Matt Levine, in his (excellent) Money Stuff newsletter/column, on the insanity that is the Microsoft / TikTok / Trump threeway.

Historically when the president of the United States says something, that has represented a policy of his administration, but when President Trump says something, that just represents the crankish views of a guy who watches way too much television, and people are continually forced to treat the latter like the former. “It is completely unorthodox for a President to propose that the U.S. take a cut of a business deal, especially a deal that he has orchestrated. The idea also is probably illegal and unethical,” says some poor law professor who was called to comment on this dumb, dumb stuff. Imagine calling a law professor to comment on your uncle’s drunken rants at Thanksgiving. “Uncle Don, I have a law professor on the line and he tells me that your proposal is illegal and unprecedented,” you say, as though Uncle Don might care, as though “illegal” is a relevant category to apply to his unserious mumbling. Though also he is the president so it may happen?

As if we needed another reminder that we are living in the upsidedown.