Democrats in Washington have seemed almost paralyzed by the onslaught of far-right appointments and draconian executive orders coming from the Trump White House. But some state governors seem more willing to oppose the federal government than congressional Democrats are. In January, Governor Tim Walz, of Minnesota, tweeted, “President Trump just shut off funding for law enforcement, farmers, schools, veterans, and health care. . . . Minnesota needs answers. We’ll see Trump in court.” He’s only one of many Democratic governors challening the federal government. Walz joins David Remnick to offer his analysis of why Democrats lost the 2024 election, why the Party has been losing support from men, and what Democrats need to do now that Donald Trump is back in the White House.
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From the online spectacle around Leo XIV's election to our favorite on-screen cardinals. This week on Critics at Large, we're talking all things Pope.
The Catholic Church was made for this moment. I think 2,000 years ago, the Catholic Church basically anticipated TikTok, Instagram, X. You don't have those little Swiss guard outfits and think they're not being photographed. Oil painting is not enough.
I'm Vincent Cunningham. Join me and my co-hosts for an episode on what can only be described as Pope Week. New episodes of Critics at Large drop every Thursday. Find us wherever you get your podcasts.
This is the New Yorker Radio Hour, a co-production of WNYC Studios and The New Yorker.
Welcome to the New Yorker Radio Hour. I'm David Remnick. Democrats in Washington have seemed almost paralyzed by the onslaught of far-right-wing appointments to the Trump cabinet and the wrecking ball that he's unleashed on his own government agencies. The Democrats register their opposition, but they seem lost in any attempt to organize themselves against the administration's firehose.
Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader in the House, offered a baseball analogy recently, saying they're waiting for the right pitch. Last week on our program, Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania said this. How many years can you jump on cable and yell and scream that the world's on fire? In the states, though, Democratic governors seem much more determined.
They seem to have more leverage to oppose the federal government. Governor Tim Walz tweeted this in January. President Trump just shut off funding for law enforcement, farmers, schools, veterans, and health care. Minnesota needs answers. We'll see Trump in court. That's one of the many reasons that I wanted to speak with Tim Walz.
That, of course, and the election that brought Donald Trump back to the White House. I hear all the time from non-Trump voters two reactions to what's going on in the last month. One is... I don't want to watch the news. I want to shut it all out. It's too much. And the other thing is, where is the Democratic Party? Let's start with the inclination to shut things out.
You nodded when I said that, and you hear the same thing.
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