Trump Weekly Briefing: Libertarian Perspective

 Trump Weekly Briefing: Libertarian Perspective

March 14–21, 2026 

Hormuz Crisis: War Powers Without Limits

President Trump escalated rhetoric against NATO allies this week, calling them "cowards" for refusing to help secure the Strait of Hormuz during the U.S.–Israel conflict with Iran[1][2]. He simultaneously claimed the U.S. has "won" by destroying Iranian naval and air assets, yet requested an additional $200 billion to expand operations[1].

Most alarmingly, Trump stated the U.S. "doesn't need" the Strait of Hormuz—a critical oil chokepoint handling 20% of global petroleum—even as Iran tightens control and energy prices spike worldwide[1][2].

Libertarian concern: This exemplifies undeclared, open-ended warfare that expands presidential power without congressional authorization or exit strategy[3][4]. The request for massive additional funding after declaring "victory" demonstrates how conflicts ratchet up spending and centralize authority in the executive branch[3][4].

---

State Corporatism: Government as Shareholder

Recent coverage highlights Trump's economic interventionism, which Cato Institute scholars call "state corporatism"[5]. The administration took a 9.9% federal equity stake in a struggling semiconductor firm in exchange for $9 billion in CHIPS Act grants, after Trump personally pressured the CEO over national security concerns[5].

Trump has openly discussed taking government stakes in companies that "need something," normalizing a corporate-state model where political power merges with economic power[5].

Libertarian concern: This represents the opposite of free markets—"too big to fail" firms shielded from market discipline while politically disfavored actors face punitive regulation[4][5][6]. Future presidents of any party could exploit this precedent to reward allies and punish opponents[3][4][5].

---

Domestic Power Consolidation

Health policy journals report controversial moves to slash NIH funding and cap research cost rates, part of broader efforts to reorder federal priorities from the White House[7][8]. Mass personnel actions across agencies and aggressive executive memoranda on security continue[8].

Libertarian concern: While trimming ineffective spending is laudable, Trump's approach is highly centralized and personalist rather than rule-bound[9][10]. He is expanding, not dismantling, the "imperial presidency" through discretionary control over bureaucracy, science funding, and personnel[3][4][10].

---

International Fallout

European allies view Trump's weaponization of trade, investment controls, and security guarantees as evidence of U.S. unpredictability[1][5]. His willingness to link global commerce to unilateral security demands accelerates fragmentation of the open trading system[5][6].

Libertarian concern: Tying commercial relations to expansive military commitments invites mission creep abroad and backlash against American influence[3][4][5]. The combination of aggressive tariffs, industrial favoritism, and high-stakes military threats pushes the world toward economic blocs and less free trade[5][6].

---

Bottom Line: The Executive Ratchet

Libertarian analysts emphasize a consistent pattern: Trump occasionally advances specific libertarian goals—tax restraint, targeted deregulation—but his governing style fundamentally concentrates power in the executive[3][4][9][10][11].

This week's mix of wartime escalation, corporate equity deals, and expansive security orders fits a longer trend where personal discretion replaces predictable rules, leaving civil liberties and economic freedom vulnerable to whoever occupies the Oval Office[3][4][5].

The core warning: When Americans accept expansive presidential tools because their side holds them, they make it impossible to restrain future leaders inclined to use those tools against dissent, markets, or minority rights[10][11][12].

Trump's second-term posture accelerates trends predating him: strongman executives, politicized trade and investment, and eroded constraints on surveillance and domestic security—all justified by combating terrorism and "enemies within"[3][4][12].

---

References

[1] Trump calls NATO allies "cowards" over Strait of Hormuz inaction. (2026, March 20). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8PSjyEsO7A

[2] Trump says 'we don't need' Strait of Hormuz after allies won't help U.S. escort ships. (2026, March 20). PBS NewsHour. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-trump-says-we-dont-need-strait-of-hormuz-after-allies-wont-help-u-s-escort-ships

[3] Libertarians Tried to Warn You About Trump. (2026, February 9). The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/opinion/libertarians-trump-limit-power.html

[4] Trump 2.0, Year 1: A Libertarian Nightmare. (2026, January 12). Yahoo News. https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-2-0-1-libertarian-210403182.html

[5] The Conspicuous Fist of Trump's State Corporatism. (2026, February 19). Cato Institute. https://www.cato.org/free-society/winter-2026/conspicuous-fist-trumps-state-corporatism

[6] The Tariff Ruling Is About a Lot More Than Tariffs (And It's Very Good). (2026, March 3). Cato Institute. https://www.cato.org/commentary/tariff-ruling-about-lot-more-tariffs-its-very-good

[7] Advocates: NIH funding cuts would have 'direct impact' on Minnesota's MH research. (2025, March 20). Mental Health Weekly. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mhw.34389

