In a frenetic week meant to overwhelm the cognitive capabilities of critics, the media, and the average citizen, President Donald Trump offended norms and policies across the government.

But the president's most dramatic move took even some of his allies by surprise.

Tonight, we'll try to make sense of the tumultuous first week of Donald Trump's second term.

Next.

This is Washington Week with the Atlantic.

Good evening and welcome to Washington Week.

Four years ago, thousands of Donald Trump supporters marched on the Capitol in order to prevent the ratification of Joe Biden's presidential victory. They beat police officers, destroyed property, threatened to kill the vice

president and the Speaker of the House. Many were arrested and prosecuted for their crimes.

Trump himself was excoriated by leaders of his party for inciting the mob. Of course, you know

the rest of the story.

Earlier this week, Trump, now the most consequential American political leader of the

21st century, pardoned most of the rioters and commuted the sentences of many of the

rest.

Many of them are demanding that Trump avenge their prosecutions.

I am your retribution, he said in 2023, and we would be naive

to believe that he doesn't mean it. So much has happened since inauguration on Monday that it's hard

to keep up on issues ranging from DEI to immigration. We'll try to unpack the week tonight,

and we'll try to understand the possible consequences of the release of more than 1,500 rioters

from prison. Joining me tonight to discuss all this, Laura Barone Lopez is the White House correspondent

for PBS News Hour. Leanne Caldwell is the chief Washington correspondent at Puck.

Ashley Parker is my colleague and a staff writer at The Atlantic. And Charlie Savage is a Washington correspondent for The New York Times.

Thank you all for being here.

...