Donald Trump’s Imperial Birthday Spectacle

The Washington Roundtable discusses Donald Trump’s eightieth birthday, on Sunday, with a look at the pageantry and spectacle surrounding the planned U.F.C. fight on the South Lawn of the White House. The panel contrasts Trump’s desire to project power and masculinity with his recent pattern of disinhibition: from allegedly falling asleep at important meetings and the N.B.A. Finals to angry outbursts at reporters, including such politically damaging statements as “I love the inflation.” Is the President fading, physically and politically? “It’s not about the age; it’s about the behavior,” the staff writer Evan Osnos says. “It’s about the clear fact that his conduct, his cognitive function, his behavior is declining.”

This week’s reading:

• “What Jill Biden Doesn’t Say in Her White House Memoir,” by Amy Davidson Sorkin
• “Can the World Cup Transcend Donald Trump?,” by Ishaan Tharoor
• “The Supreme Court’s Latest Blow to Black Voters’ Rights,” by Ruth Marcus
• “Is Elon Musk’s SpaceX Really Worth $1.75 Trillion?,” by John Cassidy
• “Has Nancy Mace’s Crusade Against Sexual Violence Ruined Her Career?,” by Moira Donegan
• “For the Nation’s Birthday, Making It Harder to Become an American,” by Jonathan Blitzer

The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine’s writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about elections, the economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week. 

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