Good morning and welcome back to The Wolf’s Den.
Today I want to hit two stories that explain exactly how chaotic this moment has become: Donald Trump’s “cruelty first” immigration agenda, and the slow-motion collapse of America’s credibility with our allies abroad.
Let’s start with immigration. Even Republicans are beginning to say out loud what most Americans already feel: what’s happening at our border and inside our communities is not acceptable.
Senator John Kennedy went on Bill Maher and, in his own blunt way, acknowledged the obvious. The immigration system is broken, and Trump’s approach is unpopular. The polls are catching up to the reality people are seeing on their screens every night: masked agents, raids carried out with minimal accountability, families terrified in their own neighborhoods, and a federal government acting like normal rules no longer apply. This is not “law and order.” It’s lawlessness with a badge.
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Americans want a secure border. They also want humane treatment of immigrants and clear rules that don’t treat human beings like props. Trump has tried to sell the country a simple story: maximum force equals maximum safety. But force without guardrails does not create security. It creates fear, chaos, and backlash. We can demand security and compassion at the same time. That is not weakness. It is competence.
Now zoom out, because the foreign policy piece is also deeply alarming.
We are getting warning signs out of the Pentagon that U.S. priorities are shifting fast, and that our greatest strategic challenge is accelerating in the Indo-Pacific. That is a polite way of saying China is moving quickly. From the South China Sea to regional power plays, the competition is intensifying, and it requires something the United States cannot afford to lose: strong alliances.
Instead, Trump is lighting those alliances on fire.
He has turned NATO into a punchline, while floating reckless ideas like annexing Greenland and treating allied nations like delinquent customers rather than partners who have stood with us for generations. And here’s the part Trump either doesn’t understand or doesn’t care about: Article 5 was invoked one time in NATO’s history, after 9/11. Our allies showed up. Their soldiers died fighting alongside Americans. Keir Starmer laid it out clearly here.
So when European leaders start openly questioning whether the United States can be trusted, when they begin talking about reassessing relationships, that is not “tough negotiating.” That is America voluntarily surrendering one of our greatest strengths.
Every crack we create in the Western alliance is a gift to our adversaries. To China. To Russia. To every authoritarian regime that wants democratic countries isolated and weakened.
At home, Trump is unleashing unchecked power on ordinary people. Abroad, he is dismantling the coalition that keeps us safe. None of this makes America stronger. It makes us alone.
Stay locked in. I’ll keep bringing you the latest from Capitol Hill, the White House, and what it means for our future.
-Ethan
