Ezra Klein

I don't think they're trying to play dead. I don't think it's a fair description of where Democrats are these days. But let me let me put that to the side. What would... frighten you, right? What if it begins turning would be a signal?

I don't think they're trying to play dead. I don't think it's a fair description of where Democrats are these days. But let me let me put that to the side. What would... frighten you, right? What if it begins turning would be a signal?

One thing that was true about Trump's reelection campaign is he built, for the first time, a MAGA coalition. In 2016, he took over the Republican Party. In 2024, he built his own thing. It includes MAHA, right? I don't know exactly how we say that with R.K. Jr., but I think very, very potently the tech right. And my sense from knowing some of these people is that that coalition is under strain.

One thing that was true about Trump's reelection campaign is he built, for the first time, a MAGA coalition. In 2016, he took over the Republican Party. In 2024, he built his own thing. It includes MAHA, right? I don't know exactly how we say that with R.K. Jr., but I think very, very potently the tech right. And my sense from knowing some of these people is that that coalition is under strain.

So Musk is still very allied, but it seems to be stepping back from government because he might light his Tesla empire on fire if he doesn't. I'm hearing a little bit less from people like Marc Andreessen. They've gotten a little bit quieter, is my sense of them. They're on the group chats. They're on the group chats.

So Musk is still very allied, but it seems to be stepping back from government because he might light his Tesla empire on fire if he doesn't. I'm hearing a little bit less from people like Marc Andreessen. They've gotten a little bit quieter, is my sense of them. They're on the group chats. They're on the group chats.

But also, I mean, in Ben Smith's great semaphore story about the group chats, you had this amazing ending where on one of these big group chats that had been a key... I would call a key point of influence for the tech right to convert others. The tech right got really mad at how people were getting mad at Donald Trump.

But also, I mean, in Ben Smith's great semaphore story about the group chats, you had this amazing ending where on one of these big group chats that had been a key... I would call a key point of influence for the tech right to convert others. The tech right got really mad at how people were getting mad at Donald Trump.

And you had like David Sachs and Tucker Carlson and them leaving the group chat. And again, I know some of these people who got very Trump curious. And my sense of them is they think this is going badly. Not for necessarily the reasons we do, but they think Doge was a failure. It didn't save that much money and just sort of did things kind of at random with a buzzsaw. They hate the tariffs.

And you had like David Sachs and Tucker Carlson and them leaving the group chat. And again, I know some of these people who got very Trump curious. And my sense of them is they think this is going badly. Not for necessarily the reasons we do, but they think Doge was a failure. It didn't save that much money and just sort of did things kind of at random with a buzzsaw. They hate the tariffs.

They think the tariffs are really dumb. Mm-hmm. I'm not saying that the tech right becomes the tech left. I don't think that's where any of this goes.

They think the tariffs are really dumb. Mm-hmm. I'm not saying that the tech right becomes the tech left. I don't think that's where any of this goes.

But from that moment where you had the entire billionaire class assembled before Donald Trump at the inauguration to now, something seems like it is under strain and contested again, as opposed to he was able to consolidate it and make the alliance permanent.

But from that moment where you had the entire billionaire class assembled before Donald Trump at the inauguration to now, something seems like it is under strain and contested again, as opposed to he was able to consolidate it and make the alliance permanent.

Okay, but let me make the other side's argument on this, that actually that's just politics in the way it works. Mm-hmm. Curtis Yarvin loves to bring up FDR. And I don't think FDR actually makes any of Curtis Yarvin's points for him. But one thing that I think is interesting about the way liberals remember FDR from this perspective is the Supreme Court is standing four square against the New Deal.

Okay, but let me make the other side's argument on this, that actually that's just politics in the way it works. Mm-hmm. Curtis Yarvin loves to bring up FDR. And I don't think FDR actually makes any of Curtis Yarvin's points for him. But one thing that I think is interesting about the way liberals remember FDR from this perspective is the Supreme Court is standing four square against the New Deal.

FDR threatens to court pack. He loses that fight, but seems to convince some key members of the court that they don't really want this confrontation. And the court begins to turn around on some issues. And we look back on that. And liberals are like, damn, good work, FDR, right? Like, we ended the Lochner court. I expect that the Supreme Court is going to give them some of what they want.

FDR threatens to court pack. He loses that fight, but seems to convince some key members of the court that they don't really want this confrontation. And the court begins to turn around on some issues. And we look back on that. And liberals are like, damn, good work, FDR, right? Like, we ended the Lochner court. I expect that the Supreme Court is going to give them some of what they want.

But a world in which they basically accept a negotiated bid for 20% of the powers they've attempted to take without really changing any of the institutional structures of American life – I don't know, isn't that what kind of goes on all the time?

But a world in which they basically accept a negotiated bid for 20% of the powers they've attempted to take without really changing any of the institutional structures of American life – I don't know, isn't that what kind of goes on all the time?