As Trump’s war with Iran neared the three week mark, he and his regime continued to offer contradicting rationales for entering the war, as well as its goals and objectives. While Trump claimed to be surprised that Iran had blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, and that Iran had bombed its neighbors, reporting indicated that military officials had warned him of both. Though Trump started the war without conferring with NATO allies, this week he asked, then demanded their help with reopening the Strait, then said he did not need them, then expressed outrage over their refusal to help, and threatened to pull the U.S. out of NATO, which he cannot unilaterally do.

While Trump vented on NATO and other U.S. allies, he paradoxically had no public ill will against Russia, which was providing ongoing aid to Iran, including help with targeting the U.S. troops and assets. He even publicly defended Russia and Vladimir Putin on Fox News, while castigating Ukraine’s president, even as Ukraine was helping the U.S. and our Middle East allies with countering Iranian drones. Even more mystifying was Russia sending an oil tanker to Cuba, potentially breaking Trump’s embargo, and nary a word from Trump, the day after he claimed he would have the “honor” of taking over Cuba.

On the home front, Trump’s campaign of retribution against his perceived enemies continued to stall out, after irate federal judges ruled against him, and even ordered his appointees to testify in court. Trump chastised federal judges and the Supreme Court for their ruling, leading Supreme Court Justice John Roberts, whose court’s ruling ironically made sitting presidents essentially untouchable, to ask him to stop.

With Trump’s chaotic war of choice weighing on him, he and his regime resorted to a familiar tactic, blaming the media, casting them as dishonest and unpatriotic. Defense Department Sec. Pete Hegseth, who also banned photographers from his press briefings over what he thought were unflattering images, disparaged the media for how they were covering the war. Trump piled on. Then, in an autocratic move, Trump’s FCC Chair Brendan Carr threatened to revoke broadcast licenses of networks not providing favorable coverage.

Trump, who ran as an anti-interventionist, found himself and the country increasingly isolated by the end of the week. Joe Kent became the first regime member to resign in protest. NATO allies snubbed Trump, after a year of his bullying them with tariffs and other threats. Even his own vice president seemed to be trying to distance himself from the war. Asked when he would end the war, Trump told Fox News that the war would end “when I feel it, feel it in my bones.” One man alone is in charge.

This week started with Trump firing Kristi Noem from her role leading Homeland Security, after a disastrous performance in her Congressional testimony, as well as on the job. Before we get to Trump’s war of choice, it is worth pointing out that this week’s list is full of examples of the gross incompetence of the loyalists picked by Trump for senior roles, from Health and Human Services, to Energy, to the Justice Department, to Voice of America — the American people are now suffering first-hand from the consequences. Even temporary parts of the second Trump regime, like DOGE, are producing horrendous outcomes for the American people months later, including a Social Security breach.

Trump has gotten our country into quite a mess with his war on Iran. In addition to the seven U.S. soldiers killed, and more than 150 injured so far, as the week came to a close, U.S. military intelligence finally admitted that the U.S. was behind a tragic bombing of a girls’ school in Iran. This, after Trump spent the week deflecting and lying, for what may be the most devastating military error in decades. Reporting this week also indicates that Trump and his regime miscalculated Iran’s response, had little in the way of a plan to help U.S. citizens evacuate, or to deal with the ensuing spike in the price of oil. Trump and his regime spent the week changing stories on goals, objectives, and the end game, at times changing facts in less than an hour’s span. It was clear by week’s end that Trump is not in control here, and as Congress once again abdicated its role, the U.S. finds itself and the world economy in the hands of one man, surrounded by incompetent sycophants — a nightmare scenario. The CEO of Aramco warned, “There would be catastrophic consequences for the world’s oil markets and the longer the disruption goes on, the more drastic the consequences for the global economy.”

Trump’s solution to all this mess of his creation is to try to steal the midterm election. He threatened not to sign any legislation into law unless Congress passed his so-called SAVE America Act, to which he added the end of mail-in voting. Perhaps the most honest thing Trump said this week was in a speech to House Republicans, that passing the Act “will guarantee the midterms,” and “If you don’t get it, big trouble, my opinion.” Notably, he made this pronouncement from his Doral golf resort, where he hosted Republicans and events over the weekend, during a war, and at the expense of U.S. taxpayers. His hosting at taxpayers’ expense would have been a broken norm during his first regime, but this time, it was not even picked up as such by our media — yet another example of how far down the rabbit hole we have fallen.

I want to note the stories that were occupying the public’s attention before Trump launched a war of choice on Iran. There was a heavy focus on the Epstein files, after both Clintons testified, more coverage of missing files related to Trump, and more regime members becoming ensnared; reports on efforts to declare a “national emergency,” granting Trump power of midterms; stories of abject cruelty by federal immigration agents, judges’ outrage over their orders being ignored, and an abduction of a Columbia University student on false pretenses; the Supreme Court ruling on tariffs being implemented, despite Trump questioning whether he could appeal their ruling; utter ineptitude, cover ups, and corruption at federal agencies; the regime’s desire to bully Anthropic and use its artificial intelligence tools for mass surveillance on U.S. citizens; the regime also inserting itself into an acquisition battle in which Trump’s perceived foe CNN was part of the sale.

