Trump's Washington has become unrecognizable

[marmar]

Trump’s Washington has become unrecognizable
The nation's capital and America's democracy have become shells of their former selves

By Brian Karem
White House columnist
Published February 13, 2026 9:15AM (EST)


(Salon) After several months of being away from Washington, I’d say I was shocked by what I saw upon my return to the White House — but the Trump administration doesn’t want me there and continues to fight my attempts to get into the briefing room. So, no: not shocked.

....(snip)....

Still, nothing was as odd as Bondi’s performance, which was unprofessional and combative. She lashed out at legislators, telling them they had no right to accuse her of breaking the law, and called Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., a “washed up loser lawyer.” Many Democrats and even some Republicans told me privately that her testimony will probably help the Democrats during the fall midterm elections.

....(snip)....

Trump has told us on numerous occasions how safe the District of Columbia is these days due to the presence of the National Guard and how he’s “cleaned up” the city. He’s told us it is safe to go to restaurants — “like never before” — and how people can walk the streets safely now.

....(snip)....

When I returned this week to a slate full of hearings in Congress and a Tuesday presidential press briefing, I didn’t think D.C. looked like a peaceful, safe city. I saw tall fences going up once again — this time for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit. I saw federal troops stationed at several Metro stations and on many street corners. I talked with Uber and taxi drivers who are suffering because of all the Department of Government Efficiency firings. I spoke with restaurant workers who said business has been unusually light. I saw a city without its energy. A city hollowed out. A city under siege. ............................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2026/02/13/trumps-washington-has-become-unrecognizable/

[eppur_se_muova]

1. Some more excerpts ...

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When Trump says you can find a table at a restaurant, he’s not kidding. Less business. Fewer people. Less energy. As a city, Washington seems to have grown tired of Trump. Certainly the senators and House members have.

And while the District seems tired, Trump seems more so. It doesn’t even seem like the president is trying his hardest to lie to us anymore. He just repeats the same lies with less energy, as if he too has grown weary of his own rhetoric. He’s telling us to turn the page on the Epstein scandal. But he’s on that next page too.
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Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., coming out of a vote on Department of Homeland Security funding, told me Thursday that nothing will change “as long as Trump is president,” and that Trump is a mountain of contradictions — saying what he wants, when he wants, with little care for reality.

He’s for the Second Amendment. But he’s going to get the guns. He’s for the First Amendment, but he doesn’t want to hear anything he doesn’t like.

“I think he’s running out of steam,” a few of my D.C. happy hour comrades confessed Wednesday after the hearings, “Or he’s really sicker than he lets on.”
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Worth reading through to the end, for certain. Not a cheerful conclusion, to no one's surprise.