Noah Smith
· Noahpinion
· May 25, 2026 at 08:14
· ⏱ 16 min read
| Read on Substack ↗
Summary
Noah Smith argues that the second Trump administration is disastrously weakening the United States through policies that devastate the tech industry's immigrant talent pipeline, the failing Iran War, and unprecedented corruption. He contends that despite his own criticisms of the left, the choice for voters is now crystal clear: Trump's actions are far worse than any progressive failures.
•Trump's immigration agency banned Adjustment of Status for high-skilled visa workers, effectively expelling most foreign-born tech talent.
•The AI and broader tech industry crucially depends on immigrant founders and researchers, especially from India and China.
•The Iran War was launched without provocation and is being lost – Iran retains 70% of missile stockpile, rebuilt faster than expected, and controls the Strait of Hormuz.
•The war has depleted U.S. weapons stocks and caused gasoline price spikes and inflation, with no quick recovery in defense production.
•Trump is trying to cut a face-saving deal that will leave Iran stronger and U.S. interests weaker.
•Trump's personal stock portfolio made 3,600 trades in Q1, with suspicious timing around government moves (NVDA, Intel, Palantir, Boeing).
•Trump sued his own government for $10 billion and settled for $1.776 billion – a shakedown to distribute taxpayer money to his allies and secure immunity for his family.
•The author concludes that this is the most absurdly terrible presidential administration in U.S. history, with no close second.