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WaxmanStaff Writer A new period drama on Apple TV+ is serving up the story of the first celebrity chef Carême takes place during the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte after the French Revolution is hired by a French foreign minister Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (Jérémie Renier) to make creative pastries that will impress the people with whom he’s negotiating Here’s what to know about the real chef who inspired Carême “He’s the first chef ever to become rich and famous publishing cookbooks,” says Ian Kelly the creator of Carême who wrote the book that inspired the show “Carême coined the phrase in his second cookbook He also pioneered the chef’s hat, wearing a stiff white hat that was taller than the white caps worn by the cooks that worked for him. In an early example of a celebrity chef endorsement he directed readers to a shop where they could buy one for themselves Many of his famous recipes are hard to DIY Classic French dishes Carême pioneered included vol-au-vent Food has long been a form of diplomacy in France a way of showcasing the best of the country with its allies And Carême was a “passionate artist who wants to have food and being a chef taken seriously as an art form," according to Kelly Carême brings out a large triangular structure covered in thin paper it reveals a triangular tray of pastries for a British ambassador with a big sweet tooth This stunt exemplifies something that Carême once said: “I believe architecture to be the first amongst the arts and the principal branch of architecture is confectionery.” as on way to cope with the trauma after the revolution “There weren't restaurants in Paris before the revolution and the idea of gastronomy was born of this period,” Kelly explains.  There’s plenty of dish in the show beyond the kitchen As to how much his high sex drive in the show is based on real life but what we know points very definitively in that direction.” Kelly says there was a lot of room for creative license because so little is known about Carême. While the chef would boast that his foods have medicinal properties—especially his soups and consommés—the scene in which he uses bitter herbs to cure Napoleon when he’s ill is fictional Stories he told about his childhood are also hard to verify The chef claimed that his family abandoned him when he was nine years old Kelly’s book is chock full of nuggets of wisdom from the chef. Carême saw cookbooks as a chef’s greatest legacy, writing in 1830, three years before his death, “Our only duty, after cooking, is to record and publish. If not, we will suffer such regrets.” He was a firm believer that dinner party meals should last at least two hours, ideally three or more. And he did not hold back when talking about people who don’t like food, once writing, “The rich man who is miserly only eats to live, lives his life in mediocrity, and dies in it too” and “a rich man who does not appreciate a good cook will never know ineffable joy.” He had even harsher words for people who show up late to a restaurant reservation: “The guest whose tardiness delays the meal should have the dining-room door slammed in his face.” TIME may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website Offers may be subject to change without notice “Carême,” introduces the world to Napoleon’s chef Antonin Carême who cooked for him and his inner circle rising from a poor kitchen boy to become a standard-bearer of French cuisine This image released by Apple TV+ shows Lyna Khoudri and Benjamin Voisin in a scene from “Carême” This image released by Apple TV+ shows Benjamin Voisin in a scene from “Carême” This image released by Apple TV+ shows Lyna Khoudri in a scene from “Carême” This image released by Apple TV+ shows Jérémie Renier in a scene from “Carême” He’s a dream in the kitchen — and elsewhere in the house Antonin Carême has been dead since the 1830s which drops its first two episodes Wednesday We watch as he’s pulled into political intrigue by his boss his goal was to be the best chef in the world The show’s first season ends with an extraordinary outdoor coronation banquet that Carême creates for thousands of people a tall white chef’s hat on his head for the first time it’s as if he’s crowning himself — and marking his ascent to celebrity a gold earring and a bad-boy swagger that’s consciously based on Mick Jagger Director Martin Bourboulon says the choice for the role was obvious once Voisin walked into the audition room “When you find the right actor for the right part “We were very impressed with his youthful attitude but also his rock ‘n’ roll attitude He is absolutely Carême in real life — very attractive for everyone a young man who is maybe sometimes a bit insouciant The first scene sets the tone with Carême and his lover in a food-tasting session that morphs immediately into sex but then duty calls: Napoleon’s soldiers are coming for dinner Bourboulon says that first scene was very intentional establishing in a few minutes the three main themes of the series: food “I spent two months in the kitchen to learn the customs of the great French tradition,” the actor says He focused on learning how to realistically convey what Carême did best: invent dishes of wild whimsy especially flamboyant dessert creations like a huge pyramid or the “croquembouche” tower — a cascade of cream puffs Carême is also known for inventing the vol-au-vent this master pastry maker can’t even chop an onion correctly when he arrives for work at his first big kitchen job The job of teaching him falls to the talented sous-chef in Talleyrand’s kitchen Da Luz trained alongside Voisin on the kitchen brigade at the Ferrandi culinary school in Paris — and vastly improved her skill set “We really learned the choreography of a kitchen “And today I can boast that I cut onions at a crazy speed.” The actors had a dream workspace: The production spent six weeks building a huge airy kitchen where they work for Talleyrand — unlike the cramped smoky kitchens that would be more historically accurate Viewers may feel the need to brush up on their history The show takes place shortly after Napoleon seized political power in 1799 and became first consul on his way to later declaring himself emperor Voisin says he knew about “the victories and defeats of Bonaparte,” but had to learn from scratch the story of Carême who plays mysterious Henriette — who may or may not be on her lover’s side — notes: “We’re making a series about the heritage of French culinary art I found out why we’re so famous for our cuisine in France.” Da Luz had studied the period at school but dove into it more deeply once she was cast “I let my imagination go,” inspired to bring a woman out of the shadows of history who plays Talleyrand (actual name Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord) “It’s a character who has led a thousand lives,” he said “who lived through almost a century of history at a time when people were guillotined for not much what are we ready to win or lose to achieve this dream?” The production is lush throughout the whole season beginning with the gorgeous country homes — filmmakers scouted 60 of them They created new dinner services to dress the tables and made 3,000 candles to light all the candelabras — different hues for different rooms There were 96 vases of fresh flowers at all times in Talleyrand’s home because the filmmakers had a specific vision of clothing that was not period-accurate but also not completely modern Then there was that crazy banquet that ends the season the production created a giant tent covered with “an extraordinary amount of velvet,” and loaded down the tables with food including a 60 kilo (132 pound) leg of lamb and a 50 kilo (110-pound) tuna towering structures — befitting not only a new emperor but the world’s first celebrity chef Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Horne Defend All-Time Marks to Open Weekend4/18/2025 11:03:00 PM | Track RALEIGH, N.C. – Angelina Napoleon and Katie Horne defended their all-time bests in their respective events as the Wolfpack turned in a string of top-10 finishes to open an action-packed weekend of competition Tyson Adams claimed second in the long jump with a mark of 8.05m (26' 5") with a wind reading of +4.9. Mariama Hunt earned her first podium finish in the women's long jump placing third with a jump of 6.43m (21' 1.25") and a wind reading of +4.6 Natalie Giffith moved into the program's all-time top 10 in the discus finishing eighth with a throw of 41.79m (137' 1") to the late Cleotis Meeks and Laler "LV" Price He leaves to cherish his memories special beloved friend four bonus grandchildren and one bonus great-grandchild Sinda Trezvant (Ronnie); a host of nieces and nephews he enjoyed simply being an outdoor's men and being around friends from 10:00am to 11:00am at the Dengel & Son Mortuary-Paola Chapel There will be a private burial outside of Morrilton Memorial contributions can be donor's choice c/o Dengel & Son Mortuary-Paola Chapel 305 N Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text Hartman and Napoleon Shatter Records on Day Two of Raleigh Relays3/28/2025 11:44:00 PM | Track RALEIGH, N.C. – Grace Hartman and Angelina Napoleon shattered program while five Wolfpack athletes secured spots on NC State's all-time top-10 list capping off a successful second day at the Raleigh Relays Hartman delivered an exceptional performance in the 10,000-meter invitational taking an early lead and maintaining it throughout the race She crossed the finish line with a personal-best time of 31:20.60 Hartman now holds the all-time NC State record in the event and ranks as the third-fastest performer in NCAA history Napoleon dominated the 3,000-meter steeplechase leading from start to finish to clock a personal-best 9:34.22 and program records and currently stands as the fastest in the NCAA this season Kate Putman turned in a strong performance in the 1,500 meters finishing first in her heat with a personal-best 4:14.98 She placed sixth overall and claimed the No Xavier Branker competed in the 110-meter hurdles winning his heat and setting a personal-best 14.25 to finish 13th Jayda Hunter secured a place on the program's all-time top-10 list for the triple jump with a season-best mark of 12.47 meters (40 feet Elijah Dawes earned a second-place finish in the 400 meters after a thrilling battle to the finish line clocking 46.21 behind Tennessee's Christan Parker Dawes now ranks fifth on NC State's all-time top-10 list in the event Shaune Ingraham and Jordyn Parker also competed in the 400 meters while Parker clocked 55.62 to secure the No Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article From the ocean itself arises coral reefs, which are the treasures of our earth as they provide shelter to many sea creatures and support the lives of men and women. It is thus a phenomenal discovery by scientists that there has been the identification of the largest-known coral colony in the entire world-all at the Solomon Islands. This great organism has been there for hundreds of years. Such evidence enlightens coral resilience future and marine conservation imperatives. Warm waters of South Pacific nestle a coral colony, unmatched in size, off the grimly far away island of Malaulalo. The coral, a Pavona clavus, measures 34 meters across, 32 meters long, and 5.5 meters tall, making it 12 meters larger than America’s previous record holder from American Samoa. An underwater cathedral, this giant carcass of coral was captured in vivid shots during a National Geographic Pristine Seas expedition. Leading a team of videographer Manu San Félix, the group accidentally came across the coral while probing an area that was classified as a shipwreck. “It is impressive to see something so big and so old-around 300 years old-bouncing back through such significant changes in the environment,” according to San Félix. Unlike coral reefs, which comprise numerous genotypically different colonies, this organism is a single organism made by millions of tiny working polyps. Its magnificent size and long life illustrate its ability to endure threats that devastated coral. Here’s what happened. They were not visiting