencies ever since Gore and Clinton gutted federal employee ranks with their ill-conceived and horribly executed "Reinventing Government" initiatives. What are OMB and DOGE likely to do with the below-the-surface portion of the government manpower iceberg?
Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
2:31 a.m.
What a good question, and I wish I knew the answer. ReGo did indeed replace many federal worker with contractors, which presumably was a means of giving the agencies more flexibility in meeting their needs. I think DOGE may be going about this backward. Certainly, there are many efficiencies to be found in government, but it would seem that the way to go about it is to begin by refining what the missions of these federal agencies really are, rather than (as they have indicated) starting with reducing headcounts.
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LC
Why hasn't anyone pointed out Trump has violated his oath of office already?
Logic Cal
2:33 a.m.
If birthright citizenship is afforded by the Constitution's 14th Amendment, and Trump wrote an order to rescind this right less than 12 hours after taking the oath, hasn't he broken the oath of office already? And why is no one pointing this out?
Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
2:33 a.m.
There are a number of conservative legal scholars who interpret the 14th Amendment differently, and it is clear that they would like to get this question into court. I went to business school, not law school, but it seems historical context and the actual wording of the Constitution argues against them.
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Can Democrats retake the majority in the 2026 U.S. Senate elections?
Guest
2:35 a.m.
Do Democrats having a reasonable chance of retaking the U.S. Senate majority in the 2026 elections?
Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
2:35 a.m.
The 2026 map is not a slam-dunk for Democrats, but it's better for them than the 2024 map was. Repubicans will be defending 22 of the 35 seats that are up. And it will be the Republicans who are facing anti-incumbent headwinds. So, this far out, they have reason for optimism.
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Do people have voter's remorse?
Guest
2:39 a.m.
Do you think a lot of people who voted for the current president will regret that and, if so, how soon?
Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
2:39 a.m.
It all depends, I think, on his performance. The MAGA people are never going to abandon him. But the people who thought he could deliver on the economy, crime, immigration, etc., are going to be looking for results.
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Shocked! Shocked! Why is the Fraternal Order of Police surprised?
Guest
2:42 a.m.
So the Trump-endorsing Fraternal Order of Police can't believe Trump pardoned the scum who attacked and beat officers protecting the Capitol. I guess they're the first, and not the last, fascist supporters to be amazed that Trump isn't to be trusted.
Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
2:42 a.m.
It would be interesting to see how the rank and file among police are feeling about this. I honestly don't know the answer to that.
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Will the Supreme Court uphold birthright citizenship?
Guest
2:42 a.m.
How likely do you think the SCOTUS would be to uphold birthright citizenship? I assume originalists Thomas and Alito will back Trump's Executive Order on grounds it was only intended for formerly enslaved Blacks, but wonder (worry) how many other justices are likely to go along. Your take?
Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
2:42 a.m.
As I wrote in an earlier answer, I'm no lawyer, but it seems that if you look at the historical context and the actual langage of the 14th Amendment, it seems that it assumes birthright citizenship.
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MB
Will the Senate allow 16 new liberal senators?
Mike B
2:44 a.m.
The way I see it Canada would have to come in as at least 8 states. Will the Senate allow 16 new Liberal Senators?
Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
2:44 a.m.
Not to mention their crazy ideas about things like government-run health care and taking in refugees. (I need to find a facetious emoji.)
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Are the delayed confirmation hearings for Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr. significant?
Guest
2:48 a.m.
How significant do you think it is that Senate confirmation hearings for Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr. have not yet been scheduled? How likely do you think it is that either one might feel pressured to withdraw from consideration for administration posts?
Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
2:48 a.m.
My hunch is that, barring any new explosive revelations, they are both going to get confirmed.
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Where are my cheap eggs?
Guest
2:52 a.m.
It's been four days! Where are my cheap eggs??
Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
2:52 a.m.
I think you get a discount if you use $TRUMP coins to pay for them.
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Why did Trump nominate unqualified picks for his cabinet?
Guest
2:56 a.m.
Why did Trump nominate totally unqualified people for most of the cabinet positions? Just to show he is in charge and make the senate bow to his command? Some of the nominees are so unqualified they are dangerous.
Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
2:56 a.m.
Because his chief criterion for those who surround him, as he has made clear, is loyalty -- or perhaps a better word would be fealty.
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Karen, what do you think the odds are that the new Jan. 6th committee will uncover any new evidence?
Guest
3:00 a.m.
I'm wondering if there is anything that would confirm the Republican narrative of what they say happened despite what all the videos show.
Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
3:00 a.m.
I don't know what additional evidence there is to discover. It seems that their primary mission is to undercut the original committee. What I would actually like to see is something more forward-looking that delves into security failures and ways to prevent something like this in the future, which the original committee didn't really do enough on. But I don't have much hope in that actually happening.
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Karen Tumulty
Opinion Columnist
3:04 a.m.
We've come to the end of our hour. I hope you will join me again in two weeks. And I want to thank you for your continued engagement here at the Washington Post.
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About this live chat
Read my columns and past live chats and sign up to receive my latest columns in your inbox.
- OpinionHow do we get through the next four years? I answered your questions.Karen Tumulty1 hour ago
- OpinionHow bad will the incoming administration get? I answered your questions.Karen TumultyDecember 12, 2024
- OpinionDo Republicans hate civil servants? I answered your questions.Karen TumultyNovember 14, 2024
