Harvard’s Jack Goldsmith on the Coming Trump Presidency

Conversations with Bill Kristol

News, Society & Culture, Government, Politics

4.7 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 12 December 2024

⏱️ 68 minutes

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Summary

How well might the political and legal norms of constitutional government fare in the second Trump administration? To discuss, we are joined by Jack Goldsmith, distinguished law professor at Harvard and former Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel. As Goldsmith explains, Trump has expressed ambitions to exercise unprecedented control over the federal government, with plans to change the Civil Service and administrative agencies, and wield the pardon power aggressively, among other methods. While emphasizing the broad powers the president has to shape policy and personnel, Goldsmith discusses the future of checks and balances that protect the rule of law. To preserve the guardrails of government, Goldsmith emphasizes the role and responsibility of Congress, political appointees, and bureaucrats maintaining fidelity to constitutional duties.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm Bill Crystal. Welcome back to Conversations. I'm very pleased to be joined again after a bit of an interlude, I guess, by Jack Goldsmith.
0:24.6	We did four conversations back from 2017 to 2020, I discovered.
0:29.6	They sort of blurred together, but they were excellent and stand up well, I think.
0:33.6	Jack Harvard Law Professor, leading student of the presidency, executive power, law institutions,
0:40.6	that's complex of things, served in the George W. Bush administration.
0:46.1	I wrote an excellent book about his experiences there.
0:48.3	The Terror Presidency Law and Judgment inside the Bush administration served in both the Defense Department.
0:54.0	And then somewhat famously is a systematory general for the Office of Legal Counsel in 2003,
1:01.0	I guess.
1:01.3	And then a recent book in 2020 with Bob Bauer that came out at the end of the Trump presidency,
1:10.3	before January 6th, I think.
1:12.2	Yes, we didn't have that in the book, unfortunately.
1:14.7	After Trump reconstructing the presidency, which we could talk about a bit, whether it has
1:20.0	been reconstructed.
1:20.8	Anyway, Jack has an unusual combination.
1:22.4	I would say a deep understanding of the Constitution and the more theoretical sort of side
1:26.5	of executive power,
1:27.6	but really practical experience and someone I think who values judgment and prudence
1:35.0	and a little more than some law professors do who are a little more legalistic if you'll allow me
1:40.3	to criticize some of your peers there. So anyway, it's fine.. It's fine. So, Jack, thanks for joining me again.
1:46.8	Thank you, Bill, for having me.
1:48.6	We're talking here, what is it, December just the 11th, 24, about the presidency, the
	...

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