And more. You can see why Trump might well have welcomed an opportunity to change the subject and focus. Trump ordered his seventh military bombing campaign — to say nothing of the countless alleged drug vessels he has unilaterally destroyed — mere days after convening his so-called Board of Peace, and after basing all three of his presidential campaigns on being a non-interventionist and criticizing endless wars. As we close out the week, there is still no clarity on what prompted the attack, but what is clear is that there was no imminent threat, and hence Congress should have been consulted. We also have yet to learn the objectives of what now has become a war that is spreading. The Trump regime has given different accounts daily on both basic questions.

I encourage you to read through the list in its entirety. While the ongoing war will occupy attention in the coming days, and possibly weeks, there are important broken norms that deserve and need the public’s attention.

Host Amy Siskind discusses the last week of events leading up the February 24, 2026 State of the Union

I wanted to start this week by noting the cruelty we have normalized. During Trump’s first regime, after widespread protests and condemnation over his “zero-tolerance” policy of separating families, he rolled it back. During the second regime, the repugnant acts of cruelty and lawlessness far outdo those of Trump’s first regime, yet the public outcry is sporadic and hushed. Almost as if the country is too exhausted to keep up the fight on so many fronts, and is instead choosing to wait out the clock until Trump’s departure. In fact, it seems that on immigration, the only thing holding Trump back from his worst impulses is his sinking polling on what was once his strongest issue. This week, the regime claimed they were leaving their wildly unpopular and lawless occupation of Minneapolis.

As Trump’s popularity continues to deteriorate, and has now fallen even lower than during his first regime (which was already a record low), Trump and his Republican lawmakers have amplified a new strategy of trying to suppress the vote, while at the same time sowing doubt over the outcome of the midterm elections. All of this is happening in the light of day, which makes it all the more alarming.

This week we see a continuation of trends that have been unfolding, including the shifting world order; Trump’s branding and renaming, and using the power of the government to enrich himself; the slow degradation of our country’s advancement towards equality; incompetence at Health and Human Services threatening our country’s well being; and the DOJ and FBI acting more as an appendage of Trump’s Oval Office than independent agencies.

In summary, the country is just about done with Trump, except his really hardcore supporters. As one media pundit put it, there does not seem to be a floor anymore for his approval. Yet Trump, surrounded by loyalists and yes men, seems unbothered — instead sharpening the tools used by dictators to strangle democracy.

In a week of chaos, so much happened it was easy to lose sight of the fact that Trump posted an image of former president Barack Obama and Michelle Obama as apes on Truth Social. He then deflected that it was posted by a staffer, took down the post, and refused to apologize. In any sort of normal time, that act, in and of itself, would be career ending. In the era of Trump, it’s Thursday.

Trump did not back off of his racism, which seems to be more a feature than a bug, castigating Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny over his Super Bowl halftime performance. Trump’s brutal and racist immigration push also continued unabated, even as polling increasingly showed the American people turning against him. Those who dare to speak out were targeted — from protestors in Minneapolis getting arrested, to Trump lambasting a U.S. Olympian.

Amid all this, information from the latest Epstein files release led to resignations around the world, but little in the U.S., although the files increasingly are gaining public and media attention. Commerce Department Sec. Howard Lutnick became the first regime member to admit visiting Epstein’s island. Calls grew louder for the release of the remaining three million files.

All the while, the regime continues to deconstruct the government from within. It is important to read the stories of what is happening at our federal agencies. Trump also continued his campaign of branding his name wherever he can, and unprecedented corruption. Republicans have largely refrained from speaking out against him or his agenda, except on the fringes. Questions continue to arise about Trump’s plans to interfere with a free and fair midterm election, and polling increasingly suggests even control of the Senate will be in play.

This week the Justice Department released three million more of the Epstein files, with three million still withheld. The timing of the highly redacted release, which included limited damning material on Trump, seemed like a shiny coin to distract from the rest. Yes, it was that bad!

Trump continued to discredit past elections, this week escalating by using the FBI to seize Fulton County ballots. The seizure presaged Trump calling for nationalizing U.S. elections, a shocking and extraordinary statement that his White House then tried to walk back, before Trump doubled down on his demand, despite its going against the Constitution.

The reality is, Trump now understands his loss in public standing. Polling show a continued deterioration in support, even among Republicans. Immigration, once the top issue for Trump, now haunts him. The economy is souring, with his tariffs producing the exact opposite of the golden era he promised: a loss in U.S. manufacturing, a growing trade deficit, and a slowing job market. No better example of his loss in standing than an earthquake of a special election in a Texas red district that Trump had won by 17 points in 2024, which flipped blue by 14 points this week.

Beyond these major themes, this week’s list is packed with stories that in normal times would dominate the news cycle for days or weeks: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard burying a whistleblower complaint by a U.S. intelligence officer; the Trump and Witkoff families striking a huge deal with UAE royals that enriched them by hundreds of millions; Trump shuttering the Kennedy Center for two years; Attorney General Pam Bondi arresting journalists; and so on, and so on. Please read this list in its entirety to appreciate all that is happening, all that is being normalized, and all that is being lost.