[8] The erosion of the US health-care workforce: silence is not an answer. (2025, February 28). The Lancet. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11959371/

[9] The Trump Presidency: A Libertarian Review of the First 100 Days. (2025, May 5). Libertarian Party. https://lp.org/the-trump-presidency-a-libertarian-review-of-the-first-100-days/

[10] Trump Is Hardly Libertarian. But Neither Is Today's Libertarian Party. (2024, May 28). Cato Institute. https://www.cato.org/commentary/trump-hardly-libertarian-neither-todays-libertarian-party

[11] The Peculiar Phenomenon of Libertarians Supporting Donald Trump. (2024, November 3). Reason Magazine. https://reason.com/2024/11/04/the-peculiar-phenomenon-of-libertarians-supporting-donald-trump/

[12] It's a Weird Time to Be a Libertarian. (2025, January 6). The New Republic. https://newrepublic.com/article/189432/libertarian-party-future-trump

Trump and His Cabinet Can be Arrested

 Trump and His Cabinet Can be Arrested

https://graywolf11.substack.com/p/trump-and-his-cabinet-can-be-arrested 

Constitutional Amendments and Provisions

• The Fifth Amendment (Due Process Clause): Trump’s administration has bypassed the constitutional right to due process by invoking the Alien Enemies Act to summarily deport individuals without customary court hearings or judicial review. His administration has also been cited for defying federal court orders and Supreme Court injunctions related to these deportations.
• The Fourteenth Amendment (Citizenship Clause): Trump's executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants directly violates the Fourteenth Amendment.
• Article I, Section 8 (War Powers): The Constitution vests the exclusive power to declare war in Congress. By unilaterally directing U.S. military forces to strike vessels in the Caribbean and effectively declaring an "armed conflict" with drug cartels, Trump has bypassed congressional authority.
• Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 (Foreign Emoluments Clause): Trump has engaged in digital pay-to-play schemes involving cryptocurrency (like the World Liberty Financial venture and $TRUMP memecoins), taking hundreds of millions of dollars from foreign governments and interests, violating the constitutional prohibition on receiving payments from foreign states.
• Article II, Section 1, Clause 8 (Presidential Oath of Office) and Article II, Section 3 (Take Care Clause): Trump's defiance of court orders, retaliatory actions, and violations of binding treaties run contrary to his constitutional obligation to "faithfully execute" the laws and his oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution. Under Article II, Section 4, such violations of the public trust are grounds for impeachment for "high Crimes and Misdemeanors".

Domestic Laws and Criminal Statutes

• The War Powers Resolution of 1973: Absent an attack on the United States, the President may not initiate hostilities without prior congressional authorization, a statute violated by his unilateral military strikes in Latin America.
• Federal Murder and Conspiracy Statutes: Because the administration has targeted suspected criminals rather than lawful military combatants, legal analysts note that planning and executing lethal maritime strikes could violate multiple federal criminal laws. These include the murder of U.S. nationals in foreign jurisdictions (18 U.S.C. § 1119), murder outside the jurisdiction of any nation (18 U.S.C. §§ 7 and 1111), and conspiracy within the United States to murder persons outside the U.S. (18 U.S.C. § 956).
• The War Crimes Statute (18 U.S.C. § 2441): U.S. nationals or service members involved in the Caribbean operations could be charged under this statute if their actions are deemed "grave breaches" of international conventions.
• Section 1401 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA): Trump’s executive order revoking birthright citizenship violates this specific federal statute governing citizenship.

International Law and Treaties

• United Nations Charter, Article 2(4): This binding treaty prohibits the threat or use of military force against the territorial integrity or political independence of another state without UN Security Council authorization. Operations capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and conducting targeted strikes in international waters qualify as illegal acts of aggression.
• Crimes Against Humanity: Former ICC prosecutors and international law experts argue that ordering widespread, systematic, and premeditated lethal strikes against civilian suspected drug runners outside of a formally recognized armed conflict constitutes extrajudicial killings and crimes against humanity under international law.
• Geneva Convention II (1949): The U.S. military’s deliberate targeting of shipwrecked survivors (hors de combat) in a secondary boat strike violates the Geneva Conventions' protections for the wounded and shipwrecked.
• UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS): U.S. interference with free navigation, the seizure of oil tankers like the Centuries, and strikes in international waters violate maritime law and have been likened to "maritime piracy".
• The Chicago Convention (1944): The Trump administration's unilateral closure of Venezuelan sovereign airspace violates international aviation treaties.
• Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States: Trump's military incursions into Venezuela violate Article 11, which dictates that the territory of a state is inviolable and cannot be the object of military occupation.

