Political Motivations Behind Recent Changes in the Trump Administration

In one of his most audacious moves since taking office, President Trump ordered a freeze on Tuesday on trillions of dollars in federal money — from anti-poverty programs to foreign aid — in order to purge the government of what he called woke ideology.

Michael D. Shear, a White House correspondent for The New York Times, discusses the order, the chaos it prompted and whether it is likely to survive in court.

Guests: Michael D. Shear, a White House correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• A judge stayed President Trump’s freeze, but disruption to the Medicaid funding system caused fear.
• Uncertainty around the freeze also caused chaos in education.

Photo: Doug Mills/The New York Times.

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