places, but they were above a shipwreck site, and that’s when they found the coral. “It’s awe-inspiring to witness something so massive and ancient,” San Félix says as he emphasizes the fact that the coral has survived 300 years and through significant environmental shifts. Underwater cathedral is such a mega coral discovered in a Pristine Seas expedition by National Geography. San Félix as a videographer led the expedition team only to discover the coral while looking around an area pegged as the site of hypothecated shipwrecks. Unlike coral reefs, which comprise numerous genotypically different colonies, this specimen is a single organism made by millions of tiny working polyps. These remarkable dimensions and long life make it an excellent candidate for surviving the same threats that have decimated coral around the globe. It is an interesting discovery but the outlook for coral reefs around the world looks very bleak. High temperatures of ocean waters due to climate change have caused widespread bleaching and death of coral due to the expulsion of symbiotic algae which provide the corals with food. Such is the case with the Solomon Islands where shallow reefs suffer degradation under warming waters and pollution. This mega coral is made accessible to scientists for research in terms of its surviving heat stress needing deeper, cooler areas, such that it may have affected that heat. Lessons from this ancient colony can be of tremendous assistance in devising mechanisms to protect the endangered reefs as extinction is expected to affect 44% of all hard coral species. This discovery has now catalyzed conservation efforts in the Solomon Islands where local tribes have now petitioned the government to protect Malaulalo’s waters formally. The climate minister Trevor Manemahaga spoke of the vital role coral reefs play in the economy and ecology of the nation during COP29 while urging sustainable alternatives to logging practices, which destroy coral habitats. Internationally, this find can signify how coral reefs are of relevance in supporting biodiversity, helping to protect coastlines, and sustaining millions. Urgent funding is required for conservation and adaptation to the impacts of climate change. The mega coral of the Solomon Islands is a hope bearer for the entire conservation of coral reefs. Its resilience gives essential insights into the protection of marine ecosystems and reminds us of the wonderful things that nature offers and the imperative need to preserve them under changing climatic conditions. community commitment"}}))},2e3);window.dataLayer.push({event:"GAEvent",eventAction:"contentStart",eventCategory:"video",eventLabel:"You'll be inspired by Napoleon Wallace's career community commitment"},{name:"updated",value:"2025-03-28T18:27:50-0400"},{name:"published",value:"2025-03-28T18:21:00-0400"}]}])}),e.on("adend",()=>{e.play()})):console.warn("wralvideo returned undefined")}else console.warn("wralvideo has not been loaded yet")},window.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",window.initHeroVideo)Local NewsYou'll be inspired by Napoleon Wallace's career community commitmentCall him a champion for the little guy a financial advisor who works tirelessly to build wealth in disadvantaged communities Don't let his ALS distract from the good that Napoleon Wallace of Durham is doing He sure doesn't.var embeds=document.getElementsByTagName("o-embed"),observers=[],opt={};for(const a of embeds){let e=new IntersectionObserver(e=>{!e[0].isIntersecting||e[0].target.attributes.loaded||oembed(e[0].target)},opt);e.observe(a)}function oembed(e){var t=e.attributes.url.value;const r=e.attributes.id.value;fetch(t).then(e=>e.json()).then(e=>{var t=document.getElementById(r);t.innerHTML=e.html,t.attributes.loaded=!0})}DetailsTranscriptCall him a champion for the little guy please click the box below to let us know you're not a robot Get the most important global markets news at your fingertips with a Bloomberg.com subscription President posted ‘he who saves his country does not violate any laws’ quote attributed to French emperor Critics rounded on Donald Trump on Sunday for likening himself to Napoleon in a “dictatorial” social media post echoing the French emperor’s assertion that “he who saves his country does not violate any laws” The post came at the end of another tumultuous week early in Trump’s second presidency, during which acolytes questioned the legitimacy of judges making a succession of rulings to stall his administration’s aggressive seizure or dismantling of federal institutions and budgets His defiance of some of those orders, including one ordering a restoration of funding to bodies such as the National Institutes of Health, has led to several of the president’s opponents declaring a constitutional crisis. Read more“He is the most lawless president in US history,” Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, wrote on Wednesday in the Guardian it’s up to the courts to determine whether the president is using his power ‘legitimately’ Another version appeared in the 1970 movie Waterloo starring Rod Steiger as the dictator who rode roughshod over the French constitution to declare himself emperor and pursue world domination before his comeuppance at the pivotal 1815 battle from which the film’s title is derived Senior Democrats led the criticism of Trump Hillary Clinton’s running mate in the 2016 presidential election that Trump won told Fox News Sunday that occupation of the White House was not a mandate to ignore the courts but the president also has to follow the law,” he said that says once Congress has appropriated dollars for a particular purpose the president is not allowed to say: ‘Yeah there’s a whole lot of lawsuits that have been successful but a lot of the president’s extreme executive actions that hurt folks are being challenged in court right now.” According to the Associated Press, the administration is facing at least 70 lawsuits nationwide covering actions from the attempted elimination of birthright citizenship to the freezing of federal grants and funds – and the accessing of sensitive computer systems and data by unofficial entities Trump’s wrecking ball approach since his 20 January inauguration continued this week with deeper infiltration by Elon Musk’s so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge) into federal institutions – and the latest firings of vast numbers of employees On Sunday, Bloomberg reported a wave of new dismissals at health department agencies including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Critics believe that a hollowing out of many essential taxpayer-funded services, especially in healthcare, support for veterans, and military and defense expenditure, will come with a lucrative corresponding financial windfall for private companies Free newsletterA deep dive into the policies controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration Musk, the world’s richest man and Trump acolyte, who has been awarded the status of “special government employee”, has called on the administration to “delete entire agencies” which it could not legally do without the sanction of Congress that created them “I don’t like the fact that Donald Trump is shutting the government down as we speak,” Kaine told Fox “He says he wants to shut down the Department of Education That is a shutdown unauthorized by Congress “My outrage is about who they’re hurting. I don’t like unelected officials, those Doge guys, posting classified information on their website You shouldn’t let people run rampage through offices that have classified information.” More turmoil came with the administration’s decision to ban Associated Press journalists from the Oval Office and Air Force One for refusing to comply with Trump’s executive order attempting to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” The White House sought to justify the punitive move by insisting that it was “a lawful geographic name change” The AP pointed out that the agency served an international audience it would continue referring to the body of water by its globally accepted name In a statement Axios said the right of news organizations to report how they saw fit was “a bedrock of a free press and durable democracy” it also said it would use the name Gulf of America because “our audience is mostly US-based compared to other publishers with international audiences” The Atlantic’s view was that it was a spat the AP should have avoided “To cave now would be to surrender on the constitutional issue But this is a fight that Trump is clearly happy to have especially to the extent that it draws attention away from his more egregious affronts to the public interest and the rule of law,” it said “Prices could go up somewhat short-term,” Trump said as he laid out his tariffs plan before promising they would go down again at some point Step into history by candlelight as Heritage Malta’s much-loved Museums by Candlelight returns featuring the rare Sword of Honour awarded by Napoleon to Rear Admiral Decrès Tickets combining admission to all three sites are available online on: https://heritagemalta.mt/store/c445/ and will also be available at the door on the day This event is generously sponsored by Carisma Collections The public is encouraged to follow Heritage Malta’s WhatsApp Channel to stay informed on the agency’s events and receive important alerts and updates about potential postponements due to unforeseen circumstances: whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb4UJxw1yT29ko3Gkq2F Firaxis Games hasn't forgotten about the iconic leader he's being offered as a free bonus to players as an incentive to create a 2K Account Napoleon Bonaparte will be available in Civilization when the game launches on February 11 2025 (or five days earlier for the Deluxe and Founders editions) and will also come with the Emperor and Revolutionary Leader Personas These personas are a new feature for Civilization 7 and allow you to play an alternate take on a leader based on their personality traits coming with a unique outfit and background If you're looking to pick up Civilization 7, why not check out our Civilization 7 release guide which has everything you need to know about the release dates Napoleon's Emperor Persona is explained on the 2K website This Persona will focus on commerce and military prowess and grants Napoleon access to a Unique Ability called 'Empereur des Français' This ability is a Diplomatic Action that reduces trade route capacity for one of your rival Civilizations and will cause massive grievances Emperor Napoleon also gets bonus Gold per Age for every leader he's Unfriendly or Hostile with the Revolutionary Persona also specializes in military might but trades the commerce out for culture This variant has its own Unique Ability titled 'La Grande Armée,' which gives army commanders extra movement and gives you Culture every time an enemy unit is defeated You can get Napoleon in Civilization 7 by signing up for a 2K Account and linking it to your game in Civilization 7 the requirements are different for each persona So we've broken them down into two sections To get Napoleon with his Emperor Persona in Civilization 7 you simply need to create a 2K Account and link it to your game You should have access to Napoleon's Emperor Persona when starting a new game As a special treat for players who have supported the Civilization series 2K is offeringNapoleon with his Revolutionary Persona in Civilization 7 to those who have played Civilization 6 You'll need a 2K Account for this one too After doing that you should have access to Napoleon's Revolutionary Persona when starting a new game If you haven't played Civilization 6 but still want the Revolutionary Napoleon (and don't mind spending a bit of money), the game is currently available for PC on CD Keys for $3.69 2K has confirmed you don't need to have played Civilization 6 on the same platform you're playing Civilization 7 on to unlock Napoleon's Revolutionary Persona SCOTT MCCRAE © 2025 ABG-SI LLC. - SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER Print Insights The president of the United States posted a possibly apocryphal quote often attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte on