Jonathan Swan
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
No, no, I agree with all that. The court pretty clearly directionally is on the path of expanding executive power and having a broad interpretation of Article II power. So they feel confident that this court will in many cases rule in their favor, that these efforts by Congress to restrain the president, to put these checks within the executive branch are unconstitutional. And by the way,
They've telegraphed this. This is not new. For months before the election, his people were saying, when we were talking to them, that this was kind of the point, was let it go through the court system. We like our chances. This is a different Supreme Court than existed in 2017. It's a different federal judiciary because Donald Trump himself transformed it.
They've telegraphed this. This is not new. For months before the election, his people were saying, when we were talking to them, that this was kind of the point, was let it go through the court system. We like our chances. This is a different Supreme Court than existed in 2017. It's a different federal judiciary because Donald Trump himself transformed it.
It's not that Donald Trump has profoundly changed. It's that the Washington he returns to has changed and the institutional guardrails have eroded. The court system is different. Congress is hardly a co-equal branch anymore.
It's not that Donald Trump has profoundly changed. It's that the Washington he returns to has changed and the institutional guardrails have eroded. The court system is different. Congress is hardly a co-equal branch anymore.
I mean, when you talk to these Republican lawmakers privately, they all understand a vote against something that Donald Trump really cares about is a vote to end your career. I mean, there's not that many people who are willing to end their career.
I mean, when you talk to these Republican lawmakers privately, they all understand a vote against something that Donald Trump really cares about is a vote to end your career. I mean, there's not that many people who are willing to end their career.
So even though I know for a fact there are a whole bunch of Republicans who, if it was a private secret vote, would vote against en masse many of these nominees that he's put up, they won't dare do it. in a public setting under the gaze of Donald Trump. And there's actually something deeper that's happened in American politics that Trump has changed.
So even though I know for a fact there are a whole bunch of Republicans who, if it was a private secret vote, would vote against en masse many of these nominees that he's put up, they won't dare do it. in a public setting under the gaze of Donald Trump. And there's actually something deeper that's happened in American politics that Trump has changed.
A generation ago, if you were a member of Congress, you could kind of protect yourself and defend yourself by raising money and having coalitions and whatever. All of that has been obliterated by Donald Trump's monopoly on the attention landscape. And if you get in their crosshairs, it doesn't matter what kind of a war chest you have. That will be squirted away in two days. You're finished.
A generation ago, if you were a member of Congress, you could kind of protect yourself and defend yourself by raising money and having coalitions and whatever. All of that has been obliterated by Donald Trump's monopoly on the attention landscape. And if you get in their crosshairs, it doesn't matter what kind of a war chest you have. That will be squirted away in two days. You're finished.
No, she's a little different. And by the way, she may not get confirmed. She's probably the most endangered of all of them. One reason being that she used to be a Democrat. And Tulsi Gabbard is much more of an ideological choice.
No, she's a little different. And by the way, she may not get confirmed. She's probably the most endangered of all of them. One reason being that she used to be a Democrat. And Tulsi Gabbard is much more of an ideological choice.
Donald Trump has always been extremely conspiratorial, had a dark view of the intelligence community, has been of the view that there is a deep state out to get him, and also has been much more sympathetic to people like Vladimir Putin and some of the autocratic leaders around the world.
Donald Trump has always been extremely conspiratorial, had a dark view of the intelligence community, has been of the view that there is a deep state out to get him, and also has been much more sympathetic to people like Vladimir Putin and some of the autocratic leaders around the world.
Tulsi Gabbard is much more in line with Donald Trump's foreign policy views than many other senior members of his cabinet. Her views are closer to Donald Trump's than say Marco Rubio's views. Certainly much closer to Donald Trump's than his first term People like Mike Pompeo, who was Secretary of State and CIA Director, Jim Mattis, Rex Tillerson. So she's aligned ideologically.
Tulsi Gabbard is much more in line with Donald Trump's foreign policy views than many other senior members of his cabinet. Her views are closer to Donald Trump's than say Marco Rubio's views. Certainly much closer to Donald Trump's than his first term People like Mike Pompeo, who was Secretary of State and CIA Director, Jim Mattis, Rex Tillerson. So she's aligned ideologically.
She's got really powerful allies like Tucker Carlson. And Trump just likes her. From all accounts, she's a very personable person and there's a chemistry there. So she's a little different. I wouldn't put her in the same category as Kash Patel, who is a much sort of more precise instrument than Tulsi Gabbard.