Pardons, Power & Politics: Jeffrey Toobin on Trump, Democracy, and Reason for Hope

On Brand with Donny Deutsch

Donny Deutsch Podcast Admin

News, Entertainment News, News Commentary, Arts

4.6 • 896 Ratings

🗓️ 9 April 2026

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

DISCLAIMER: This episode was recorded on January 28th, 2026. Jeffrey Toobin cuts through the political noise to examine one of the most revealing powers a president holds: the pardon. From Gerald Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon to Trump's loyalty-driven clemency decisions, Toobin explores what these choices say about presidential character and the justice system. He tackles the Democratic Party's urgent need for a positive agenda beyond anti-Trump messaging, addresses immigration myths, and raises red flags about election fairness. Yet Toobin closes with a message of hope — highlighting capitalism's role in driving green energy solutions and the dramatic reduction of global poverty as signs that progress is still possible. Be sure to check out the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠On Brand with Donny Deutsch YouTube page⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Takeaways Jeffrey Toobin emphasizes the significance of presidential pardons in revealing a president's character. He critiques Gerald Ford's pardon of Nixon as a miscalculation that did not help the country move on from Watergate. Toobin highlights the transactional nature of Trump's pardons, often based on personal loyalty rather than justice. He notes that the Democratic Party needs a positive agenda beyond just opposing Trump. Toobin points out that many undocumented immigrants are law-abiding citizens contributing to society. He expresses concern about the fairness of upcoming elections and potential political hijinks. Toobin believes that the capitalist system will ultimately lead to cleaner energy solutions. He acknowledges the significant reduction in global poverty over the past two decades. Despite current challenges, Toobin remains optimistic about the future. He encourages a focus on substantive issues rather than just political opposition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Got a great guest. I'm here with one of the smartest guys in any room, Jeffrey
0:11.9	Tubin. He's, of course, a longtime CNN legal commentator, author of 10 bestselling books.
0:17.4	His most recent book, The Pardon, The Politics of Presidential Mercy, which is out now and kind of goes through a history of presidential pardons and kind of the
0:25.1	range of ones for the better good of mankind versus better good of a particular man.
0:31.7	Obviously it has tremendous relevance today. Welcome to the show, sir. Hi, Donnie. Good to talk to you
0:37.0	again. So the world's a little quick.
0:38.7	Before we get into the book, I'd love you just thoughts on what's going on in Minnesota.
0:44.1	Well, it's a dark moment in our history. You know, when you think about political protests in our
0:53.7	country, not a lot of people die in them.
0:57.2	And when they do, they are really major turning points in our lives.
1:03.0	You know, I think of Ken State during the Vietnam era.
1:08.0	And, you know, the fact that we have lost two people in apparently completely
1:15.1	unjustified ways. Two U.S. citizens. Two U.S. citizens who were not a threat to anybody,
1:23.0	just killed apparently in cold blood.
1:28.3	That tells you something that is really dark
1:32.3	about what's going on in the country now.
1:35.3	And as someone who has covered Donald Trump
1:38.3	since the beginning of his political career
1:41.3	and even before then, I am wary of saying, well, this is the thing
1:46.4	that will change people's perceptions of him because we have said that so many times and we've been
1:52.8	wrong so many times. But this does seem to be a major inflection point, at least in the history of
1:57.6	the second administration. And, you know, I don't know where we're going, but it's important.
	...

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