Neera Tanden: Absolute Power Corrupts

What It Covers

Tim Miller and Neera Tanden cover Kristi Noem's removal from DHS, Markwayne Mullen's nomination, a jobs report showing net losses since April, the Iran war's economic fallout including 11% gas price increases, the administration's lack of strategic planning, and 2026 Senate race dynamics across Montana, Texas, Alaska, and Maine.

Key Questions Answered

• •DHS Leadership Shift: Kristi Noem's removal marks the first cabinet firing of the Trump administration, signaling that sustained political pressure from Republican senators — including Louisiana's John Kennedy — can force recalibration. Advocates should track which GOP senators publicly criticize administration overreach, as those pressure points represent the most viable leverage for forcing policy adjustments within an otherwise unified Republican coalition.
• •Jobs Report Warning Signs: The May jobs report showed 92,000 jobs lost, with an additional 69,000 in downward revisions from prior months. Net job creation since April is negative 19,000 — a stark contrast to the prior administration's average of 200,000 monthly gains. Losses concentrated in manufacturing, construction, transportation, and hospitality indicate tariff policy, not AI displacement, as the primary driver of working-class economic pain.
• •War Economic Costs: Since the Iran military operation began, oil prices rose 20% and gas prices climbed 11%, with further increases likely. The administration depleted rather than filled the Strategic Petroleum Reserve before initiating conflict, eliminating the standard government tool for cushioning oil price shocks. This self-inflicted constraint means consumers absorb the full cost of wartime energy disruption with no available federal buffer.
• •Accountability Erosion Pattern: The administration systematically removed senior military officers in its first weeks, signaling to remaining personnel that dissent leads to termination. Unlike Abu Ghraib — where military whistleblowers and resignations created internal accountability — no comparable mechanisms exist now. JAG military lawyers have been fired, and the administration continues denying documented civilian casualties, including a school strike, rather than initiating investigations.
• •Senate Map Expansion: Republican incumbents declining to seek reelection in Montana and Iowa, combined with Steve Daines withdrawing from his race, signals GOP awareness of a difficult 2026 environment under a president polling below 40% nationally. Democrats need four net Senate pickups. Competitive targets now include Montana, Nebraska, Iowa, Texas, Alaska, and North Carolina, with independent candidates potentially viable in Montana and Nebraska.
• •Democratic Messaging Opportunity: Working-class voters earning under $30,000 are shifting away from Trump as tariffs function as a regressive national sales tax disproportionately affecting lower-income households. Democrats can build cross-partisan coalitions by pairing economic populism with credible border security and public safety proposals — areas where the Center for American Progress has published specific policy frameworks at americanprogress.org — rather than defaulting to cultural messaging that alienates non-college voters.