What if There’s No Way to Stop Trump’s Approach to Power?

What if There’s No Way to Stop Trump’s Approach to Power?

Author: New York Times Opinion April 17, 2025 Duration: 1:05:52
President Trump may forever reshape the boundaries of executive power. This week on “Interesting Times,” Ross and Jack Goldsmith, who was the head of the White House’s Office of Legal Counsel under President George W. Bush, discuss which cases are most likely to win in the courts and permanently expand the executive branch — for better or worse.

Every Thursday, Ross Douthat sits down to make sense of a world that feels perpetually off-balance. This isn't about quick takes or yesterday's headlines. Interesting Times with Ross Douthat is a series of deep, considered conversations that explore the undercurrents shaping our politics, our culture, and the very structure of society. From the New York Times Opinion section, each episode acts as a first draft of our collective future, attempting to map a new world order as it emerges in real time. You'll hear from thinkers, writers, and doers who are challenging conventional wisdom, all through Ross's distinctive lens. The discussions are built on the premise that we are living through a historical pivot, and understanding it requires patience, curiosity, and a willingness to engage with complex ideas. The result is a podcast that feels both urgent and reflective, a necessary pause amid the noise to examine how we got here and where we might be headed. It’s for anyone who finds the present moment bewildering and seeks a more substantive dialogue about the forces at play. Tune in for a thoughtful analysis that you won't find anywhere else, naturally evolving from week to week as the story of our age continues to unfold.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 65

Interesting Times with Ross Douthat
Podcast Episodes
Welcome to the Indian Century [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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If you want to understand how Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became the face of American public health, you have to go back to the Covid era. Medical authorities spoke with certainty: Trust the science. Don’t listen to skeptics.…
Jamelle Bouie and I Debate Trump’s Failing Grade [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:05
President Trump’s aggressive return to the White House has been disruptive in ways that will continue to reshape American — and global — governance and politics for decades. At a live event with the Library Foundation of…
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Duration: 1:00:40
Something surprising is happening to religious belief in America: It’s no longer trending downward. Are Americans becoming more religious? On this episode of “Interesting Times,” Ross sits down with the demographer and f…
Minneapolis Feels ‘Like Being in a Civil War’ [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:04
Can cellphone cameras and whistles impede President Trump’s immigration policy? On this week’s episode of “Interesting Times,” Ross speaks with Francisco Segovia, the executive director of a Minneapolis-based nonprofit o…
A Defense of U.S. Intervention in Venezuela [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:34
What should the U.S. do next in Venezuela? President Trump’s former Venezuela envoy Elliott Abrams wants the Trump administration to push harder for full regime change. But, he and Ross debate if a democratic transition…
‘Making Sense With Sam Harris’ and Ross Douthat [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:47:57
This week we’re sharing an episode of ‘Making Sense With Sam Harris.’ The author and podcaster recently invited Ross on his show to discuss religion and politics. But they debated so much more: the existence of God, the…