Edition · June 29, 2021

Trump’s June 29, 2021 edition: the hangover after the audit fantasy

A backfill look at the day Trump-world kept trying to turn defeat into a comeback story, while the legal and political bill kept getting higher.

On June 29, 2021, the Trump universe was still feeding off its post-election fantasy machinery, especially the Arizona audit circus, but the real-world logic never cooperated. The same day also sat inside a broader stretch of mounting legal exposure and institutional backlash that made the former president’s orbit look less like a comeback operation and more like a rolling self-inflicted mess. This edition focuses on the strongest, best-documented Trump-world screwups materially in view on that date.

Closing take

By late June 2021, Trump’s brand was no longer just about losing and complaining about it. It was about losing, doubling down, and dragging allies, institutions, and donors into ever more embarrassing dead ends. The damage was no longer theoretical; it was compounding.

Ranked by how bad the fuckup was

5 stars means maximum fallout. 1 star means a smaller self-own.

Story

Arizona audit keeps feeding Trump’s election delusion

★★★★☆Fuckup rating 4/5 Serious fuckup

Trump’s allies were still trying to squeeze political oxygen out of the Arizona ballot review, even as election officials and critics warned the exercise was undermining trust and turning conspiracy theory into pseudo-government theater. The bigger problem for Trump was not just that the audit lacked credibility, but that he was treating it like a path back to power. That made the whole enterprise look less like oversight and more like a taxpayer-funded feedback loop for denial.

Open story + comments

Story

Trump’s Facebook ban still wasn’t going his way

★★★☆☆Fuckup rating 3/5 Major mess

The Trump social-media saga kept drifting toward a bigger problem: the platforms had already shown they were willing to treat him as a danger, not a VIP customer. By late June 2021, the argument over his suspension had become another symbol of how the post-Jan. 6 fallout was locking in. Trump was not breaking through censorship; he was getting boxed in by the consequences of his own behavior.

Open story + comments