Lewis

I don't think many people out in the country are feeling much jollier today having seen those speeches about checks and balances.

No, but I don't think if we're talking about improving the sort of morale of the nation, I don't think there are many people in the country who have watched that exchange about checks and balances in the Magna Carta who are thinking, I feel a lot happier today.

as a result of seeing that.

Do you think a lot of people watched it?

And this is for all the talkers we were just saying of rebukes on checks and balances is a reminder that one of the hallmarks of the second Trump administration and one way in which it is

qualitatively materially different to the first one is the absolute weaponisation of the Justice Department against Trump's domestic enemies including many people including for example John Bolton and others who have previously worked for him and it is grotesque and grim and disturbing

Of course it will be.

It's all part of a piece, isn't it, of intimidation and fear.

And, you know, we were sort of making reference to it just now and sort of slightly laughing about it.

But this thing that came through yesterday of Trump and the State Department issuing a special edition 250th anniversary of the US passport with Trump's face on it.

We've all been in Washington recently.

You can now not basically move in Washington without seeing a mural of Trump's face in front of federal buildings.

It's Ayatollah stuff, isn't it?

It's banana republic stuff.

Or putting it in a slightly more sinister way, it's fascistic stuff.

It is this sort of idolatry about the leader and the leader's face having to be seen everywhere, all seeing, all knowing.

Exactly.

Suppressing your enemies and suppressing your opponents.

It's deeply sinister.

We'll play some more Charles gags.