Phillips’s Newsletter

Trump and the Putinization of the US Government

The Iran Bombing As A Clarifying Moment

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Phillips P. OBrien
Mar 13, 2026
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Hello All,

I am not sure that I have seen a more terrifying picture involving a major American political figure than this one below.

For those of you who have not seen it, those overly large, almost clown-like shoes, are being worn by the second most powerful person in the US Government; Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio.

Rubio is a grown adult in charge of two of the most important offices in the United States. He also has more than enough money to buy shoes that fit and one would hope shoes that he actually likes to wear. However here he is, in a very public setting, donning these comically-large shoes, made in China no less; shoes that make him look ridiculous, almost pitiable.

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