social media Saturday: “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.” This is an indefensibly stupid thing for a president to say — at least absent the sort of situation in which a lawyer has told him you can’t fire a nuke on that planet-destroying asteroid without first getting an environmental impact statement and allowing for the legally required 90-day public comment period.” An American president implying he’s above the law because he’s “saving” his country is a serious thing It’s even more serious when the notion that we face an existential crisis requiring a hero on a white horse to save us has been manufactured by the president and his allies The opening moves of Trump’s second presidency are an exaggeratedly steroidal replay of a familiar dynamic The best defense of President Trump’s cerebral flatulence is that he was the one being glib who served as White House chief of staff during Trump’s first term said as much on ABC News’ “This Week”: “It’s entertainment for Trump the president enjoys taking a grenade out on a Saturday afternoon throwing it on the floor and watching everybody react I said it was the best defense; I did not say it was a good defense When the president announced tariffs on China responding to economic realities that politicians and their supporters often ignore I honestly don’t know what Priebus means in saying “there’s no downside” to Trump’s trolling Giving millions of Americans — friends and foes alike — the impression that the president is megalomaniacally contemptuous of the law is not good for anybody Presidents — all presidents — rely on a certain amount of trust and goodwill not just from their allies but from their opponents as well the public and the opposition party need to believe that presidential authority is being exercised for unselfish reasons Insinuating that you crave crises to maximize your power makes people less likely to trust you with the power to deal with an actual crisis because Priebus may be right that Trump was motivated chiefly by boredom it’s impossible to be confident of the intent of his Napoleonic statement But it coincided with a far more serious controversy: Trump’s decision to suspend a public corruption prosecution against the mayor of New York City Adams and Trump’s Justice Department deny the alleged quid pro quo Bove has even purported that the Biden Justice Department had corrupt reasons for launching the federal investigation of Adams who has pleaded not guilty to charges that he accepted bribes from Turkish nationals The implication is that the Biden Justice Department was rankly political and Trump is correcting an illegitimate prosecution one wonders why Trump didn’t object to having such willing hacks continuing to work as federal prosecutors Sassoon, whom Trump had promoted to interim U.S. attorney just weeks earlier, resigned rather than comply with the department’s orders, and she was joined by six other federal prosecutors, all of whom were privy to the facts and relevant internal negotiations. As the rising conservative star laid out in her magisterial eight-page resignation letter leveraging the threat of criminal prosecution to force cooperation with the president’s political agenda is an intolerable assault on the administration of justice The Trump administration wants the case against Adams merely suspended so that it can still be dangled over the mayor as a sword of Damocles to ensure his obedience which is the very definition of weaponization of the criminal justice system So is Bove’s threat to investigate the resigning prosecutors for their refusal to comply This is the crucial context of Trump’s claim that the president cannot break the law if he is “saving” the country He may well have thought it was just an entertaining quote it looks less like trolling and more like a confession @JonahDispatch White House ordered firing of L.A. federal prosecutor on ex-Fatburger CEO case, sources say March 29, 2025 Insights L.A. Times Insights delivers AI-generated analysis on Voices content to offer all points of view Insights does not appear on any news articles The following AI-generated content is powered by Perplexity. The Los Angeles Times editorial staff does not create or edit the content. Jonah Goldberg is editor in chief of the Dispatch and has been a Los Angeles Times Opinion columnist since 2005. He holds the Asness Chair in Applied Liberty at the American Enterprise Institute. He was previously senior editor at National Review and lives in Washington, D.C. California World & Nation Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map led a massive European coalition against the Russian Empire to compel adherence to French economic policies that sought to isolate the British Empire from its ability to enable resistance on the continent representing a turning point in the history of the Napoleonic Wars ended as an unmitigated catastrophe for the French due to three interrelated and multifaceted reasons: the emperor’s inability to gain a decisive battlefield victory; inadequate supply and basing to support the expedition; and strategic failure to credibly threaten Alexander I Though Napoleon would continue to remain a viable threat and shape European politics until his final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo three years later the French Empire’s military strength and coercive influence would never fully recover from the disaster in Russia it shows how the resulting misalignment can conspire to unleash cascading setbacks and systemic collapse The resulting logistical nightmare conspired with harsh Russian climates and difficult terrain to make the campaign increasingly expensive so long as Alexander I who managed to consolidate domestic political support against the specter of foreign subjugation The sprawling coalition’s operational vulnerability was then made acute by Napoleon’s fateful decision to advance his columns an additional 230 miles from Smolensk to Moscow while in pursuit of the main Russian field forces The final reason for Napoleon’s failure in 1812 was strategic in nature and reflected his inability to leverage battlefield outcomes to politically threaten the Tsar with removal from the throne Though the Russian Army suffered costly setbacks at Smolensk and Borodino and endured the humiliating occupation and destruction of their ancient cultural home of Moscow Alexander confounded Napoleon by yet refusing to negotiate terms for a cessation of hostilities as he earned time and space for his forces to rearm and reconstitute Instead of reaching out to the French emperor Alexander continued to implement a semi-Fabian strategy of preventing the destruction of his primary field army in any single engagement while dispatching Cossack cavalry to harass and terrorize the French columns during their retreat with incredible savagery while Napoleon had won a series of indecisive tactical victories as described by military historian Peter Paret win by ‘forcing the opposing government into negotiations under newly unfavorable circumstances.’  By preserving his army for future engagements and exploiting the vastness of his imperium the Russian emperor thus maintained the survivability of his monarchy and denied Napoleon the thing he needed the most: a shattering battlefield outcome this leads to a conclusion that the Grande Armee likely had to threaten the very existence of the Russian regime to compel emasculating compliance with the Continental System Nothing short of destroying the Russian Army as a viable organization marching north to occupy the capital of St or enabling a viable pretender to the throne to divide the nobility would have likely placed the necessary pressure on Alexander to capitulate and seek terms angered by the invasion and pillaging of their home territory were then postured to launch a dramatic counter-offensive that would drive the French and their wavering allies back into Central Europe The defeat of the French Empire in 1812, unfolding as one of the most calamitous ventures in military history, offers cautionary lessons for future expeditionary campaigns Given Napoleon’s failure to achieve a battlefield decision supply his massive force across unexpectedly vast distances the expedition was ultimately doomed to fail at a spectacular cost in men and material and strategic levels of war for the invaders allowed the defending Russians to endure the emasculating shock of the initial setbacks at Smolensk and Borodino recover and reconstitute their primary field forces and launch a devastating pursuit that would effectively destroy the French-led coalition Of the 655,000 coalition soldiers that marched under Napoleon’s banners in June of 1812 only approximately 93,000 would remain to defend his beleaguered regime against a vengeful anti-French alliance by January of 1813 in addition to the debilitating loss of over 200,000 trained horses represented a staggering destruction of more than 85% of the Grande Armee’s original strength while shattering the myth of French battle invincibility Foreshadowing a similarly calamitous offensive by the German Third Reich in 1941 that would unfold across the same landscape the French Empire’s echeloned failures in 1812 dramatically illustrate the perils of reliance upon strategies that revolve on battlefield decision schemes that move beyond the scope of logically planned theater logistics and misunderstanding the realities of adversary political tolerances Finding further resonance in the nationalistic conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries the ill-fated invasion exemplifies the timeless capacity of defending societies to adapt and persevere when existentially threatened If Napoleon’s earlier campaigns in Central Europe revealed the potential for achieving stunning victories through integrated approaches which heralded the end of French primacy in that century should caution against the limits of unbridled ambition Trump did an odd thing last week. He wrote on his social media page “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.” Then he pinned the declaration to the top of his page to make sure any new visitors would see it right away An American president writing such a statement would be eye-catching in any case But the statement runs alongside Trump’s alarming attempts to rapidly consolidate all power under the White House including power that under the Constitution belongs to Congress He has pushed through controversial cabinet appointments like Robert F a vaccine skeptic now in charge of Health and Human Services He has taken surprise actions like firing the entire board of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts This week he wrote an executive order giving him power over independent regulatory agencies, like the Consumer Product Safety Commission. On Thursday, sources said he planned to take over the U.S. Postal Service, a 250-year-old institution that has been independent since 1970 Republican-led Senate that consents to his every action 1 tool in his quest to rule has been unelected billionaire donor Elon Musk who has been given authority to slimily crawl through every single American’s personal records allegedly looking for efficiencies and mass firing federal workers More: 'Once-in-a-lifetime event': Fayetteville joins national Lafayette Bicentennial Celebration Trump’s social media declaration last week has been called “Napoleonic” or as channeling Napoleon by several media outlets and for good reason: The quote has been attributed to the authoritarian who ruled France as emperor in the early 1800s Lafayette lecturer contrasts the authoritarian and the man of principleMedia are not the only ones who see a connection Dr. Lloyd Kramer, professor emeritus of history at UNC-Chapel Hill in delivering earlier this month the 7th Annual Lafayette Lecture in the student center at Fayetteville State University Kramer also drew parallels between the Frenchman’s later resistance to the actual Napoleon to what’s going on in America and across the world right now He showed paintings that illustrated the differences in the two men’s station in life in the 1790s and early 1800s One showed Napoleon being crowned emperor; the other showed Lafayette on his rural estate in