Macron-Trump Bromance or public couples spat? And an All-American constitutional crisis?

FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS: More on Starmer's Defence Strategy with Matthew Savill

In the first Trump term, Macron started strong with Trump, having a successful State visit to DC and by all accounts charming the President and Melania. Then the Bromance descended into a public spat. Yesterday as Macron became the first European leader to visit Trump’s White House during the second term, elements of a rekindled intimacy co-mingled with jealousy, pique, intrigue, and a desire not to cause a public temper tantrum…

Here we see Macron awkwardly clutching Trump’s forearm to mitigate the public shame as he has to correct Trump for asserting that ‘the Europeans just loan the Ukrainians the money’:

According to the BBC: Macron placed his hand on Trump's arm and said that Europe's Ukraine funding took the form of loans, guarantees and grants, and included "real money".

[Allow me to translate] oh... excuse me Mr President...Mais Si .. we do pay for Ukraine... and mais non we do not get the money back... pardon but en Europe on croiser pas dans des 'alternative facts'

If you want to watch the cringe worthy original video do so on the BBC with full context here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c1lpvgj31r3o

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Now Starmer is poised to go to DC on Thursday for a similar song and dance of trying to get in some mega ordering-flattery, some sleath-ordering bro time, and do a little bit of delicate persuasion over why Trump’s proposed selling out Ukraine won’t be so great for American interests. To get our Mega-Orderers ready for Starmer’s efforts f I suggest this sister podcast about how one can actually very unsubtly use Trump’s psychology and love of baubles and flattery to try to achieve real policy aims…

Separately at the end of this SUBSTACK we will have bonus audio material for paid-for members only about how to parce Starmer’s actual defence strategy and spending priorities at present just as Kemi Badenoch made her first major Foreign Policy address and seemed to entirely embrace Starmer’s approach to Ukraine.

Read more on the UK’s partisan jockeying over Ukraine and Trump here.

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Now pivoting to our regularly scheduled programming: What on earth is happening with Trump, Musk, and Vought trying to completely break the functionality of the US federal government?

As Trump and his cronies attempt to tear down all the checks and balances which have traditionally governed how the Executive relates to other branches of American governance, especially over the issue of impoundment, will the Courts or Congress genuinely stand up? If they don’t, or are unable to, is America facing a genuine constitutional crisis? Or is the issue not so much a constitutional crisis but a coordination one - and because we’re in an era of peak disorder – Congress, the Courts, the Dems, popular opposition, protesters, Lincoln Project people, business advocates of non-monopolistic competition – aren’t able to coordinate coherently enough to make a difference? Also why are there not massive popular protests across America, or is now not the right time for them?

On today’s episode of Disorder, Jason and Alex unpack these issues and more as they try to navigate listeners through the choppy seas of peak Disorder washing over the world.

(Listen on Apple Podcasts here; or on Spotify here)

They reflect on the impact of recent Trump policies to defund USAID and undermine Ukraine, debating whether there’s any real coherent end goal to these radical policies beyond strewing Disorder. They also debate whether Trump’s America First agenda makes America stronger or weaker. Jason explains the importance of Russell Vought within Trump’s team, while arguing that Neo-populism isn’t actually about any real solutions or making America Stronger, but is merely about increasing the ‘Disorder and Distraction quotient’ to keep the Neo-populists in power.

Meanwhile, Alex and Jason argue that the Democratic Party needs to coalesce around a single ‘leader of the opposition’ type-figure to prosecute the case against Trump’s actions. They also dive into Lala-land with their alter-egos, Xela Llah Llah and Nosaj Kcap. They finish not by Ordering the Disorder, but by diagnosing exactly why the world is living through peak Disorder.

(Listen on Apple Podcasts here; or on Spotify here)

DEEP BACKGROUND ON VOUGHT AND THE CONSTITUTIONAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE CURRENT MOMENT:

To examine the real architect of the Disorder, listen to the Today Explained episode about Russell Vought:

OR ON THE OVERLAP OF CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM AND TECHNOFASCISM: https://organizingmythoughts.org/the-frightening-intersection-of-christian-nationalism-and-techno-fascism/

To grasp the constitutional implications of what is transpiring, listen to the excellent 538 podcast with Galen Druke interviewing constitutional law professor Peter Shane

Read more from RUSI: by Jack Watling ‘US Clarity Underscores Ukraine’s Peril’, https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/us-clarity-underscores-ukraines-peril

Also by Jack but in the Guardian: ‘As the US walks away, Europe needs to step up for Ukraine. But does it have the will?’, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/16/us-europe-ukraine-russia-peace-analysis

And from Neil Melvin (our guest on our March 11 live recording) ‘Securing Ukraine is the UK’s Challenge, but It Needs to be Done Right’, https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/securing-ukraine-uks-challenge-it-needs-be-done-right

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NOW FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS ONLY: More Bonus audio on Starmer's Defence Strategy —especially issues of Procurement, Ukraine, South China Sea, and the Integrated Review — with Matthew Savill RUSI’s Director of Intelligence and Jason Pack