Weekend Quotables

It wasn’t a slip of the tongue.

The oath Trump took back in January was unambiguous:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States."

Yet, in Sunday’s “Meet the Press” interview with Kristen Welker, when asked whether he believes he must uphold the Constitution as president, Trump responded:

"I don’t know. I’m not, I’m not a lawyer. I don’t know."

Trump’s statement was not just an offhand remark; it follows his trail of defiance of court orders against his illegal abductions, detainments, and deportations of immigrants without due process and his threats of such to his political opponents.

Trump’s response signals a willingness to violate constitutional safeguards with impunity—a tactic central to all fascist movements.

He’s tipping his hand. Stay woke!

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More Weekend Quotables

Naomi Klein

We have all these slogans: “Every billionaire is a policy failure.” But it goes beyond that. When you have people who have more money than has ever been concentrated in the history of money, you do believe that you’re better than other people, in a way that I don’t think that we can totally fathom. — Rolling Stone

Michael Tomasky, editor

A hundred days into Trump’s second term, the stench of fascism is unmistakable—and entirely intentional. — TNR

Ramzi Kassem, Mahmoud Khalil's Lawyer

"They are trying to push the envelope as far as it will go." — How We Fight Back

Colin Jost on Weekend Updates

Jost reacted to Trump’s recent Cabinet meeting comment that, due to his tariffs, children may have to make do with two dolls instead of 30 this Christmas.

“Now I rarely talk directly to the president, but you listen, and you listen good: If I wake up on Christmas morning and run downstairs to find only two dolls under my tree, I will lose my f—ing mind,” he joked. “There better be a second tree with 28 dolls.” — SNL

Israel's Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich

"The time has come to pounce on Gaza Occupy it. Establish military government, take territory from them, and implement President Trump's plan to remove 1.5-2 million Gazans from Gaza." — France 24

Chris Hedges

Fascism is birthed by a bankrupt liberalism that has surrendered its traditional role in a capitalist democracy. It no longer ameliorates the worst excesses of the ruling class and the empire by instituting incremental and piecemeal reforms. It scolds and moralizes the disenfranchised workers it betrayed. — Trumpland

Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestine

“The fact that the two highest figures of the EU continue business as usual engagements with Israel is beyond deplorable,” Albanese said. “I’m not someone who says, ‘History will judge them’ — they will have to be judged before then. And they must understand that immunity cannot equate with impunity.” — Intercept

Avram C. Albert, author, Princeton lecturer

What we need is a democratizing spirit, one that isn’t about protecting some and hurting others, but instead guides us to work collectively to ensure that all people can lead decent and meaningful lives even in a chaotic world…The desire for this spirit may be why the rallies of Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have drawn record crowds. — Guardian

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