France “hanging out with his dog and his daughters in the countryside,” Kramer noted Opinion Anne Smiley: What does MAGA really mean? A return to white privilege. “This is the contrast between a man who refuses to give up his principles to an authoritarian leader,” Kramer said I’m finding new meaning in Lafayette’s career as we think about what we are facing not only in the United States and Europe where there is a surge of authoritarianism.” Kramer’s lecture was hosted by the university’s Black History Scholars Association and the Lafayette Society We learned that the Lafayette that stood up to Napoleon was not the fiery young revolutionary who along with George Washington — who had been like a father to him — and other American patriots had cast off the English crown Lafayette was living quietly in rural LaGrange on property inherited from his wife’s family Opinion Pitts: We should talk more about Lafayette, the abolitionist he had also been on the losing side of the French Revolution during which his property was confiscated and he was imprisoned  It was Napoleon who got him out of prison in 1797 as part of a treaty agreement between France and Austria in the French Revolutionary War “So Lafayette was in a sense indebted to Napoleon,” Kramer said Lafayette gave Napoleon the benefit of the doubt and wrote to Washington that he hoped Bonaparte would eventually turn toward liberty But when Napoleon took a path that eventually led to him declaring himself emperor the former hero of the American revolution could not go along He wrote Napoleon a letter strongly urging a change in course but the most important thing he could do would be to restore freedom Kramer said: “So then he goes on to say it is impossible — he’s trying to butter him up a little bit — it’s impossible that you would actually want such a French revolution with so many victories and so many prodigious events to lead finally to an arbitrary political regime After all we’ve been through to fight for freedom and human rights Lafayette wrote about his letter to Bonaparte in a different letter to his great friend Thomas Jefferson saying that  “to an absolute government I cannot be a friend and I hope I may still quietly remain in my rural independence.” Kramer explained: “He was worried he was going to get arrested and thrown in prison.” the French dictator’s response was … silence Of course Lafayette had no way of knowing how Napoleon would react — unpredictability being another feature authoritarians tend to share in common He had illustrated he was willing to speak truth to power and trade what was effectively a quiet retirement to possibly be jailed — again It shows the marquis was still imbued with the fighting spirit that made him a hero and a fitting namesake for a military town where later fighting heroes would sketch their own names and deeds in world history Kramer at one point during his talk put up a slide of Napoleon where the self-styled emperor was dressed in full regalia “Talk about delusions of grandeur,” the history professor said “Look at that outfit Napoleon’s wearing in this painting — kind of Roman emperor Lafayette recounted how he turned down Napoleon's offer of a seat on the Senate — which by then was just a rubber stamp of Napoleon's actions He was also offered an ambassadorship to America No way," Kramer said Lafayette did not want to offer tacit support to the policies of Napoleon's government Lafayette said he was in a unique situation as a beacon of liberty: “I cannot give in to this man.” Trump trolls with a faux magazine coverThis week the official White House social media account posted a magazine cover made to look like Time Magazine It depicts a painted image of Trump wearing an impish grin Let me put it this way: I hope we still have a few Lafayettes left At the center of the Napoleonic battle of Wagram (1809) along the banks of the Russbach River northeast of Vienna Perhaps my favorite one-volume Napoleon biography is J which was published in 1962 and manages to do justice but in a way that is neither fawning nor dismissive Too many other biographies run to 1000 pages and get lost in the tactics of Waterloo or the language of the code Napoleon (which is better than any laws that will be left behind by the wannabe emperor The achievements of the first two years of Napoleon’s rule seemed stupendous indeed; in the eyes of the general public he appeared a second Augustus who not only restored the world to order and peace but also was proof incarnate that greatness had finally come back to dwell on earth came the flagrant crime and usurpation—the murder of the duc d’Enghien and Napoleon’s coronation as emperor Some thought the murder a trifle or an unfortunate mistake and experienced no shock at usurpation—and tyranny Though the immediate political effects of Napoleon’s action were favorable to him on the whole—after all it secured him the imperial crown—the moral effect was incalculably damaging and the murdered duke’s ghost was to haunt him for the rest of his life I only discovered Herold’s books in the 2000s when I bought of a copy of his biography Mistress to an Age: A Life of Madame de Stael and read his page-turning Bonaparte in Egypt (in which he comments: “Bonaparte [French General Jean-Baptiste] Kléber once remarked was the kind of general who needed a monthly income of ten thousand men.”) I was surprised that I had not before known his name or work and when I looked at the flyleaf of one of his books Christopher Herold was born in Czechoslovakia and educated in Geneva before taking American citizenship He was a cosmopolitan qualified to write about an era [during and after the French revolution] which affected the world and left a lasting imprint on history.” He died at age 44 in 1964 I later looked up his obituary in the New York Times and it read: “He was born in Czechoslovakia of Austrian parents….Mr served with Army intelligence in World War II….After the war he joined the Columbia University Press as assistant editor and he later said that he ‘rewrote some 10 million articles’ for the Columbia Encyclopedia.” I still wonder if maybe the “10 million articles” was a misprint but I take their point that he was the right person at the right time to write fluently about the age of Napoleon Given his great skill at deconstructing pomposity with language that sings I am sorry Herold didn’t live long enough to write up a life of Trump Perhaps one of the reasons The Age of Napoleon works so well in capturing both the emperor’s brilliance and his fatal flaws is that it came after Herold’s earlier prize-winning biography of Germaine de Stael the daughter of financier Jacques Necker who after Napoleon came to power was exiled to Coppet she waged a one-woman campaign to remove Napoleon from power Herold writes: “To Madame de Stael Napoleon was the embodiment of egoism a cynical opportunist whose sole principle was self-aggrandizement a foreigner who raised himself to power by trampling on French liberty and who maintained himself in power by gambling and even God were mere tools to be manipulated.” (Imagine what she would have to say about Trump.) but these flirtations came to nothing with hard-hearted Napoleon who famously asked: “What does this woman want?” Once Napoleon’s imperial stripes became clear—this was after he had crowned himself emperor and conquered most of Europe save for Britain—de Stael wanted to return to the France of the idealistic phase of the Revolution but as a Protestant she distrusted the Roman Church and as a liberal she distrusted Bonaparte which she called a “hospital for defeated parties,” she united all shades of the opposition to the consular regime as well as some of the most prominent members of Bonaparte’s administration “At the time of the Concordat,” Napoleon reminisced at St “she suddenly united the aristocrats and the republicans against me ‘You have not a moment to waste,’ she cried to them ‘Tomorrow the tyrant will have 40,000 priests at his command.’” Even though Herold’s biography is that of the age more than an account of Napoleon’s life he does well setting Napoleon’s military ventures within the larger context of European politics and he writes in a style that dances with grace and wit In the run up (spring 1809) to the battles of Aspern and Wagram (where I was now having a picnic off my bike) Herold writes that many of Napoleon’s opponents lacked the cohesion of the attacking French It was in the name of the German people that Emperor Francis made war on Napoleon yet the larger part of the population of his empire was not German but Czech It was not out of patriotism but out of loyalty to their monarch that his non-German soldiers fought in his cause a large part of Napoleon’s army consisted of German units The German peoples were still far from united; it took Napoleon four more years to unite them against himself I also think Herold does concise justice to the battle of Aspern-Essling after ordering part of his forces to cross the Danube on a single bridge Napoleon attacked the far superior army of Archduke Charles The Battle of Aspern and Essling raged for two days Both sides fought with desperate determination—the French because their retreat across the Danube was threatened the Austrians because they saw a chance to annihilate Napoleon’s army Napoleon managed to extricate himself after losing nineteen thousand men in casualties among them Marshal Lannes; the Austrian army had suffered even heavier casualties—more than twenty-four thousand—and was unable to pursue its advantage the battle was a stalemate; Napoleon had been repulsed but not defeated he had never come so close to being completely routed To restore his reputation of invincibility a “thunder clap” like that of Austerlitz was necessary In the peace treaty that followed—that of Schönbrunn [a Vienna palace and summer residence of the Habsburgs]—Napoleon did his best to suppress any further ideas of a Russian-Prussian-Austrian coalition rising against him although that’s precisely what happened to him after his invasion failed Even though at Wagram the museum was closed I found much to do and see in the surrounding landscape There were memorials to inspect in town and along the banks of the small Russbach River (essentially the front line in the battle) and I spread out my picnic on a table that overlooked one of the river crossings used in the fighting Herold writes: “The Austrian position was centered in the village of Wagram The main attack on that position began shortly after sunrise on July 6 and reached its climax when Napoleon ordered a battery of one hundred guns to concentrate its fire on the Austrian columns while [General] Davout battered the Austrian left wing and Massena the Austrian right Napoleon sent a compact column of thirty thousand infantry and six thousand horse against the enemy center.” There (near my picnic table) Napoleon broke the Austrian center and won the battle but in another sense Wagram marked an evolution in Napoleon’s tactics that would not serve him well at Leipzig [1815] or Waterloo [1815]—namely in headlong charges straight into the enemy’s guns Gone were the brilliant flanking movements In their place Napoleon became a World War I general all that his Wagram victory brought to him was a second wife who was the daughter of Emperor Francis II and the great-niece of Marie Antoinette thus marrying Napoleon into several European royal families although clearly she was the love of his life Napoleon once confided to General Henri Bertrand that he had married Josephine because he thought she had money because Josephine Beauharnais married General Bonaparte in the belief that he could pay her debts.”) You wonder who Trump will marry to pay down his own debts: Elon Musk This is the fifth part in a series about riding night trains across Europe and the Near East to Armenia — to spend some time in worlds beyond the pathological obsessions of President-elect Donald Trump. (This week the Trump Rackets and Extortion Ring shook $15 million in protection money loose from ABC News and sued the Des Moines Register for not kissing Trump’s pinky ring in the polling run-up to the 2024 election.) Open navigationClose navigationHome All the major chapters in the American story from Indigenous beginnings to the present day History from countries and communities across the globe On June 28, 1940, Adolf Hitler surveys notable sites in the French capital Napoleon and Hitler were among those who hailed from outside the countries they ultimately ruled. By: Jesse Greenspan Hitler ordered that the remains of Napoleon’s son be moved from Vienna to lie beside his father Hitler would gush about Paris for months afterward. He was so impressed, he ordered architect and friend Albert Speer to revive plans for a massive construction program of new public buildings in Berlin, an attempt to destroy Paris, not with bombs, but with superior architecture. “Wasn’t Paris beautiful?” Hitler asked Speer. “But Berlin must be far more beautiful. [W]hen we are finished in Berlin, Paris will only be a shadow.” Adolf Hitler commissioned his engineers to build a domed structure to serve as the center of the new German Capital, Germania. Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on June 28th Charles I of Spain, who by birth already held sway over much of Europe and Spanish America, is chosen as the successor of his late grandfather, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. Charles, who was also the grandson of Ferdinand II and Isabella of Spain, had bribed the princes of Germany to vote for him, defeating […] On June 28, 1836, James Madison, drafter of the Constitution, recorder of the Constitutional Convention, author of the “Federalist Papers” and fourth president of the United States, dies on his tobacco plantation in Virginia. Madison first distinguished himself as a student at the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), where he successfully completed a […] On June 28, 1904, Helen Keller—deaf and blind since an illness at just 19 months old—graduates cum laude from Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Keller becomes the first DeafBlind person to earn a bachelor’s degree. According to an article the next day in The Boston Herald, Keller earned enthusiastic applause at the commencement exercises held […] Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie are shot to death by a Bosnian Serb nationalist during an official visit to the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo on June 28, 1914. The killings sparked a chain of events that led to the outbreak of World War I by early August.  The archduke traveled to Sarajevo in […] 1940 On June 28, 1940, General Charles de Gaulle, having set up headquarters in England upon the establishment of a puppet government in his native France, is recognized by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill as the leader of the Free French Forces, dedicated to the defeat of Germany and the liberation of all France. Churchill would […] In the first major offensive ordered for U.S. forces in Vietnam, 3,000 troops of the 173rd Airborne Brigade—in conjunction with 800 Australian soldiers and a Vietnamese airborne unit—assault a jungle area known as Viet Cong Zone D, 20 miles northeast of Saigon. The operation was called off after three days when it failed to make […] In what is now regarded as history’s first major protest on behalf of equal rights for LGBTQ people, a police raid of the Stonewall Inn—a popular gay club located on New York City's Christopher Street—turns violent as patrons and local sympathizers begin rioting against the police. 1972 President Nixon announces that no more draftees will be sent to Vietnam unless they volunteer for such duty. He also announced that a force of 10,000 troops would be withdrawn by September 1, which would leave a total of 39,000 in Vietnam. Two of the strongest earthquakes ever to hit California strike the desert area east of Los Angeles on June 28, 1992. Although the state sits upon the immense San Andreas fault line, relatively few major earthquakes have hit California in modern times. Two of the strongest, but not the deadliest, hit southern California on a […] On June 28, 1997, Mike Tyson bites Evander Holyfield’s ear in the third round of their heavyweight rematch. The attack led to his disqualification from the match and suspension from boxing, and was the strangest chapter yet in the champion’s roller-coaster career. Mike Tyson enjoyed a rapid rise to stardom. In 1986 he became the […] After a flurry of rumors, DaimlerChrysler chairman Dieter Zetsche announces on June 28, 2006 that the company’s urban-focused Smart brand—already popular in Europe—will come to the U.S. in early 2008. Smart—an acronym for Swatch Mercedes ART—began as a joint venture between Swatch, the company known for its colorful and trendy plastic watches, and the German […] On June 28, 2007, the United States removes one of its most commonly-used national symbols from its List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. The de-listing of the bald eagle, which had been close to vanishing from North America around the middle of the 20th century, was one of the most notable wildlife rehabilitation efforts in […] Learn why the holiday is so significant in Russia—and what distinguishes it from V-E Day. While the war raged overseas, soldiers and civilians worked furiously to protect the capital against rising waters. Many Allied bombings released the equivalent energy of 300 lightning strikes and temporarily weakened the ionosphere, say researchers. The Los Alamos Historical Museum halted a Japanese exhibition on the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki because of a controversy over its message of abolishing nuclear weapons. We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate Uncover fascinating moments from the past every day Learn something new with key events in history from the American Revolution to pop culture you agree to receive emails from HISTORY and A+E Global Media You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States Apple Original Films announced today that Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon: The Director’s Cut,” featuring 48 minutes of new never-before-seen footage from the Academy Award-nominated historical action epic is now available to stream globally on Apple TV+ and the film was recognized with three Academy Award nominations for Best Visual Effects Best Production Design and Best Costume Design The film also received BAFTA Award nominations for Outstanding British Film Best Make Up & Hair and Best Special Visual Effects “Napoleon: The Director’s Cut” stars Joaquin Phoenix as the French emperor and military leader The film is a fresh and personal look at Napoleon’s origins and swift viewed through the prism of his addictive and often volatile relationship with his wife and one true love The director’s cut delves deeper into Josephine’s origin story and features more extravagant costumes new larger-than-life sets and the previously unreleased Battle of Marengo scene The audience is also given more details about Napoleon’s demise from his attempted assassination to his failed invasion of Russia An Apple Studios production in conjunction with Scott Free Productions “Napoleon: The Director’s Cut” is directed and produced by Scott with Michael Pruss and Aidan Elliott serving as executive producers Momentum around the Apple Original Films slate continues to grow since the debut of Apple TV+ four years ago In addition to Apple making history as the first streaming service to land the Academy Award for Best Picture with “CODA,” the Apple Original Film “The Boy the Fox and the Horse” also earned the Academy Award for Best Animated Short and “Killers of the Flower Moon” landed 10 historic Oscar nominations Apple Original Films recently released “The Instigators,” a heist-gone-wrong film starring Matt Damon and Casey Affleck from director Doug Liman Highly anticipated Apple Original Films include “F1” starring Brad Pitt from director Joseph Kosinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer; “Wolfs,” the upcoming Jon Watts thriller starring and produced by Academy Award winners George Clooney and Brad Pitt; “Blitz,” from Academy Award-winning filmmaker Steve McQueen premiering globally on November 22; and more Apple TV+ is available on the Apple TV app in over 100 countries and regions, on over 1 billion screens, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro, Mac, popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL and others, Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, Chromecast with Google TV, PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles, and at tv.apple.com for $9.99 per month with a seven-day free trial for new subscribers customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone Mac or iPod touch can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free.* You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed Mandy Taheri is a Newsweek reporter based in Brooklyn You can get in touch with Mandy via email: m.taheri@newsweek.com either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content President Donald Trump's post on Truth Social on Saturday afternoon led some critics to compare his words to authoritarian French ruler Napoleon Bonaparte and label him a "dictator." Newsweek has reached out to the White House for comment via email on Saturday Since taking office on January 20, Trump has enacted a slew of broad reforms through executive actions. Some Democrats and Trump critics have warned of a looming "constitutional crisis," accusing Trump of overstepping presidential authority and disregarding legal constraints Recent commentary from the White House, Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk on the judiciary and the rule of law has raised concerns among some critics of Trump with fears that the president is overextending his power some critics warned of the possibility that Trump could undermine American democracy Trump wrote in a short social media post on Truth Social "He who saves his Country does not violate any Law." The quote has often been attributed to Bonaparte although there is no official verification of this Bonaparte rose to prominence during the French Revolution after leading a series of military campaigns across Italy and elsewhere It is unclear what Trump was posting the statement in response to has been hit with a flurry of lawsuits regarding federal firings and restructuring When asked earlier this week if he would comply with court orders that blocked his policy agenda "The answer is I always abide by the courts The White House, Vance, and Musk have made a series of comments that have concerned some critics such as Vance's February 9 social media post that read: "Judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power." Musk has publicly expressed anger over some court rulings and on Wednesday called for a "wave of judicial impeachments Trump had said in a "joking manner" he could be a "dictator" on his first day in office He was referring to his plans to close the U.S.