David Remnick on the Dawn of Trump’s Second Term
The Political Scene | The New Yorker
WNYC Studios and The New Yorker
4.2 • 3.3K Ratings
🗓️ 23 January 2025
⏱️ 36 minutes
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Summary
Within hours of his Inauguration, and shortly after proclaiming that his victory had been preordained by God, Donald Trump signed dozens of executive orders. These included exiting the World Health Organization, attempting to end birthright citizenship in the United States, and renaming the Gulf of Mexico. He also issued pardons for hundreds of the January 6th convicts. David Remnick, the editor of The New Yorker, joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss what Trump’s first days back in office portend for the next four years. “[Trump] hasn’t changed one iota,” Remnick says, “except that his confidence has increased, and his base has increased, and the obedience of the Republican Party leadership is absolute.”
This week’s reading:
- “Donald Trump’s Inaugural Day of Vindication,” by Susan B. Glasser
- “Donald Trump Plays Church,” by Vinson Cunningham.
- “ ‘An Oligarchy Is Taking Shape,’ ” by David Remnick
- “What Trump 2.0 Means for Ukraine and the World,” by Isaac Chotiner
- “Donald Trump Returns to Washington,” by Antonia Hitchens
- “Donald Trump Invents an Energy Emergency,” by Bill McKibben
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| 0:00.0 | We have officially entered the second Trump era. |
| 0:06.3 | In his inauguration speech on Monday, surrounded by some of the richest people in the world, |
| 0:11.8 | Donald Trump promised a new golden age for America, with himself at the helm. |
| 0:15.9 | But I felt then and believe even more so now that my life was saved for a reason. |
| 0:22.3 | I was saved by God to make America great again. |
| 0:27.2 | He then publicly signed dozens of executive orders, |
| 0:30.6 | pardoning more than 1,500 of his supporters who were charged with crimes on January 6th, |
| 0:35.3 | withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement, |
| 0:36.9 | and even trying to end |
| 0:38.5 | birthright citizenship. And there are many more on the way. |
| 0:42.3 | So I'm revoking nearly 80 destructive radical executive actions of the previous administration. |
| 0:49.3 | They'll all be dull and void within about, what, five minutes? Is that them over there? Five minutes? |
| 0:55.5 | The second Trump presidency promises to be both more extreme and more organized than his last |
| 1:00.7 | time in the White House. But what exactly will the next four years look like? |
| 1:06.3 | David Remnick, the editor of the New Yorker, is here to tell us what he thinks. |
| 1:12.7 | You're listening to The Political Scene. |
| 1:16.2 | I'm Tyler Foggett, and I'm a senior editor at The New Yorker. |
| 1:25.0 | Hey, David. Thanks so much for coming on the show. |
| 1:25.6 | Hey, Tyler. |
| 1:27.6 | So it's Tuesday. We both watched the inauguration yesterday, the multiple speeches that came after and rallies and the signing of... |
| 1:34.5 | Aren't they still going on? |
| 1:36.2 | Are there more speeches today? |
... |
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