Trump Shoots the Messenger

Firing the BLS Commissioner over a jobs report that displeased him moves us into banana republic territory.

Don Moynihan

Aug 03, 2025

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President Donald Trump meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after a dinner with NATO Summit leaders at the Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. | Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok via Flickr

One basic character of the politicization necessary to create an authoritarian regime is that public employ…

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A guest post by

Don Moynihan

Professor of Public Policy, Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan. Immigrant. Researches and teaches about government, administrative burdens, and politicization.