May the Schwarzman Be With You

He reminded me that at the end of 2003, John Kerry was polling seventh in the Democratic primary race... and went on to become the nominee. At this point in the 2016 election cycle, he noted, it was Scott Walker leading the Republican field, followed by Jeb Bush , and “the soon-to-be indicted” Rudy Giuliani , in third.

when China joined the World Trade Organization, in December 2001, its per capita G.D.P. was around $300 a year. “That’s like going to a good Nantucket restaurant for dinner,” he said. “That was the entire income of the average Chinese person.”

He recalled a relevant piece of 20th-century Chinese history—the war between Mao and Chiang Kai-shek , in the 1940s, which Mao won, and which led the Nationalists to retreat to the island of Taiwan. “From the perspective of Mao and his people,” Steve continued, “the Nationalists stole the treasury, and they stole the art treasures of China. There n... See more

As for the four indictments against Trump and how seriously they should be taken, Steve was a bit cagier in his response, as you might expect. “We’re getting into the realm of theater,” he said, “and this isn’t a theater review.”