A two-week inquiry Into the systemic wreckage of American governance

Over the first two weeks of July, Ask Questions Later has assembled what amounts to a symposium on the evisceration of Brand United States both abroad and at home. In a series of well-documented essays we have outlined a shocking range of breakdowns: strategic, economic, ethical, and civic. The US has endured difficult and even disgraceful periods before — from slavery and civil war to Jim Crow, from the Dust Bowl to Watergate. But at no point in modern history has its leadership offered such a comprehensive tutorial in how to dismantle the core institutions, norms, and trust that underpinned a 250-year success story.

What emerges from this series is a full-spectrum unraveling. We have examined the Supreme Court’s ruling granting presidential immunity, effectively legalizing autocracy. We’ve traced Donald Trump’s economic delusions — tariffs that punish Americans, fantasies about the Fed, and a tax bill that supercharges inequality. We’ve explored the deliberate weakening of FEMA amid disasters, the collapse of vaccine trust in the middle of a measles outbreak, and more.

From public health to monetary policy, from the rule of law to civic literacy, the American project is under siege — from the Trump White House and its GOP lemmings in Congress. Each case alone would warrant concern; taken together, they constitute a uniquely dangerous moment, and a state of emergency.

This series is not an attack on conservatism. Conservatism, at various times and in plenty of places, has had much to recommend it. It is true that borders must be protected. It is true that most people want cultures and traditions preserved from radical change and unchecked immigration. It is true that today’s far left has lost its way in a thicket of total nonsense. But that cannot justify Trump’s know-nothing demolition of the American way. A country once admired as a beacon of freedom and is now increasingly regarded, abroad and also by a growing number of Americans, as chaotic and corrupted, a menace to itself and others.

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Tariffs lie that just won’t die

Trump is now threatening massive tariffs on all imports from the European Union and Mexico effective August 1, another dramatic escalation in his trade war agenda that will saddle Americans with more costs. The EU is preparing a €21 billion retaliation package, which would hammer US exports — another cost. Trump frames tariffs as revenue, but they are taxes paid by Americans in the form of higher prices. Tariffs are justifiable when targeted to protect specific key industries — not as sweeping policy. This is economic stupidity that targets allies, punishes citizens and dismantles the global trade system the US once led.

Trump wants to gut FEMA

The devastating Texas floods, which killed over 120 people, highlight the urgent danger of Donald Trump’s renewed push to gut FEMA — the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA is the backbone of disaster response in America, coordinating relief, delivering emergency aid, and stepping in when state and local authorities are overwhelmed. Trump’s attacks on FEMA reflect a broader ideology: government should serve only the powerful, while the rest fend for themselves. But in times of disaster, only the state can mobilize at scale. Weakening FEMA would leave millions unprotected when disasters are becoming more frequent (because of the global warming that Trump’s coterie denies).

Measles is back! But ignorance is the real virus

The US is facing its worst measles outbreak in over 30 years, with more than 1,200 cases across 39 states in 2025 — despite the disease being declared eliminated in 2000. The resurgence is driven by collapsing trust in science, vaccine misinformation, and anti-vax figures like HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and President Trump, who have undermined public confidence. Vaccine coverage has dropped below herd immunity thresholds, endangering not only unvaccinated individuals but also infants and the immunocompromised. The outbreak is a symptom of a deeper cultural crisis: the rejection of expertise and celebration of ignorance. If unchecked, this regression threatens not just public health, but society’s ability to solve any collective problem based in reality.

Trump’s playing with fire at the Fed

The Trump administration is reportedly considering naming Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as both Treasury head and Federal Reserve Chair — a move not seriously contemplated since the 1930s. Though denied, the idea reflects Trump’s long-standing efforts to undermine the Fed’s independence and pressure it to lower interest rates for political gain. Blurring the line between fiscal and monetary authority would erode market trust, risk inflation, and potentially trigger economic instability. Central bank independence is a cornerstone of modern economies; history offers stark warnings — from Weimar Germany to Venezuela — of what happens when governments politicize money supply.

Trump’s robbing the poor to give to the rich

The US just passed the “Big Beautiful Bill,” a massive tax cut favoring the ultra-wealthy while gutting safety nets for the poor, deepening already extreme inequality. The top 0.1% will gain hundreds of thousands annually, while tens of millions face cuts to healthcare and food assistance. This accelerates a decades-long trend: the richest 1% now control over 30% of U.S. wealth, and CEOs earn over 340 times the average worker. Sensible reforms — like wealth taxes, capital gains equality, estate tax fixes, and executive pay limits — could restore balance without punishing the professional middle class. But current policies risk a populist backlash far more radical than Trump’s—and a breakdown in the public consent that capitalism needs to survive.

Trump is messing with Bibi’s trial

In international relations, it is entirely inappropriate for the leader of one democracy to interfere in the judicial proceedings of another — especially by accusing an ally of staging a “witch hunt” against its sitting prime minister. Calling for the cancellation of a corruption trial violates national sovereignty, diplomatic norms, and the basic principles of democratic governance. So, of course, Donald Trump jumps in with Truth Social blazing — even though he plainly understands nothing of the case at hand.

Trump wants to be a king

One year after the Supreme Court’s ruling in Trump v. United States, America faces a profound constitutional crisis. The Court granted presidents absolute immunity for “core” official acts and presumptive immunity for others, effectively placing the office above the law. Trump, now back in power, has acted accordingly —diverting funds, threatening officials, and undermining oversight. Down this sorry path, the US risks resembling the very monarchy its founders overthrew.

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