#political-theater tag

US politics

The State of the Game Show

US politics

Mike Johnson Says He Could Have Ejected' Democrats From Chamber Over Shameful Display' During Trump's SOTU

fromThe Atlantic

US politics

President Trump's State-of-the-Union Variety Show

fromThe Nation

US politics

The State of the Game Show

US politics

Mike Johnson Says He Could Have Ejected' Democrats From Chamber Over Shameful Display' During Trump's SOTU

fromThe Atlantic

US politics

President Trump's State-of-the-Union Variety Show

more#state-of-the-union

fromIntelligencer

Trump's State of the Union Was a Bloated Awards Show

Trump's 2026 State of the Union was lengthy primarily due to theatrical elements and standing ovations rather than substantive content, with few new policy proposals beyond congressional insider trading ban and AI data center utility cost agreements.

fromThe Nation

2 weeks ago

Mamdani Launches His First Salvos in New York's Fiscal Battle

"Over the last year, New York faced a historic fiscal crisis..." Although that sounds like Mamdani, who used the same phrase to describe the city's current budget challenges, it was actually former Governor Basil Paterson averting doom back in 2009. When David Dinkins took office in 1990, he, too, inherited a fiscal crisis, as did Rudy Guiliani, who had to close a projected gap of $2.3 billion-out of a total of $31.6 billion-in his first year.

New York City

3 weeks ago

The Pam Bondi Hearing Sh*tshow Was a Perfect Display of a Broken Government

A congressional hearing became performative theater, producing spectacle and partisan signaling without substantive accountability for the issues raised.

3 weeks ago

Remember the Epstein Binder Photo Op? MAGA Influencers Hope You Don't.

Released Epstein-related documents documented social proximity among powerful figures and fueled partisan theater, but produced no criminal charges against some implicated individuals.

fromThe Atlantic

2 months ago

$1,776 Checks for the Military

President Trump is considering announcing $1,776 one-time bonus checks for U.S. service members, possibly during a prime-time address.

Arts

fromwww.npr.org

Bread and Puppet Theater is still working to 'make the revolution irresistible'

Bread and Puppet Theater uses large-scale puppetry, political satire, and ritual (including giving bread) to advance revolutionary, pro-Palestinian and labor-rights messages nationwide.

fromwww.theguardian.com

Blue states should come together to declare an emergency. Here's how | Thomas Geoghegan

Anti-Trump states should form a limited, invitation-only interstate convention to draft compact-based constitutional reforms and submit them to Congress as federal law.

Right-wing politics

Trump's Made-for-TV Quantico Spectacle: Generals Refused to Be Agitprops

A televised Quantico ceremony turned a warrior-ethos reaffirmation into staged, partisan theater prioritizing personal loyalty and audience signaling over military integrity.

Charlie Kirk's Final Act: Making Even His Legacy a Debate

Charlie Kirk transformed conservative politics into a content-driven theatrical spectacle that prioritized viral moments, amplified outrage, and deepened partisan divisions.

fromwww.esquire.com

6 months ago

The Cabinet Is Kissing Trump's Ass to an Insane Degree. It Signals Something Dangerous.

A three-hour Cabinet meeting displayed sycophantic praise and prioritized the president's expanding pet grievances over efficient policymaking.

US news

fromBoston.com

6 months ago

'This is political theater': Healey responds to Trump's threats to deploy National Guard to other major U.S. cities

Governor Maura Healey says deploying National Guard troops to cities is political theater that does not improve public safety and follows federal funding cuts.

fromSlate Magazine

6 months ago

Trump Is Threatening to Send the Troops to Another Blue City. It's Clear What This Is Really About.

President Trump is moving to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago, overruling local authority and using military presence as political theater.