The Trump family has announced a 25% tariff on vehicles that compete with Tesla. What many are calling an obvious “Tesla Tax” disproportionately benefits Elon Musk personally by placing a substantial burden on American car companies that use any parts or labor in Canada and Mexico.

The swamp like evidence of corruption is not even obscured.

First, the Trump family hosted what amounted to a Tesla promotional event on their house lawn, complete with five Tesla vehicles prominently displayed in the driveway as Trump praised Tesla’s deeply flawed and dangerous products. During the event, Trump sat in the notoriously deadly Model S, which has allegedly killed dozens if not hundreds of Americans, exclaiming “Wow. That’s beautiful.”

Second, in an even more direct corruption, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick explicitly told television viewers to purchase Tesla stock, stating, “It will never be this cheap. Buy Tesla.” This statement has been flagged even by ethics novices as a clear violation of federal laws prohibiting government officials from using their positions for private endorsements.

The timing of the promotion of Tesla- as if the only car Americans are allowed to buy now-is particularly noteworthy as the Trump family has announced of a 25% tariff on competitors to Tesla.

Donald… said he is buying a “brand new Tesla” and blamed [Americans who don’t buy Tesla] for “illegally” boycotting Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company. The announcement came a day after Tesla suffered its worst share price fall in nearly five years. Later, the president also said he would label [anyone hurting] Tesla showrooms as domestic terrorism.

The Trump family has literally tried to argue Americans should be charged with a crime if they don’t buy a Tesla.

While the new tax on competitors to Tesla is presented as a measure to boost American manufacturing by attacking American manufacturers, the structure of the tariff favors Tesla. Major American manufacturers are known for relying heavily on long-standing supply chains that span Mexico and Canada.

Any automakers with manufacturing networks that are more distributed and more humane-versus the racist, anti-labor, dangerous OSHA violating Tesla factories-stand to face significantly higher taxes. This potentially artificially blows up a vehicle safety price by thousands of dollars for American consumers. Meanwhile, Tesla’s Texas-based production that has almost no sales demand now, but many public lawsuits, avoids regulations and taxes.

The administration projects the heavy tax burden will take in $100 billion a year from already overtaxed American car buyers. This is not just a mechanism to disadvantage Tesla’s competition, while the administration actively promotes Musk’s company, but obvious robbery of the poor to feed the rich.

For consumers, the peak of graft and corruption is clear: either pay 25% more for superior and safer vehicles or, as the Trump family and staff explicitly bleat and blare, “Buy Tesla”.

And don’t forget, Tesla software kills more Americans than even domestic terrorists.

Tesla has hardware design defects related to fires at 3X the rate of the Ford Pinto.

Presenting these facts and truth shouldn’t be compromised out of concern for how those opposed to anti-corruption might react.

In journalism and political commentary, there’s a long tradition of calling out concerning patterns of behavior and policy decisions without diluting the message to appease those who might dismiss it to enable their own embrace of illegal acts. When evidence points to favoritism, conflicts of interest, or potentially harmful policies, clear and direct reporting serves anl very important function.

Ask me about the Teapot Dome Scandal. This is far worse.

When a “Donald policy” appears to favor a specific company CEO with documented safety ethics issues, while the Trump family and its staff explicitly promote that company’s products and stock, it creates legitimate national security concerns that deserve immediate attention.

He’s not wrong:

…the Trump Administration has been lying—and continues to lie—about the confidential war plans shared by Secretary Hegseth in an unsecured Signal chat.

The latest text messages confirm that in yesterday’s Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe lied under oath in their testimony. Perjury is a crime, and they should be prosecuted.

The apparent disregard for legal consequences is the true test of law and order in America. The willingness to make demonstrably false statements suggests these blaringly loud “Trumpets” are attempting to establish themselves beyond accountability, challenging the very foundation of our legal system through their negligent harm to American military and intelligence operations.

Every American across the country—especially active and retired military personnel—must recognize the extraordinary severity of Hegseth’s actions. By willfully and carelessly compromising classified information, with clear admissions of disregard for security protocols, he illegally placed service members’ lives at risk.

Those defending or obscuring these actions aren’t merely enablers; they are active participants in undermining the national security framework designed to protect America from its adversaries.

Some excellent reporting and analysis can be found in Noah Shachtman’s new piece. It makes the Trump family house sound like a 1970s African dictatorship run by the Soviets:

This is something different: the erosion of America’s ability to keep any secrets at all. The second Trump administration is treating security like just another stale Washington convention, an annoying impediment to its ambitions to move fast, break the bureaucratic state and replace it with an all-powerful executive. The bros in tech and finance don’t have to deal with these creaky, fussy restraints. Why should the White House? Major adversaries pray for this level of chaos, confusion and opportunity.

It’s clown shoes time.

Private contact details of the most important security advisers to U.S. President Donald Trump can be found on the internet. DER SPIEGEL reporters were able to find mobile phone numbers, email addresses and even some passwords belonging to the top officials.

Wow, what year is this already? Hands free cross-country driving was promised by the CEO of Tesla to be solved by 2017, along with boasts of delivering the safest car on the road because it won’t even crash. And yet here’s yet another tragic red light runner death instead… going nearly 100 mph in a 40?

Aurora police said the driver of the Tesla reportedly ran a red light at South Airport Boulevard and collided with a vehicle in the northbound lane that had the right of way with a green light. The Tesla subsequently spun out and crashed into two more vehicles — one of which was an Aurora police vehicle that was stopped in the intersection.

The officer was not hurt, but two adults and four children suffered injuries, in addition to the driver of the Tesla who died on scene.

[…]

The officer conducting speed enforcement said he clocked the Tesla going 97 miles an hour in a 40 mph zone.