Digestif #26: March 9th
Leaving Twitter, getting annoyed at DOGE and a sci-fi novel, drinking croissant cocktails, loving Givenchy boots, and celebrating a giant artificial crustacean.
What I’ve been thinking:
The Zelensky office meeting was one of the most shameful moments in modern American politics, and it took a while for my nausea to retreat and rage replace it. Watching this play out on Twitter, and various MAGA grifters rage-baiting the same clips for TwitterBucks, was also a useful reminder of how little I enjoy using that platform anymore. So, I'm done. Save career updates, I am done with Twitter.
The State of the Union is a terrible, faux-monarchal farce and ought to have been abolished long ago. Tuesday night's event technically wasn't a State of the Union but the same principle applies.
If anti-Trump Republicans and Democrats want to show how insignificant these speeches are, then they should skip them (as AOC did). If they do attend, clap for moments that deserve support, and stay silent during those that do not. What you shouldn't do is shout and thrash your cane. If the Democrats want to speak to young voters, they shouldn't act like demented lunatics. (It's worth noting that Al Green's behavior was purely selfish; it was a viral moment that he can now fundraise off his strong Democratic district.) And the auction gimmick was just dumb.
During his speech, Trump repeated his line that “God saved him” from the assassination attempt in Butler,1 so that he could Make America Great Again. If nobody had died at that rally, this would be dumb but inoffensive. But Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief, was shot in the head while shielding his family during the attack. What did that man do to spurn god?
The utter incompetence and cruelty of DOGE has been truly shocking. It turns out, that — despite what Silicon Valley would tell you — knowing how to run a startup, code an app, or run an EV company, doesn’t mean you are a generally brilliant, original, talented, moral person. The opposite is often true.
Red tape and over-bureaucratising is a massive problem. The Economist ran a whole issue on the problem in January, and I’m completely convinced that overregulation — particularly around planning — is responsible for the slow death of Britain. (This ‘Foundations’ essay from the Works in Progress editors is the best thing you can read on that point).
DOGE is not the solution. Firing federal employees only makes the bureaucracy slower, and less efficient, and cutting contracts from small government suppliers without going after the main sources of waste, is stupid and corrupt. Firing 17 inspectors general only made that worse. DOGE has saved relatively little, while making the government services far less efficient; and the immediate cuts to foreign aid is basically evil.
DOGE runs entirely against Trump’s winning agenda. He won by basically saying ‘I’m going to spend big, focus on immigration and cost of living, but otherwise not touch the government.’ Instead, DOGE has stolen the spotlight; they no longer talk about reducing costs, which are about to bounce up from the tariffs; and Trump doesn’t want to push through any legislation about immigration.
Trump’s idea of a US Crypto Reserve is flagrantly corrupt and incredibly stupid. If a Democratic President tried to use taxpayer money to buy an asset that personally enriches him then Congress would immediately — and correctly — impeach him. But, under Trump, this is just the norm. American politics is in a post-shame period and the bar can’t be too low.
What I’ve been writing:
How to check clothing quality (New York Sun)
Thoughts on the Oscars (New York Sun)
Why do luxury brands keep firing their designers? (New York Sun)
20 years of the Bugatti Veyron (New York Sun)
The point of NikeSKIMS (New York Sun)
The death of the Humane AI pin (New York Sun)
The German elections (New York Sun)
British encryption laws (New York Sun)
On Apple’s new MacBook Air and iPhone 16E; and also, the new Framework computers (New York Sun)
Assorted pieces on the new Galaxy Foamposite, Le Fleur’s French Waltz cologne, Focal Bathys and Azurys, and the Oppo Find X8 Pro (all in the New York Sun)
What I’ve been reading:
Books: I finished Justin Cronin’s The Ferryman, which is excellent for the first three quarters, only to ruin it a lame, extremely generic, unsatisfying plot twist. Boo!!!! I also started and finished Gabriel’s Moon by William Boyd, which is a superb, old-fashioned spy novel, with a great protagonist (and no stupid twist). Would love to see Boyd write more with this character, but I’ve bought some of his older novels too, which I’m looking forward to getting stuck into. I’m now reading Set My Heart On Fire by Izumi Suzuki, and Michael Lewis’s Who Is Government?, which I’m reviewing in The Washington Examiner.
It’s hard to make the ‘Trump is bad’ point without sounding repetitive, whiny, and hyperbolic, but this piece by Andrew Sullivan2 is beautifully written, hits hard, and reminds you that yes, this is not normal, this is awful, and there’s nothing wrong with saying that. (The Weekly Dish)
The case for more shrimp treadmills and silly science (absolutely yes, 100% endorse this). (The Washington Post)
Inside the Trump White House’s social media strategy (Washington Post)
Derek Thompson’s condensed version of Foundations (The Atlantic)
Helen Lewis3 on Trump’s support of Andrew Tate. (The Atlantic)
Kevin Williamson's piece on the oil business (The Dispatch)
Profile of the new German leader, Friedrich Merz, who I’m hoping can really turn his country around (The Atlantic). To read more, read this profile of him in The Economist.
Hedi Slimane’s lawyer talking about contracts for high-fashion jobs (WWD).
On Agnes b. and The Archivist, and Haider Ackermann’s Tom Ford from Vanessa Friendman and Jacob Gallagher (The New York Times)
How a local banker lost his town’s trust by falling for a crypto scam (New York Times)
Tyler Cowen on why tariffs suck (Bloomberg)
China is worried about Trump (WSJ)
Patrick McKenzie on that insane New York Magazine piece where a supposed financial advice writer got scammed out of $50,000. (Bits About Money)
Other stuff:
Fashion stuff of the week: This Loewe jacket is a little too trendy for my taste, with a cropped balloon fit at front, but the rear pleating is gorgeous. I liked Haider Ackermann’s debut Tom Ford collection, and loved Sarah Burton’s for Givenchy (those boots? Damn). Neither feel gimmicky or dictated by passing trends, and I’m pumped to see where they take these brands.
YouTube video of the week: a great video on how to make a croissant cocktail. Another great one is on why creatine gummies are a scam.
Podcast of the week: Jamie Kirchick4 on The Dispatch podcast, talking about the election in Germany. I agree with everything he said.
TV show: Season 3 of Reacher is pretty good! Season one was great, season two was boring, and season three — so far — is a real return to form.
My childhood home, the East Coast of Australia, has been hit by Cyclone Alfred; and though there have been power outages and destruction of land, nothing is more tragic than the news that our national icon, the Giant Prawn, has been injured. He lost an antenna and we Australians, as a nation, pray for his swift recovery. He is our Notre Dame; our Christ the Redeemer; and we will rebuild. David Whitley wrote a hilarious paragraph on this mighty fellow for a travel piece in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Hope you all had a great week, and if you like the new format, let me know!
It’s funny how Trump said during his RNC acceptance speech that he would never mention the assassination attempt again, as it was too painful a memory.
Disclosure: I have chatted with Andrew before, he’s lovely, and we recorded an episode of Arguably, which will come out at some point, when I get the time to edit it, I promise.
Disclosure: I know Helen and have worked with her, so I’m biased; but I was a fan of her writing before I either knew or worked with her.
Disclosure: I also know Jamie, who is a great guy. He also was my first guest on Arguably, so give that episode a listen.