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Mona Charen

@monacharen.bsky.social
15K followers 100 following 272 posts

Policy Editor, The Bulwark Syndicated columnist Opponent of all forms of illiberalism Author of four books

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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 7h
Gotta thank Sen. Schmitt for suggesting the perfect term for himself: "Dirtbag."
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Welcome to the club, I guess, but how could you have been so naive as to support this cretin in 2024? www.wsj.com/opinion/help...
wsj.com
Opinion | Help—I Feel a Bad Case of TDS Coming On
After 2024, Republicans blew a great opportunity to set the country back onto the right track.
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
You deserve the thanks Julia!
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
For once I agree with him!
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
A model for the Democratic Party. wapo.st/4cOuX5t
wapo.st
Opinion | Daniel Lurie, San Francisco’s quiet radical
While his party debates abolishing prisons and owning grocery stores, Democratic Mayor Daniel Lurie is cleaning up his city.
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
I would like to be the first to continue using the actual name of the Lake Ontario. Perhaps a summer vacation spot for next year (north shore!). Trump's tantrums are getting more desperate and pathetic with every passing minute.
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Trump’s New Foreign Aid Plan Is a Handout to the Religious Right www.thebulwark.com/p/trumps-new...
thebulwark.com
Trump’s New Foreign Aid Plan Is a Handout to the Religious Right
It’s MAGA patronage for right-wing evangelicals masquerading as foreign policy.
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Reposted by Mona Charen
Andrew Weinstein @andrewjweinstein.com · 22/08/2026
I’m still trying to process how the president of the United States somehow talks tougher about Canada than North Korea.
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Happy to talk with Katy Tur and others about Todd Blanche.https://www.ms.now/katy-tur/watch/rationale-for-bending-the-knee-is-that-trump-will-find-someone-worse-if-you-refuse-charen-2511281219547
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Is the DSA a Republican Psy-Op? open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
open.substack.com
Is the DSA a Republican Psy-Op?
If I told you the DSA was secretly run by Roger Stone to hurt Democrats it would make more sense than . . . this.
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Important piece by Bret Stephens. Everyone who loves Israel must grapple with this reality. Jewish terrorism is a profound threat. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/28/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | A Blunt Warning for Israel
Jewish terrorism is also a threat to Zionism.
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
The DSA Is a Gift to MAGA www.thebulwark.com/p/the-dsa-is...
thebulwark.com
The DSA Is a Gift to MAGA
Or: The socialists vs. the Democrats.
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
My editor speaks. Obey!
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
There are many worries about the effects of AI, but this is one example of the upside. A man who had no use of his hands has had them partially restored! giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
giftarticle.ft.com
Paralysed man regains hand function through novel brain technology
Patient went from not being able to lift his hands to his face to independently wiping his mouth
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Quick and unexpected isn't the worst way to die. Sympathies to Lindsey Graham's family and friends. RIP. My colleague Will Saletan wrote the best analysis of Graham's transformation in the Trump era. www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
youtube.com
The Corruption of Lindsey Graham - Audio Adaptation - YouTube
This audio adaptation of The Corruption of Lindsey Graham is narrated by author Will Saletan. For more on this special project go to specialto.thebulwark.com.
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Trump, Platner, and the Mistake America Keeps Making open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
open.substack.com
Trump, Platner, and the Mistake America Keeps Making
Will Saletan and Mona analyze the Platner saga and have a few words about the World Cup.
