Yuval Levin

Yuval Levin, welcome to the show. Thanks very much for having me, Ezra.

Yuval Levin, welcome to the show. Thanks very much for having me, Ezra.

Well, let me give you a kind of middle-aged answer to this question. I'm 47. I've been in Washington since I was 18, with a little break for graduate school. I've seen presidential terms since George W. Bush's first, and... One thing you learn over that time is that the first few weeks of a new administration are really surreal.

Well, let me give you a kind of middle-aged answer to this question. I'm 47. I've been in Washington since I was 18, with a little break for graduate school. I've seen presidential terms since George W. Bush's first, and... One thing you learn over that time is that the first few weeks of a new administration are really surreal.

They're very different from the rest of the time because the administration controls the agenda. And that isn't really the case most of the time. But in the first few weeks, they've made plans. And you don't know those plans generally. They do. And they're rolling them out in a certain pace at a certain way. And it just feels like they are in command of the world.

They're very different from the rest of the time because the administration controls the agenda. And that isn't really the case most of the time. But in the first few weeks, they've made plans. And you don't know those plans generally. They do. And they're rolling them out in a certain pace at a certain way. And it just feels like they are in command of the world.

So I think that it's natural in that period to think, wow, these people are really in control. The opposition is totally on the ground, on their backs. They don't know how to respond to this. That's always what it feels like. That happened with Bush. It happened with Obama. It's happened with Trump. It even happened with Biden, if we can remember four years ago.

So I think that it's natural in that period to think, wow, these people are really in control. The opposition is totally on the ground, on their backs. They don't know how to respond to this. That's always what it feels like. That happened with Bush. It happened with Obama. It's happened with Trump. It even happened with Biden, if we can remember four years ago.

And it doesn't take very long for that to break. The opposition is back and organized pretty quickly. That takes a couple of weeks maybe. And the world comes back at you too. And the rest of the time presidents spend a lot of their energy just responding to the world and what it throws at them and they're judged by how they do that. That's definitely going on here.

And it doesn't take very long for that to break. The opposition is back and organized pretty quickly. That takes a couple of weeks maybe. And the world comes back at you too. And the rest of the time presidents spend a lot of their energy just responding to the world and what it throws at them and they're judged by how they do that. That's definitely going on here.

And so it's very hard still to judge what we're looking at. I think a lot of people have come in with a very strong prejudice that this time the Trump team is much more competent. They have a much better idea of not only what they want to do, but how. And a lot of what we've seen is actually a lot like what the first term's first few weeks felt like. There's a lot of ambition.

And so it's very hard still to judge what we're looking at. I think a lot of people have come in with a very strong prejudice that this time the Trump team is much more competent. They have a much better idea of not only what they want to do, but how. And a lot of what we've seen is actually a lot like what the first term's first few weeks felt like. There's a lot of ambition.

There's a lot of action. There's more than there was the first time. But there's also a kind of inclination to chaos that I think is actually intentional. That's part of what they're trying to do. And it didn't really work all that well the first time, and I'm not sure it's working all that well this time. So I have a mixed impression. I think it's just too early to say.

There's a lot of action. There's more than there was the first time. But there's also a kind of inclination to chaos that I think is actually intentional. That's part of what they're trying to do. And it didn't really work all that well the first time, and I'm not sure it's working all that well this time. So I have a mixed impression. I think it's just too early to say.

Yeah, they certainly want to convey that. I think there was a sense that things the first time really started out rough. They actually had had a transition effort, you know, run by Chris Christie that produced some concrete plans and all of it was literally thrown away in a huff at Chris Christie, basically. And they started out on day one with just not all that much prepared.

Yeah, they certainly want to convey that. I think there was a sense that things the first time really started out rough. They actually had had a transition effort, you know, run by Chris Christie that produced some concrete plans and all of it was literally thrown away in a huff at Chris Christie, basically. And they started out on day one with just not all that much prepared.

That is different this time. This time they've come in with a lot prepared. You know, EOs that have been worked out for a while and that have been thought through and lawyered and all of that, that is a little different than last time. And they do have experience.

That is different this time. This time they've come in with a lot prepared. You know, EOs that have been worked out for a while and that have been thought through and lawyered and all of that, that is a little different than last time. And they do have experience.

Some of the people they've brought in, you know, were in the administration last time, and therefore they know where the meeting's happening. They know where the bathroom is. That's different. It makes a difference. But I think that we are also seeing the same kind of inclination to chaos and maladministration that we saw last time in some very important ways.

Some of the people they've brought in, you know, were in the administration last time, and therefore they know where the meeting's happening. They know where the bathroom is. That's different. It makes a difference. But I think that we are also seeing the same kind of inclination to chaos and maladministration that we saw last time in some very important ways.