A Substack newsletter devoted to analysis of presidential and broader executive power issues, by Bob Bauer and @jacklgoldsmith.
Joined February 2025
- Tweets356
- Following18
- Followers303
- Likes57
In his first term, Trump asked, “Where’s my Roy Cohn?” By naming Stephen Miller chief of staff, he now seems to have chosen a Roy Cohn presidency for the next two years. Bob Bauer on why it is not likely to end well: open.substack.com/pub/execut…
47
“On election administration issues, a Court majority was manifestly unfriendly to the president’s election interference program.” Bob Bauer on the Court and other forces that made this Election Day run like any other:
open.substack.com/pub/execut…
49
Jack Goldsmith: the Comey information was filed not by the U.S. Attorney or the National Security Division, but by Attorney General Blanche’s "cronies." The matter "is so obviously a sham." And the statute of limitations has run. open.substack.com/pub/execut…
A wide swath of voters appeared willing to let Trump enrich himself as long as they believed he was also enriching them. Bob Bauer on why corruption is increasingly breaking through with voters, and why reformers should take note:
open.substack.com/pub/execut…
99
Executive Functions retweeted
For anyone wondering about the meaning of DOJ’s “60 day rule,” this 2024 piece by Jack Goldsmith is helpful.
lawfaremedia.org/article/wha…
If Democrats hold back on accountability, does the Trump administration’s worst conduct go unanswered? If they don’t, does the cycle just keep escalating? Bob Bauer and @jacklgoldsmith each make a case.
1
1
83
Jack Goldsmith: Sen. Slotkin’s wish to scare young people out of working for Trump borrows Trump’s own philosophy of deterrence by trauma. What does this episode suggest about the road ahead?
open.substack.com/pub/execut…
1
82
Executive Functions retweeted
Francis Fukuyama explaining to Bob Bauer that lawyers care about procedure and voters care about outcomes. Part of a broader interesting conversation. execfunctions.org/p/francis-…
Bob Bauer and @FukuyamaFrancis discuss the post-Trump era, with Fukuyama noting how the Trumpian 'earthquake' might clear the way for previously-impossible reforms.
1
78
Executive Functions retweeted
Super interesting opinions re vote safety next month. Most remarkable is bipartisan consensus against negative extremes (eg no expert "very concerned" about vote integrity and all experts "moderately" or "very" confident Sup Ct will be "fair/impartial")
nytimes.com/interactive/2026…
Jack Goldsmith and Catherine Grace Katz discuss Zeppelins, the 1925 U.S. helium ban, and what the Hindenburg disaster might suggest about controlling AI. open.substack.com/pub/execut…
62
Bob Bauer and @StanfordLaw Professor Nate @persily discuss the impacts, both realized and potential, of AI on elections.
open.substack.com/pub/execut…
76
Executive Functions retweeted
From Faculty Director Bob Bauer’s new “Elections 2026” essay with @Exec_Functions— “The Politics of AI: A Campaign Finance Reform Proposal”
Jack Goldsmith writes that even in the unitary executive, "IGs can still facilitate executive branch accountability, as two recent IG reports—from the Trump-appointed, Senate-confirmed Pentagon IG, and the non-confirmed Federal Reserve IG—illustrate." open.substack.com/pub/execut…
Executive Functions retweeted
Bob Bauer and I discuss the president's political advertising on the taxpayer's dime. execfunctions.org/p/advertis…