-Mexico border and expand domestic oil drilling We're closing the border and we're drilling an anti-Trump influencer with 1 million followers on X wrote Saturday: "This is literally a quote attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte—right before he orchestrated a coup and crowned himself Emperor in defiance of democracy He even reintroduced slavery into the French colonies This isn't just history—it's a warning wrote on X Saturday: "This is a quote from Napoleon describing how he ended democracy in France." wrote in a Saturday X post: "This is a quote often attributed to Napoleon wrote in a Saturday X post: "Libs: Trump is a lawless dictator Conservatives: The libs are being hysterical Trump: I believe I should be a dictator who is above the law White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday: "Many outlets in this room have been fear-mongering people into believing there is a constitutional crisis taking place here at the White House I've been hearing those words a lot lately the real constitutional crisis is taking place within our judicial branch where district court judges in liberal districts across the country are abusing their power to unilaterally lock President Trump's basic executive authority." The X account "Republicans against Trump" wrote on Saturday: "Remember when they called us hysterical for correctly pointing out that Donald Trump is a corrupt un-American wannabe dictator who doesn't believe in the Constitution or the rule of law?!" Trump is expected to face a slew of legal challenges to several executive actions He has previously said he will abide by the law Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground Newsweek is committed to journalism that's factual and fair Hold us accountable and submit your rating of this article on the meter. Newsletters in your inbox See all the source of my partner’s Rex Kwon Do costume—on any day of the year and the four strangers from North Carolina Filmmaker Jared Hess graduated from Preston High School in 1997 and returned to his hometown a few years later to shoot Napoleon Dynamite Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year the 2004 movie focuses on the titular character (played by Jon Heder) atypical high schooler with typical troubles a romantic interest in part-time glamour photographer Deb and a new bestie with lofty dreams of becoming class president an overweight llama living in his backyard CBS Photo Archive/CBS/Getty ImagesNapoleon Dynamite shouldn’t have been a hit Hess filmed the movie in 22 days on a $400,000 budget the equivalent of lunch money in Hollywood and “heck” was the dirtiest word written in the script A worldwide box office gross of $46 million says otherwise Quotable dialogue and warmly hopeless characters rocketed Napoleon Dynamite to success and cult status amongst movie fans I was able to convince my now-fiancé to visit its filming locations in Preston the very first time I visited him in the US I just had to see where this movie that defined my teenage years was made I flew in from England with nothing but hand luggage had crafted an unbelievably accurate Rex Kwon Do outfit When I saw how much effort he’d put into dressing up as Napoleon Dynamite’s dojo owner I vowed to marry this nerd one day—then hopped onto Depop and expedited a musty second-hand “Vote for Pedro” T-shirt Photo by Rebecca SharpWe drove two hours north from my partner’s home in the Salt Lake Valley and across the Utah-Idaho border the Wasatch Mountains leveled out and transformed into a patchwork of lush green potato fields billboards slipped behind us and we arrived in Preston I had rewatched the movie a few weeks before our trip and noted down any must-visit filming locations From what I could tell on Google Street View sweet and sleepy Preston hadn’t changed much in 20 years We parked on State Street to explore the first chunk of locations and my suspicions were confirmed Preston High School’s lockers are still painted in the same vibrant colors from the film Napoleon’s beloved yellow tetherball pole still stands in the Pioneer Elementary School playground And the character’s groovy flared russet suit probably did come from Deseret Industries Photo by Rebecca SharpNext door is Olive + Jo a gift boutique that owner and Preston local Kimberly Cannon relocated to its current address three years ago While she mostly sells cute accessories and homeware items she also stocks Napoleon Dynamite-themed T-shirts “I decided to hang a ‘Vote For Pedro’ T-shirt in my shop window,” Cannon explained “That was the moment I realized I was on to something I don’t think anyone local to Preston really knew how many people drive up for the sole purpose of visiting the Napoleon Dynamite movie sites.” “I put a US map up in my store and asked visitors to pin where they are from I have 47 states pinned and seven international countries including Iceland Olive + Jo isn’t the only business that has kept the Napoleon Dynamite spirit alive for two decades a writer at Salt Lake City’s SLUG Magazine “Gas stations are stockpiled with “Vote For Pedro” shirts and DVD copies of the movie Even some of the locations like restaurants and stores will have signs that say something like ‘As seen in Napoleon Dynamite.’ Even though I think some of the locals hate that reputation of the movie being their only claim to fame Photo courtesy of Preston Area Chamber of CommerceCannon had also heard there were “mixed feelings” among Preston natives when the movie was initially released but said that it seems like the locals have come to embrace it over the years the self-described “huge fan” of Napoleon Dynamite said “I do believe it is representative of rural small town Preston It’s fitting, then, that Cannon’s store recently became the headquarters for Napoleon Fest a town-wide event that took place on July 26th - 27th 2024 to celebrate the film’s 20th anniversary The festival’s many fun activities included dance workshops and a visit from an actual llama called Tater Tot In Napoleon Fest’s first iteration back in 2005 as many as 3,000 people attended—including Barnhart Photo courtesy of Preston Area Chamber of Commerce“Back then it felt like the whole town of Preston was getting involved,” said Barnhart Comparing the initial event to this year’s Napoleon Fest he said it was clear that interest in celebrating the movie had waned over the past few decades But it certainly hadn’t gone away altogether Preston’s residents demonstrated a fondness for the film and the characters that had to some degree become part of their daily lives One lady gleefully approached my partner and me as we explored the downtown locations in costume Photo by Rebecca SharpAnd my partner and I weren’t the only out-of-towners still hanging onto a love for the film we drove north to Napoleon Dynamite’s house an SUV rolled up the otherwise deserted lane and parked behind us and brother Kip—a group of movie fans who had made the trip from North Carolina and chatted about the serendipity of our meeting It was Preston’s eternal lure for Napoleon Dynamite fans We drove back through Preston on our return to Utah passing Olive + Jo with its “Vote for Pedro” T-shirt hanging in the window those shirts would be crumpled in a cardboard box alongside Breaking Bad’s “Los Pollos Hermanos” shirts and other pop culture references from the 2000s Napoleon Dynamite is still relevant and a sweet source of community pride We may receive a commission on purchases made from links it's a brutally honest dramedy like "The Edge of Seventeen." But for me there's only one film that really captures what my time was like as a non-Mormon attending a predominantly Mormon high school in a small Utah town in the early 2000s writer/director Jared Hess' 2004 cult hit takes place in the filmmaker's hometown of Preston let's just say that if you know anything about small-town Utah and Idaho Mormon culture then you know they weren't exactly worlds apart when the film was made I was fortunate enough to have graduated from high school literal weeks before "Napoleon Dynamite" arrived which spared me from having to listen to my classmates constantly yell "Your mom goes to college!" and "Idiot!" at one another or go around wearing "Vote for Pedro" t-shirts the students at my high school ate the film up in the years right after I'd left.) By the time I sat down and properly watched the movie sometime later I had enough distance from my teen years to be more amused than mortified by how much Napoleon's world looks and feels like the one I knew in my adolescence I can only imagine that watching a sequel would be tantamount to attending a high school reunion (except I would actually be morbidly curious enough to do the former) this seems like as fitting time as any for "Napoleon Dynamite 2" to finally happen "Napoleon Dynamite" was a key entry in the "quirky" indie scene of the aughts along with movies like "Garden State" and "Little Miss Sunshine." These films tended to share many of the same qualities from their focus on specific small-town cultures to their peculiar styles of comedy and overly idiosyncratic characters Jared Hess would carry this general approach over to his subsequent work on films like "Nacho Libre," "Gentleman Broncos," and "Masterminds" over a decade after scoring his breakout success and well after the larger indie-quirk movement had fallen out of fashion This is also part of why Hess' films have seen increasingly diminishing returns since "Nacho Libre," both financially and in terms of their critical appraisal actor Jon Heder (who collaborated with Hess on the black-and-white short film that inspired "Napoleon Dynamite," "Peluca," while they were in college) he briefly enjoyed a period of success playing "Napoleon types" in comedies like "The Benchwarmers" and "Blades of Glory" in the '00s Heder would eventually reprise his career-making role in the exceptionally short-lived "Napoleon Dynamite" animated series which only aired six episodes in 2012 before being pulled by Fox Heder took to the art of voice acting and has since carved out a nice career lending his vocals to a wide variety of cartoon series (ranging from "The Legend of Korra" to "Star vs the Forces of Evil" and "Pickle and Peanut") what I'm getting at is that there wasn't much demand for more "Napoleon Dynamite" until somewhat recently But with the film's 20th year anniversary happening in 2024 so perhaps we'll see Napoleon's flippin' sweet dance moves soon enough Despite being the brainchild of two guys who went to Bringham Young University, "Napoleon Dynamite" isn't actually a Mormon film. That said, it is the type of family-friendly film that most of the Mormons I went to high school with would've felt comfortable watching which also makes it the kind of movie that more religiously conservative parents would feel comfortable showing their kids "There's no expletives, there's no cussing [...] so this is a film that grandparents introduce their grandchildren to; families can sit together and watch and enjoy [it]," as Pedro actor Efren Ramirez noted in a 2022 interview with Canton Repository commenting on the film's enduring popularity Ramirez also teased the possibility of "Napoleon Dynamite 2" during the interview: there were talks about doing a prequel and doing a sequel [...] and I don't think we're in that stage of having to do a prequel anymore and it's got to continue on like what would actually happen." Notably, when asked if a sequel was more or less likely to happen, Ramirez dodged the question. "Um, uh, legally, all I can say is it is up in the air," he laughingly replied. Then in 2024 — a year in which the "Napoleon Dynamite" cast went on tour to celebrate the film — Ramirez gave a similar statement, telling ComicBook.com During a January 2023 appearance at Steel City Con "I don't think the book of Napoleon is closed forever I honestly think there's gonna be something — whether it's a sequel It's worth recalling that "Napoleon Dynamite" was released theatrically by Fox Searchlight Pictures which means it now falls under the Disney umbrella — and "we know how Disney feels about cashing in on everything that's ever been made," as Jon Heder put it during his Steel City Con appearance But where the original film was very light-hearted Heder feels a follow-up about a middle-aged Napoleon would have to start out in a darker place "Part of the charm of Napoleon is the innocence of youth they don't have any real responsibility or accountability too much Napoleon today would be: he's entered the workforce he's paying for maybe one or two alimonies By pure coincidence (or is it?), Efren Ramirez also pitched a version of "Napoleon Dynamite 2" where Napoleon begins in a bad place during his interview with Canton Repository While Ramirez envisioned Pedro himself as being a happily married family man with an eye on running for city councilman he suspected Napoleon "is probably dealing with certain kinds of struggles as well as his uncle and a few other (people) who are trying to help Napoleon and their kids try to acclimate themselves into a better way of life." Truth be told, when you put Heder and Ramirez's comments together, their idea for "Napoleon Dynamite 2" sounds a lot like the mostly excellent "Bill and Ted Face the Music," itself a rare exception to the rule that legacy comedy sequels tend to be pretty terrible don't make me talk myself into wanting to actually see this thing Now that we've firmly established that Jon Heder and Efren Ramirez are all-in for "Napoleon Dynamite 2," what about the rest of the original film's actors Many of them previously reprised their roles for the animated series including Tina Majorino (Napoleon's romantic-y interest Deborah "Deb" Bradshaw) Aaron Ruell as Napoleon's brother Kipland or "Kip," Jon Gries as Napoleon and Kip's uncle Rico Sandy Martin as Napoleon and Kip's grandmother Carlinda and Diedrich Bader as Taekwondo instructor Rex one assumes they would be game to show up in a sequel by Johnny Yu Napoleon Bonaparte returns as a leader in Civilization 7 and is playable as soon as the game releases on Tuesday which is a modified version of a leaders that have unique outfits Linking your account can also give you other bonuses — such as an additional Persona if you’ve played Civilization 6, and the ability to use cross-platform multiplayer and cross saves. Here’s how to link your 2K account and unlock Napoleon Bonaparte and his Personas in Civilization 7. By linking your 2K account to Civilization 7, you’ll earn Napoleon Bonaparte along with his Emperor Persona. To link your 2K account to Civilization 7, follow these steps: Napoleon’s Emperor Persona specializes in commerce and military might, and features the unique ability, “Empereur des Français.” This ability allows you to reduce the Trade Route capacity for a target civilization. Additionally, if you’ve played both Civilization 6 and Civilization 7 on the same linked 2K account, you’ll receive Napoleon Bonaparte along with his Revolutionary Persona. Napoleon’s Revolutionary Persona specializes in culture and military might, and features the unique ability, “La Grande Armée.” This ability gives all army commanders extra movement and grants culture each time he defeats an enemy unit. The best of Polygon in your inbox, every Friday. Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Trump’s allies and Elon Musk are attacking checks and balances with threats to the courts I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Donald Trump appeared to quote Napoleon Bonaparte by way of Rod Steiger on Saturday afternoon after his blitzkrieg of executive actions and threats to federal agencies under Elon Musk were challenged in courts across the country raising alarms that his administration is preparing to shred court orders and ignite a constitutional crisis “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,” the president wrote on Truth Social and X The official White House account on X also shared the message, endorsing his apparent belief that the president of the United States is incapable of breaking any law The president — whose efforts to gut federal funding, fire thousands of aid workers and unilaterally redefine the 14th Amendment were blocked in federal courts across the country in recent days — invoked a quote often attributed to Napoleon who justified his despotic regime as the will of the people of France The quote from a president with his own imperial ambitions appeared to come from the 1970 film Waterloo in which Steiger’s Napoleon states that he “did not ‘usurp’ the crown.” and it was the people … who put it on my head,” he says Within his first month in office, Trump’s allies have baselessly argued Trump’s supreme authority as president, immune from checks and balances, as his executive orders and Musk’s access to the levers of government face an avalanche of lawsuits and restraining orders Musk and other members of the Trump administration have smeared the judges who have ruled against them as “corrupt” and “evil” and threatened to impeach and remove them from the bench The world’s wealthiest man and his allies have repeated false and inflated claims about how the three branches of government operate and how a system of checks and balances is designed to prevent the presidency from accumulating supreme authority Their comments are raising alarms among constitutional scholars and legal analysts for an impending constitutional crisis — which the White House blames on the judges not the president’s spurious legal actions and the administration’s baseless insistence that he should not be subject to checks and balances in the courts routinely conflated the criminal and civil cases against him with an attack on the American people and rule of law itself during his campaign The Supreme Court’s 2024 ruling affirming a president’s “immunity” from criminal prosecution for actions tied to official duties while in office has only fueled what he perceives is a permanent shield from oversight The New York Times’s Jamelle Bouie called Trump’s latest statement “the single most un-American and anti-constitutional statement ever uttered by an American president.” “We're getting into real Führerprinzip territory here,” added conservative Trump critic Bill Kristol referencing executive authority under Nazi Germany Musk’s ongoing campaign to delegitimize the courts followed Vice President JD Vance’s claim that “judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.” This week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt accused the “media” of “fear mongering” about an impending constitutional crisis. “The real constitutional crisis is taking place within our judicial branch where district court judges in liberal districts are abusing their power,” she told reporters on Wednesday. She falsely claimed that court-ordered injunctions against the administration have “no basis in the law.” “We will comply with these orders but it is also the administration's position that we will ultimately be vindicated,” she said. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies govt and politics/government"},{"score":0.921461,"label":"/law govt and politics/government/courts and judiciary"},{"score":0.879231,"label":"/law The Local Europe ABVästmannagatan 43113 25 StockholmSweden First of all he would have said it in French despite this not actually being his first language (Napoleon grew up on the island of Corsica which was only ceded to France in the year of his birth He grew up speaking the Corsican dialect of Italian and only learned French when he moved to the mainland at the age of around 10 He reportedly retained a Corsican accent all his life and had difficulty with French spelling) The most commonly cited French version of the quote is Celui qui sauve sa patrie ne viole aucune loi - He who saves his country Napoleon was a quotable kind of guy - bon mots attributed to him include 'never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake' 'history is a set of lies agreed upon' and 'impossible is not French' However several of 'his' most famous sayings have been disputed or at least have a slightly different sense when placed within their historical context The 'who saves his country is above the law' phrase first appeared in the book Maximes et pensées de Napoléon (Napoleon's mottos and thoughts) by the writer Honoré de Balzac although he was apparently in correspondence with Napoleon's niece after the emperor's death - the writer and the emperor were contemporaries but never met The book falls some way short of being a ringing endorsement of Napoleon with the book blurb noting that many of the emperor's sayings "appear Machiavellian cruel and false" and that the book is "above all the code of threatened powers" adding that despite this If we can't say for certain whether Napoleon actually said this it's probably hung around because it does fit with his known philosophy on several topics and some of his better sourced quotes on government and democracy Napoleon had quite a journey - he began as a supporter of the Revolution who was invited to take power and created a legal code (the Code Napoléon) that forms the basis of much of modern France's system of law and administration However he then declared himself emperor for life became an absolute ruler and began parachuting his family and friends into key positions (such as making his brother Joseph King of Spain) It's for this reason he has a complicated legacy in modern France - while many people admire his long-lasting legacy in things like the creation of the lycée schooling system the legal code and public exams to enter the civil service (to name just a few) on the other side of the coin there is the relentless wars the riding roughshod over democracy and the reintroduction of slavery READ ALSO Hero or villain - Why France is divided over Napoleon It's not one of Napoleon's better known ones Of all the things that he is supposed to have said 'impossible is not French' is the one that resonates the most being repacked as a political slogan and advertising campaign several times Describing oneself as above the law is unlikely to be picked as a motto by most modern French politicians Perhaps the best-known modern fan of the phrase is the Norwegian neo-Nazi terrorist Anders Behring Breivik He quoted it in the 3,000 page manifesto that he created before killing 69 people at a youth camp on the island of Utoya in 2011 Napoleon may have considered himself above the law but that does not mean that he escaped the consequences of his actions He was eventually defeated in battle and forced to abdicate then exiled to the Mediterranean island of Elba but was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo by a combined European force this time to the remote island of Saint Helena in the south Atlantic Please log in here to leave a comment Posted by | Mar 11, 2025 | , , Often attributed to Mark Twain — perhaps mistakenly since no historical source shows he actually made the statement — “History doesn’t repeat itself but it often rhymes” is a common and apt refrain when discussing the connection between historical perspectives and current events By drawing on knowledge of what happened in the past we are better able to understand the flow and direction of the history collectively created in each new day “Past Rhymes With Present Times” is a series by Lloyd S Kramer exploring historical context and frameworks and how the foundations of the past affect the building of the future The most popular Frenchman in the American Revolution and throughout our nation’s later history was Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette (1757-1834), whom Americans are honoring this year at special events to commemorate the 200th anniversary of his celebrated return to the United States in 1824-25 Famous foreigners have often attracted large American crowds but neither the Beatles nor the Rolling Stones nor Winston Churchill could ever match the popular response that Lafayette elicited from the vast throngs who welcomed him to each of America’s 24 states between August 1824 and September 1825 A re-enactment of Lafayette’s visit to Fayetteville on March 4-5 at a celebration event held on the same days in 2025 Hailed as the “Nation’s Guest” during parades and parties in every city he visited Lafayette addressed a joint session of the US Congress toured Revolutionary War battlefields with military veterans and greeted countless government officials and “common people” of all races and generations who wanted to shake his hand You may be so focused on recent political upheavals or on the problems of daily life that you’ve missed the bicentennial “Lafayette parties” which have attracted celebrating crowds since last August in New England The celebrations also came to North Carolina this month in Halifax and Raleigh but the recent reenactment of Lafayette’s visit and “Farewell Tour Ball” in Fayetteville on March 4-5 (the dates he stopped there in 1825) may have drawn the most enthusiastic celebrants–perhaps because in 1783 our state’s General Assembly designated Fayetteville as the first American town to carry Lafayette’s name North Carolina was thus on the leading edge of a “civic identity” movement that ultimately gave Lafayette’s name to more than 90 American towns No other foreigner has been honored with so many place names or with so many similar recognitions in “Lafayette” streets and schools across the whole United States Why have Americans named their towns or streets for Lafayette and why are they still celebrating his life and ideas in 2025 These questions lead us back to Lafayette’s actions during the Age of Revolutions in America and France but the bicentennial celebrations of his nineteenth-century tour also remind us that his political ideas and courage