The Trump admin by contrast is all 4th / 5th tier talents. Duffy, Hegseth, Gabbard, Wright, Bondi - none of these people distinguished themselves for anything but talking on television. And like all mediocre people they are intimidated by talent so hire people who won't challenge them.
I think of people like Wally Adeyemo, Shalanda Young, Rohit Chopra, Jigar Shah... these are intimidatingly smart people. You may not always agree on policy but their intellect and ability to simultaneously grasp the big picture and the minutiae of public policy are unparalleled.
Some of the smartest people I've met in my life are the career hill staffers, and the just-below-cabinet level tier in the WH. Thousands of people want those jobs and the WH gets to pick the best.
And that's huge own-goal. There is an amazingly deep pool of talent in DC that wants to work in the WH. Not the electeds (no disrespect intended) but the people they hire. Because while winning an election depends on a whole host of factors, hiring staff is an embarrassment of riches.
7/ And finally, this is all a choice. We don't have to have this happen. But Trump has chosen to tank the US economy. He did this. Insert your own expletives. He deserves all your rage. /fin
Because you cannot assert that someone is doing something "illegally" in such a country unless that person has the right to present evidence, have access to counsel and defend themselves in court BEFORE such assertion carries with it the full force of law.
The truth is, it doesn't take a particularly sophisticated knowledge of the law to understand why a country based on rule of law must afford equal protection under that law to everyone inside our borders, regardless of their immigration status.
And that of course applies equally to immigrants who are here as DREAMers or asylum seekers under Temporary Protected Status. Both are technically "illegal" but are here with the understanding that if they go through a legal process and commit no crimes they can secure legal status.