Weekend at Trump’s
What Happened While the Internet Buried Him.
While hashtags trended and speculation about Trump’s health swirled, the rumor-mill played Weekend at Bernie’s with the president. But while the internet was busy declaring him dead, the paperwork kept moving.
This is what he actually did while the “is he dead?” cycle chewed itself to pieces and why it matters.
What He Did (the Stuff Under the Noise)
Trump signed “Making Federal Architecture Beautiful Again” which reinstates a preference for classical/“traditional” styles in federal buildings and orders GSA to rewrite design rules accordingly (i.e. a culture-war shiny object with real procurement teeth).
Pushed anti-union changes inside the federal workforce. A same-day order expanded exclusions from the Federal Labor-Management program. Bureaucratic on the surface, consequential in practice (it weakens employee bargaining and clears out resistance inside the civil service).
Dropped a memorandum warning grantees about “illegal lobbying/partisan activity.” Framed as compliance, it’s really a chilling effect on nonprofits that rely on federal funds. Speak up, lose your support.
Kept the D.C. “crime emergency” machinery running. After seizing operational control of MPD under the Home Rule Act (Aug 11), he layered on “additional measures” (Aug 25) to federalize more levers, including a portal to recruit outsiders into federal policing roles.
Moved to reclaim Union Station from Amtrak/local oversight. Another federal takeover of a D.C. asset, sold as “safety and beautification,” but timed to reinforce his crackdown narrative.
Tried a pocket rescission of $4.9B in foreign aid. An obscure budget trick to freeze congressionally-approved funds until they lapse. Both parties flagged it as unlawful. If it sticks once, it becomes a template.
Took a legal hit on tariffs. A federal appeals court ruled most of his “global tariffs” unlawful (though they remain in place until appeal). His response was bluster. The court’s was limits. Tariffs stay in effect while the case continues through the courts.
Why This Matters (the Part Not Getting Airplay)
Symbol policies with real hooks. The architecture EO isn’t just vibes. It forces agencies to privilege one style, building a White-Marble Nation aesthetic, culture war carved into contracts.
Centralizing D.C. by pieces. Crime emergency plus Union Station control = federalizing local infrastructure and policing under the banner of “order” and “beauty.” It’s not about safety; it’s a power map.
Union-busting by memo. The workforce order sands down internal resistance. The lobbying memo chills civil society. Less friction, more obedience.
Budget end-runs. The rescission gambit tests whether the executive can starve programs Congress already funded. If it works once, it becomes precedent.
Courts still bite. The tariff ruling is a reminder: the show thrives on the illusion of inevitability, but the law keeps puncturing it.
TOW
He didn’t “do nothing.” He did the quiet stuff that lasts: aesthetic mandates with procurement claws, union-weakening orders, budget booby-traps, and federal grabs in D.C. All while the rumor cycle stared at a hashtag.
ETHER
Noise is the curtain. The work is backstage: centralize the city, starve the critics, marble the façade, and hope no one reads the fine print.
Edit:
Added links:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/08/making-federal-architecture-beautiful-again/
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/08/further-exclusions-from-the-federal-labor-management-relations-program/
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/08/use-of-appropriated-funds-for-illegal-lobbying-and-partisan-political-activity-by-federal-grantees/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2025/aug/29/cdc-robert-f-kennedy-jr-donald-trump-federal-reserve-lisa-cook-latest-us-politics-news-live-updates
I need to stop throwing these together on the phone. Really not good for typing and editingm