As arrests for vandalism of Trump’s Reflecting Pool project raise fresh questions, TNR editor Michael Tomasky explains how this saga captures the unhinged, dictatorial nature of his presidency.

David French is an Opinion columnist, writing about law, culture, religion and armed conflict. He is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and a former constitutional litigator. His most recent book is “Divided We Fall: America’s Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation .” You can follow him on Threads ( @davidfrenchjag ).

The last time New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan took readers inside the White House Situation Room was in April, when they revealed how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a case for striking Iran to President Donald Trump that helped put the U.