PREVIEW: The Friday Edition. - Of course, Trump is doing some good.
Tangle
Isaac Saul
4.7 • 817 Ratings
🗓️ 22 May 2026
⏱️ 7 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
I have not been very happy with the president. And I haven’t been shy about that.
Like most independents, with whom Trump currently has a net –33 approval rating, I’ve found the first 16 months of his presidency alarming, frustrating, and disappointing. Less than a year into his new term, I was already writing about how things had gotten pretty bad. I’ve since written about the self-dealing and corruption, which came before the Justice Department slush fund and the IRS deal promising to never investigate or audit his business or his family for any past tax returns. After his “Praise be to Allah” social media post, which included the open threat of a war crime, I said the president seemed unwell and unfit for the job. It seems as if he innovates a new norm-breaking indignity every day, and I think being “honest,” “independent,” and “nonpartisan” necessitates calling those things out...
What do you think? We’re curious to hear from our readers. In your mind, what have been the biggest pros and cons of the second Trump term so far?
Our next event!
Today, I’m pleased to announce that we are coming to Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, on June 13 and 14 for a special VIP dinner and a live taping of our weekly podcast, Suspension of the Rules. Tickets are on sale now! Why Berkeley Springs?
- It’s an American gem. Incorporated in 1776, history abounds — George Washington used to visit with his ill brother, who believed the springs could improve his health. Now, it’s known for its greenery, spas, and resorts.
- Speaking of history, we’ll be recording live inside the historicStar Theatre.
- Berkeley Springs is just a few hours from Washington, D.C.; Pittsburgh; Philly; Maryland; New Jersey; Ohio; and even parts of Virginia and North Carolina. If you’re looking for a summer weekend getaway, this is it!
- Right now, this is the only live event on our schedule. We’re hoping to hold a few more this year — but for now, it’s the only one we can guarantee!
- Most of the Tangle team will be in attendance, which is unique. Unlike past events where it’s been just me and a few others, this is shaping up to be an opportunity to meet and interact with the full team.
We have already sold over half of our VIP tickets, and general admission tickets are going fast. This is a small theater, so to secure your tickets before a sellout, you should hop on it now!
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Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.
This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75 and Jon Lall.
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | From executive producer Isaac Saul, this is Tangle. |
| 0:08.4 | This is Tangle. |
| 0:09.0 | Good morning, good afternoon and good evening and welcome to the Tango podcast. |
| 0:22.9 | This is a special Friday edition. |
| 0:26.0 | A little personal opinion piece for me, and I'm calling this one, yes, of course, Trump is doing some good. |
| 0:33.8 | I've not been very happy with the president, and I have not been shy about this fact. |
| 0:38.5 | Like most independents with whom Trump currently is at a negative 33 approval rating, |
| 0:44.8 | I have found the first 16 months of his presidency alarming, frustrating, and disappointing. |
| 0:50.3 | Less than a year into his new term, I was already writing about how things had gotten pretty bad. |
| 0:55.2 | I've since written about the self-dealing and corruption, which came before the Justice Department Slush Fund |
| 1:00.9 | and the IRS deal promising to never investigate or audit his business or his family for any past tax returns. |
| 1:09.5 | After his praise be to a la social media posts, which included an |
| 1:13.3 | open threat of a war crime, I said that the president seemed unwell and unfit for the job. |
| 1:18.9 | It seems as if he innovates a new norm breaking in dignity every day. And I think being honest, |
| 1:24.4 | independent, and nonpartisan necessitates calling those things out. I've harbored more |
| 1:29.8 | personal grievances too. The president is, for example, wreaking havoc in the area where I chose |
| 1:35.1 | to build a new home. He's bulldozing legal obstacles and ignoring public outcry to force a |
| 1:40.3 | multi-billion dollar border wall project that will needlessly destroy my favorite town in |
| 1:45.1 | America, which happens to sit on the border of Texas and Mexico and next to one of our great |
| 1:50.0 | national parks. Given these dynamics and my overt unhappiness with these first 16 months of |
| 1:55.9 | Trump's second term, a lot of readers and listeners have written, saying either, it'd be nice if you ever |
| 2:01.3 | talked about the good things Trump is doing, or is there any good Trump has been doing? |
... |
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