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
So good as usual from Matt Labash. I didn't know about the second part of the Johnson quotation. Chef's kiss. Proud To Be An American't open.substack.com/pub/mattlaba...
open.substack.com
Proud To Be An American't
Enough with the phony patriotism already
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
All of my life I read of malicious use of law in other countries and felt gratitude for our system. Now it's my own country. A Malicious Chapter in the History of American Justice www.nytimes.com/2026/06/21/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | A Malicious Chapter in the History of American Justice
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
"It's sabotage!" cries Trump. We know he admires Putin, but in this case he's taking a leaf from Stalin's book. When the economy failed, Stalin always blamed saboteurs. (And often had them shot.) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakhty...
en.wikipedia.org
Shakhty Trial - Wikipedia
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Reposted by Mona Charen
The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 18/06/2026
Is the approach of July 4th giving you mixed feelings on whether or not to celebrate America’s anniversary? Mona Charen can relate. Check out the latest from @monacharen.bsky.social:
lnk.thebulwark.com
How to Keep Loving America
Even when it hurts.
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
This prediction of disaster, from 3/31, holds up incredibly well IIDSSM. The Iran Hawks Are Losing Their Heads open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
open.substack.com
The Iran Hawks Are Losing Their Heads
If you’re not critical of Trump’s war in Iran, you probably haven’t been paying attention.
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
thehill.com/opinion/inte...
thehill.com
My family lived through socialism. Most Democrats are frighteningly wrong about it.
Socialism, in practice, does not work without force and brutality, even if you give it nice adjectives like “democratic.” My family learned this the hard way.
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
What an extraordinary man. This obituary of someone you've probably never heard of (well, I hadn't) will fill you with admiration. RIP. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/09/a...
nytimes.com
John Basinger, Who Memorized All 12 Books of ‘Paradise Lost,’ Dies at 92
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
What a wise statement opposing Trump's grotesque victory arch. It's only 3 minutes. Give a listen.https://youtu.be/8Oxjrf23oGc?si=NAk6FW5X4Wn1OITi
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
It's more than miscalculating about Iran. Brilliant analysis of how he missed the way war itself has changed. He's a dinosaur, and about as intelligent. Very Low-IQ Trump Too Stoopid to Win War open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
open.substack.com
Very Low-IQ Trump Too Stoopid to Win War
There’s a revolution in military affairs and America is on the wrong side of it.
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Reposted by Mona Charen
The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 26/05/2026
"That is what lawfare and weaponization look like. Trump’s fund is not just blazingly corrupt and unjust, it is also a massive exercise in gaslighting." Read @monacharen.bsky.social's latest on Trump's financial and moral corruption:
lnk.thebulwark.com
Trump’s Slush Fund Is Based on a Lie
The real victims of lawfare and weaponized prosecutions aren’t the insurrectionists.
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Yes, this may be the biggest lie told by someone in the Trump administration who is not Trump.
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Can't wait for the WSJ editorial saying the really bad part about Trump's record-shattering corruption is that it might give Democrats ideas.
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
This is enraging, and yet utterly predictable. Trump Decimated Our Global Health Network. Then Ebola Hit. open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
open.substack.com
Trump Decimated Our Global Health Network. Then Ebola Hit.
Scientists and officials don’t think it’ll become a pandemic. Here’s why they’re worried anyway.
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Or just maybe your hero was a lot more open-minded about people than you are.
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Hi. George McGovern and I exchanged friendly letters. Thought you'd like to know.
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Great news. A Man for All Seasons is streaming free (with ads) on YouTube and Roku right now. Just in time for my podcast with @sonnybunch.bsky.social on this classic. You can also rent for about $4. You won't regret it. A brilliant film for any season, especially this one.
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
A Bulwark scoop. EXCLUSIVE: State Dept. Finalizing Plan to Put Trump Picture on U.S. Passports open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
open.substack.com
EXCLUSIVE: State Dept. Finalizing Plan to Put Trump Picture on U.S. Passports
The new design would mark yet another U.S. government property upon which the president has plastered his likeness.
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
"They have divided people into friends and enemies, and they want to crush their enemies, completely and without mercy. That isn’t what I want." www.wsj.com/opinion/free...
wsj.com
Opinion | Christopher Rufo Thinks I’m Soft on DEI
I’m not, but I do know what life is like inside a university. There is a sensible middle position.