challenge the current authoritarian assault on the institutions that sustain American democracy Lafayette’s commitment to universal human rights his respectful engagement with Native Americans his support for the constitutional rule of law and his firm resistance to Napoleon Bonaparte’s authoritarian regime make him a still-relevant “hero in two worlds.” In other words Lafayette should be remembered wherever people are looking for historical allies in their struggles against the most self-obsessed anti-Constitutional president in American history The people of Fayetteville therefore have good reasons to celebrate the man for whom their city is named Coming from France at age 19 to join the American Revolution in 1777 Lafayette gained the trust and affection of George Washington helped to mediate the transatlantic alliance that brought a French army into the war and led American troops in the Virginia Campaign that trapped British forces at Yorktown for the decisive French-American military victory in 1781 Americans appreciated Lafayette’s freely given service to their revolutionary war and his shared belief that all human beings are endowed with certain “unalienable rights,” but they also admired the unpretentious personal style that made him a good listener rather than an arrogant European Marquis Lafayette returned to France in the 1780s and became an active abolitionist opponent of both the slave trade and slave-based economic systems He also became a leader of the French Revolution in 1789 when he introduced the first proposal for a “Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen” and served as the first commander of the Parisian National Guard enraged Right-wing royalists as well as Left-wing critics of kingship and forced Lafayette to flee to the Netherlands where he was captured by Austrian troops and dispatched to an isolated prison in Moravia Although Napoleon Bonaparte eventually negotiated Lafayette’s release from a five-year imprisonment and allowed him to live again in France he soon turned firmly against Napoleon’s despotic governmental policies Lafayette became a “Never Bonapartist.” Napoleon and his obedient ministers tried to recruit Lafayette into a Conservative Senate that gave Napoleon a façade of public support by dutifully approving his self-serving But Lafayette refused this offer and another proposal for him to serve as French ambassador to the United States choosing instead to remain isolated at a country chateau called La Grange Lafayette’s letters to American friends complained that Napoleon rejected the ideas and constitutional systems he had fought to establish in both America and France “The Rights of Men Have Become in the old World Quite Unfashionable,” Lafayette explained to Thomas Jefferson in one of his early critiques of Bonaparte’s self-aggrandizing methods of government When Napoleon claimed that national plebiscites had given him a mandate to be crowned the emperor of France Lafayette expanded his critique: “I am willing to be prudent but not to be an Apostate,” he wrote in another letter to Jefferson but “to an absolute Government I could not be a Friend.” Surveying the damage of Napoleon’s autocratic actions Lafayette lamented that “I feel an almost insurmountable disgust.” Although he traveled through American towns while the supporters of John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson waged a bitter presidential campaign Lafayette avoided the polarizing political anger by praising America’s exceptional success in winning its revolutionary war and in establishing its constitutional system to protect freedom through the rule of law (except for the immoral contradictions of slavery and Native American displacements) he noted during a typical speech at Independence Hall in Philadelphia Americans had launched “the era of a new and of the only true social order founded on the unalienable rights of man.” These principles had brought “happiness and prosperity” to America as Lafayette also emphasized in other speeches that confirmed the early nationalist belief in American exceptionalism The constitutional basis of American laws and freedoms provided stark political alternatives to the self-referential authoritarianism that Lafayette had seen in Napoleonic France The stream of provocative messages from the Trump administration can drown even the most detached American reader but Trump’s Napoleonic-style declaration on his social media platform in February carried the usual provocations into the most explicit autocratic claim: “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.”  The quotation was drawn from a movie (Waterloo with Rod Steiger playing Napoleon) rather than from a verified Napoleonic statement yet the Bonapartist ghost has clearly entered Trumpism’s real-world ambitions America’s current presidential administration suppresses government agencies it doesn’t like removes people who challenge the leader’s policies and ignores legislative or legal constraints on the autocratic uses of state power This “Napoleonic moment” in the United States may therefore generate new appreciation for Lafayette’s resistance to Bonaparte’s despotism Lafayette noted in a memoir about Napoleon and the emperor’s sycophantic ministers that he might have accepted a government position “if the regime had been more open to the principles of liberty and the interests of my country… But I was not able to approve of an arbitrary government or associate myself with it.” He also wrote a courageous letter to Napoleon himself to assert that he could only affiliate with governing systems that were based “on principles and on actions I have supported throughout my entire life.” Such principled opposition must have seemed strange to a self-serving autocratic leader who focused on his own power Napoleon never responded to this defiant letter but the silence did not surprise Lafayette As he wrote in another critique of Napoleon’s self-obsessed actions “the more he advanced in his catastrophic conduct the more this rupture became inevitable… [because] the creed of liberty should be preserved unequivocally.” Each authoritarian leader emerges from different historical contexts and pursues different self-serving policies to consolidate autocratic power always requires the acquiescence of cautious people as well as the disruptive actions of aggressive autocrats Most would-be critics of authoritarianism gradually accept the new policies and the ideological propaganda that justifies them or they fearfully withdraw into the silence of internal exile These familiar patterns of public silence show why Lafayette’s lifelong actions exemplify enduring alternatives to passivity for anyone who supports national struggles (as in Ukraine) against imperialist invaders and defends democratic institutions against modern authoritarianism When American troops went to France in 1917 to fight a war against Germany that was to “make the world safe for democracy,” General John J Pershing announced at Lafayette’s Parisian gravesite that Americans had come to repay his unflinching service to their own nation’s struggle for political freedom and constitutional government This renewal of the earlier French-American alliance led to another military victory Lafayette’s resistance to Napoleon thus provides historical precedents for the ongoing struggle against autocratic leaders; and those who support pro-democracy movements can join with earlier generations and with Americans who are now celebrating Lafayette’s famous 1824-25 tour to declare again: “Lafayette Photo via Lindsay Metivier Comments on Chapelboro are moderated according to our Community Guidelines are dedicated to providing broad outreach regarding job vacancies at the station We seek the help of local organizations in referring qualified applicants to our station Organizations that wish to receive our vacancy information should contact WCHL by calling (919) 933-4165 FCC PUBLIC INSPECTION FILES © Copyright 2025 Chapelboro.com. All rights reserved. 2025 4:30 AM EST | Originally published: February 17 2025 2:30 AM ESTDonald Trump set off a firestorm of criticism over the weekend with a tweet It might seem like nothing new, but critics say the President’s recent post is more than offensive—they say it’s dictatorial “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,” Trump posted on his social media site Truth Social as well as on Elon Musk’s X platform (formerly Twitter) on Saturday. The White House account on X also shared the message alongside Trump’s official presidential photograph pic.twitter.com/95GzNiAaqs whom Trump and Musk have expressed admiration for Some anti-Trump conservatives have also voiced their unease. Anthony Scaramucci, who briefly served as White House communications director during Trump’s first term before becoming a vocal intraparty critic, reposted Trump’s statement If you don’t see it it means you don’t want to.” Former Vice President Mike Pence appeared to implicitly rebuke Trump’s post by resharing an essay he’d written in 2010, titled “The Presidency and the Constitution,” in which he wrote: “A president who slights the Constitution is like a rider who hates his horse: he will be thrown Dan McLaughlin, a senior writer at the National Review who wrote in November about writing in Pence for the 2024 election, posted on X about Trump’s declaration: “This is some un-American monarchical nonsense because there are things legally only he may do But his entire office remains a creature of law.” Bill Kristol, former chief of staff to Vice President Dan Quayle and a prominent Trump critic, posted on Bluesky “We’re getting into real Führerprinzip territory here”—referencing the Nazi Germany principle that Führer Adolf Hitler’s word was above the law Billy Binion, a reporter for libertarian magazine Reason, posted on X: “I know many conservatives still care about the Constitution But it is genuinely depressing that the leader of the Republican Party is someone who is openly OK with violating the rule of law as long as it serves his political ends Trump’s first chief of staff during his first term excusing the provocative statement as mere trolling and “catnip for the media.” “It’s entertainment for Trump. It’s a distraction,” Priebus said on ABC News’ This Week on Sunday Some of Trump’s supporters, however, have welcomed the Napoleonic declaration. “Thank you, President Trump. We love you,” controversial right-wing activist Laura Loomer responded to Trump’s post on X Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency, reposted Trump’s message on X, appending 14 U.S And right-wing commentator Jack Posobiec also shared Trump’s message adding “America will be saved” and “What must be done will be done.” Read More: Donald Trump Keeps Teasing a Third Term. Here’s What to Know White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also previously accused the media of “fearmongering” about a “constitutional crisis,” saying during a news briefing on Feb 12: “The real constitutional crisis is taking place within our judicial branch where district court judges in liberal districts across the country are abusing their power to unilaterally block President Trump’s basic executive authority.” The Constitution, however, established the three separate branches of government (executive, legislative, and judicial) specifically to act as a system of checks and balances—with the courts empowered to rule on the constitutionality of laws and presidential actions On Tuesday, Feb. 18, Musk posted “True” in response to El Salvador’s Bukele asserting—in reference to the dismissal of judges opposed to his administration in 2021 which critics called a “coup” at the time—“‘Checks and balances’ don’t truly exist unless the judicial branch can also be checked and balanced.” As for the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity last year it stipulated that Presidents have absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions taken within their “constitutional authority” and presumptive immunity for other official acts but that: “The President enjoys no immunity for his unofficial acts and not everything the President does is official —Miranda Jeyaretnam contributed reporting Contact us at letters@time.com