What happened to Greenland? What happened to the Epstein files? That’s the story within the story this week: how effective Trump has become in driving the media, and hence the narrative, until he is not.

What it took this week was another tragedy: federal immigration agents in Minneapolis murdered another U.S. citizen as part of their so-called immigration sweep or fraud sweep — the rationale for the occupation seems ever-changing. The murder came as half the country was facing a severe winter storm, and hence at home watching television, and on a weekend when Trump was at the White House for the launch of the documentary “Melania,” and, according to the NYT, also watching the news coverage obsessively. Immigration, once Trump’s strongest issue, has now become an albatross, of which he has many. Polling shows not only record low approval on his handling of immigration, but also growing support for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement altogether, as Trump and his regime’s tactics have become increasingly lawless and cruel.

Notable this week is a continuing trend of our allies moving on without us, and expressing grave concern about Trump and his state of mind. Republicans have started to speak out, but only at the edges and meekly. Trump has intimidated corporate America from publicly opposing him and his agenda, filing a lawsuit against JP Morgan Chase and its chief executive, shortly after Jamie Dimon made comments at Davos in support of NATO. But by the end of the week, even corporate titans were speaking out against immigration tactics, and called for de-escalation.

The country feels as if it’s in non-stop chaos. Consumer confidence is plunging, and Americans are expressing broad disapproval of Trump and his handling of key issues. All the while, many of the broken norms this week illustrate changes to the fabric of our country, and decay at federal agencies meant to serve and protect us.

This week marked renewed escalation by Trump and his regime, both internationally and at home. Nothing feels safe or stable. One pollster found that 71% of Americans said the country feels out of control. As we hit the one year mark of Trump’s return, he finds himself increasingly unpopular and underwater on every issue, even on fighting crime.

Unlike the start of the second regime, when Trump methodically went down a to-do list provided to him by the Heritage Foundation in “Project 2025,” as 2026 gets underway, there is no longer a rhyme or reason to his actions. After marketing himself as an anti-interventionist and peace president, so far in 2026, Trump has threatened to invade or has invaded Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico, Colombia, Canada, Iran, and this week Greenland (which he four times referred to as Iceland). Trump whines and petulantly blames these actions on not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. It’s hard to reconcile a grown adult, let alone a sitting U.S. president, acting in such a puerile fashion that the actual recipient tried to calm and flatter him by handing off her award.

On the home front, Trump and his regime have made Minnesota ground zero for Trump’s war on his own country. The rationale for the mass deployment of ICE agents shifted frequently, as Trump threatened to further escalate by sending in the U.S. military on its own citizens, and took the unprecedented action of subpoenaing five Democratic officials.

Trump continues to use the DOJ and FBI as tools to pursue his perceived enemies. In addition to Minnesota Democrats, this week, Trump ally Jeanine Pirro opened an investigation into four more Democratic lawmakers. All the federal government agencies are acting at Trump’s behest. Perhaps the most telling quote from his nearly two hour speech on his first year’s achievements was his musing that he wanted to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of Trump, but said he was rebuffed by his staff, then he said that was just a joke, saying, “My people don’t rebuff me.”

This is the longest list of broken norms during the second regime, so far. I would encourage you to read through the list in its entirety, because amid the chaos of the week, many stories that would normally garner broad attention received little or no coverage. Some mark escalations, like the regime serving a grand jury subpoena to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, while others, like the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery altering history, remind us that details matter.

This is perhaps the most unhinged we have seen Trump during his second regime. Part of this feels like a continuation of a theme we have covered: the notion of his running out of time with midterms ahead, and his acknowledgment that in a fair election, Democrats will likely prevail. But this is also a new version of Trump, who by common sense should be listening to voters ahead of midterms (polls tell us they are overwhelmingly against what he is up to); either he does not care, or perhaps, cannot stop himself.

I’ve been ruminating on a framework to understand Trump’s recent illogical, intemperate, unbounded behavior. That’s the thing — it doesn’t feel like he can regulate and stop himself, and as we’ve covered, he has surrounded himself solely with sycophants who will almost never tell him no or that he is wrong. I found an op-ed by Thomas Edsall that helped me make sense of things. Edsall writes, based on speaking to experts, that Trump is “showing symptoms of an addiction to power,” noting, “the size and scope of his targets for subjugation are spiraling ever upward.” One expert described to Edsall Trump’s malignant narcissism: “Because there is little internal capacity for self-soothing or self-valuation, he requires continuous external affirmation to feel real and intact.”

This week we have stories indicating Trump is still consumed with his petty grievances, as he vents against federal attorneys and Attorney General Pam Bondi for being weak and ineffective. But in a broader sense, his statement to the NYT that the only thing that could stop him was “My own morality. My own mind” indicates a man who has increasingly lost touch with reality and its consequences. My guess is Trump is headed for troubled waters not far ahead, and a crash down to reality for him and his regime.