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Another banger from Catherine Rampell! When All Else Fails, Just Blame Corporate Greed open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
open.substack.com
When All Else Fails, Just Blame Corporate Greed
Horseshoe theory FTW.
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Cathy Young's gimlet eye misses nothing. The Nationalist Right Isn’t Taking Orbán’s Loss Well open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
open.substack.com
The Nationalist Right Isn’t Taking Orbán’s Loss Well
Mourning one of their own.
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Reposted by Mona Charen
Adam Keiper @adamkeiper.com · 14/04/2026
Good discussion with art and architecture critic Philip Kennicott about Trump's ugly ballroom and bizarre arch, and how he has been "running roughshod" over the processes that are supposed to govern building in Washington, D.C. www.thebulwark.com/p/a-250-foot...
thebulwark.com
A 250-Foot Monument to Trump's Ego (w/ Philip Kennicott)
Washington Post architecture critic Philip Kennicott discusses Trump’s physical desecration of Washington DC.
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
If there's another view, I'd love to see it, but this verdict seems completely right to me. America Lost. Iran Won. Trump Shat the Bed. open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
open.substack.com
America Lost. Iran Won. Trump Shat the Bed.
America will leave Iran weaker; the Islamic Republic will be stronger.
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
"When such a toddler is calling the shots in a war, it’s acutely dangerous." ShareThe Iran Hawks Are Losing Their Heads open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
open.substack.com
The Iran Hawks Are Losing Their Heads
If you’re not critical of Trump’s war in Iran, you probably haven’t been paying attention.
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Reposted by Mona Charen
Jen and Her Cats @jenpluscats.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
@monacharen.bsky.social loved hearing you on this week’s Opinions podcast from NYTimes. Hope you join again soon!
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Reposted by Mona Charen
Bill Kristol @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
"A White House spokeswoman called the protests 'Trump derangement therapy sessions.'" The people I met at No Kings were sane and well-adjusted. The people suffering from Trump derangement syndrome are those who work for him, who bow to him, who slavishly praise him. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/28/u...
nytimes.com
A Show of Defiance Across the Nation
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
It's not hard to get inside Trump's mind this time. Trump’s War Psychology open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
open.substack.com
Trump’s War Psychology
An extension of id by other means.
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Reposted by Mona Charen
Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
As I said the other day: It’s only a war if it comes from the war region of France. Otherwise it’s just sparkling military conflict
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Reposted by Mona Charen
Dan Nexon @dhnexon.net · 28/02/2026
@monacharen.bsky.social was kind enough to invite @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social and me onto her podcast. She argued Trump likely wants 'his place in history' as the U.S. president who finally brought down the Iranian government. I think that, plus his endless need to dominate, is probably 👍.
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
They haven't thought this through. Of course! Trump Is Considering More Iran Strikes. No One Knows Precisely Why. open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
open.substack.com
Trump Is Considering More Iran Strikes. No One Knows Precisely Why.
As has become a pattern, the use of force isn’t part of a coherent plan.
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Reposted by Mona Charen
Holly Berkley Fletcher @hollybfletcher.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Just an extraordinary conversation. What integrity means @monacharen.bsky.social @davidfrum.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
podcasts.apple.com
Why We Changed Our Minds About Politics
Podcast Episode · The David Frum Show · 02/18/2026 · 56m
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
Life is full of unavoidable tragedies. Yet many Americans are subjecting their children to completely avoidable ones. Hard to fathom the idiocy. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
theatlantic.com
This Is How a Child Dies of Measles
When your family becomes a data point in an outbreak
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
"By all means, get angry about the savagery; stress that law and order means . . . the state cannot be the lawbreaker. But also add that borders are not notional and chaos cannot be permitted to prevail along the Rio Grande." How Democrats Can Crush the Midterms open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
open.substack.com
How Democrats Can Crush the Midterms
Trump has offered up the issues on a silver platter.
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Look at this flagrant typo in WaPo. That’s what happens when you fire 1/3 of staff.
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Mona Charen @monacharen.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
100%
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