The Feasibility of Actually Charging Trump While the above laws have allegedly been violated, whether Trump can actually be prosecuted criminally depends entirely on the Supreme Court's recent precedent in Trump v. United States. The Court ruled that a former President has absolute immunity for actions relating to "core" or "exclusive" constitutional powers and presumptive immunity for all other "official acts".

Therefore, for Trump to be successfully charged under any of the aforementioned domestic criminal statutes, a prosecutor would have to convince a trial court that the acts in question were "unofficial acts" (for which the President enjoys no immunity), or successfully rebut the presumption of immunity by proving that prosecuting the act would pose no danger of intruding on the authority and functions of the Executive Branch.

 

 

Trump – Russia – Putin Timeline (1987 → 2026)

1987 — First Soviet Contact

• Soviet ambassador Yuri Dubinin invites Donald Trump to explore building a hotel in Moscow.

• Trump visits Moscow and Leningrad (now St. Petersburg).

• The trip was organized with help from Soviet officials and Intourist, the Soviet state tourism agency often linked to KGB monitoring foreigners.

Key significance:
Western businessmen visiting Moscow during the Cold War were closely watched by Soviet intelligence, though this alone does not imply recruitment.

https://graywolf11.substack.com/p/trump-russia-putin-timeline-1987

---

Early 1990s — Soviet Collapse & Russian Money

After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, large amounts of Russian capital flowed abroad.

During the 1990s:

• Russian and post-Soviet buyers purchased properties in Trump buildings.

• Trump businesses were recovering from bankruptcies and debt restructurings.

• Real estate markets in New York City and Miami attracted wealthy foreign investors including Russians.

Investigative journalists later highlighted this period because Trump properties appeared in multiple transactions involving Russian buyers or intermediaries.

---

2000–2013 — Repeated Attempts to Build in Russia

Key developments:

• Trump repeatedly pursued Trump Tower Moscow projects with various partners.

• In 2013 the Miss Universe 2013 was held in Moscow.

Trump partnered with Russian developer Aras Agalarov.

During this trip Trump publicly praised Vladimir Putin, tweeting that Putin might attend the pageant (he did not).

---

2015–2016: Campaign and Russia Interference

Trump Tower Moscow Negotiations (2015–2016)

Even while running for president:

• Trump signed a letter of intent for Trump Tower Moscow in 2015.

• Negotiations continued into 2016.

Trump lawyer Michael Cohen later told Congress the talks lasted until mid-2016.

---

Russian Election Interference (2016)

U.S. intelligence agencies concluded Russia conducted a major interference campaign in the 2016 United States presidential election.

Key elements:

• Social media influence operations by the Internet Research Agency.

• Hacking and release of Democratic emails.

Trump Tower Meeting

June 2016 meeting involving:

• Donald Trump Jr.

• Jared Kushner

• Paul Manafort

They met with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya after being told Russia wanted to help Trump.

---

2017–2021: Presidency and Russia Investigations

Mueller Investigation

Special Counsel Robert Mueller investigated Russian election interference.

Findings:

• Russia interfered in the election to help Trump.

• Multiple Trump associates had contacts with Russians.

• Investigation did not establish criminal conspiracy between the campaign and Russia.

---

2018 Helsinki Summit

At a summit in Helsinki:

Trump publicly questioned U.S. intelligence findings about Russian interference while standing beside Putin.

The moment triggered major criticism in Washington.

---

2020–2024: After Trump Lost the Election

Important developments:

• Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

• Trump criticized NATO spending levels.

• Trump said he could end the Ukraine war quickly if reelected.

U.S. intelligence also warned that Russia again preferred Trump to win the 2024 election.

---

2025–2026: Current Presidency and New Controversies

Recent events include:

March 2026 phone call

Trump and Putin held an hour-long phone call discussing:

• the Ukraine war

• Iran conflict in the Middle East

• energy markets

The full transcript has not been released.

---

Intelligence controversy

Reports surfaced that Russia might have provided Iran information about U.S. military locations.

Russia denied the claim.

U.S. intelligence agencies are still evaluating it.

---

Policy signals

After the call:

• the U.S. discussed possible easing of Russian oil sanctions to stabilize global energy markets

• Trump said Putin might be helping Iran “a little bit”

These statements intensified debate over U.S.–Russia policy.

---

The Big Historical Pattern

Across four decades, the timeline shows:

1️⃣ 1987–2000
Early Soviet contact and business exploration.

2️⃣ 2000–2015
Persistent attempts to do major business projects in Russia.

3️⃣ 2016 election
Russian interference + campaign contacts.

4️⃣ Presidency
Diplomatic engagement with Putin + investigations.

5️⃣ Current era
Phone diplomacy with Putin during simultaneous wars (Ukraine, Iran).

---

💡 Key takeaway historians debate

The central question is not necessarily espionage.

It is whether Trump’s:

• political positions

• diplomatic choices

• business interests