Exploring the Cultural Landscape of New York in the Late '80s

Chuck Todd opens with a revealing moment that perfectly encapsulates Trump's psychology: after praising Todd on Truth Social for comments taken completely out of context, Trump exposes his desperate hunger for validation and his dangerous ability to rewrite reality, while the six-week delay reveals how information bubbles work in his administration and his "neediness" for historic affirmation drives increasingly erratic behavior that's systematically dismantling constitutional norms. He argues we're witnessing a fundamentally different Trump 2.0 where the resistance that constrained his first term has evaporated, leaving Republicans as a "unified defense mechanism" while Democrats fracture over strategy, all as Trump successfully convinces the country that rules simply don't apply to him anymore. 

Then, he looks ahead to several key developments shaping the 2026 midterms, from Eleni Kounalakis's California governor exit clearing the field for Rick Caruso, to Sherrod Brown's strategic Ohio Senate bid against likely GOP nominee Vivek Ramaswamy with Amy Acton as a Democratic wildcard, to Mamdani's commanding New York City poll lead over flailing campaigns from Eric Adams and Andrew Cuomo. Throughout, he warns that Trump's systematic destruction of institutional norms threatens America's constitutional republic at the exact moment when international credibility and democratic checks and balances matter most for global stability, while his apocalyptic vision of Washington creates a permission structure for authoritarianism that will outlast his presidency.

Then, author Jonathan Mahler joins Chuck Todd for a deep dive into his new book “The Gods of New York” which explores the cultural and political forces that shaped New York City during its transformative 1980s era. They discuss figures like Ed Koch who pioneered the "celebrification" of NYC mayors, and Donald Trump who was considered a "fleeting cultural figure" despite learning how to manipulate tabloid culture for attention. Mahler traces the interconnected stories of power brokers like Roy Cohn, who connected Trump with NYC's elite before his death signaled the end of an era, and the complex relationship between Trump and Al Sharpton, who "fed off each other" while Sharpton strategically chose which politicians could attend high-profile funerals like that of murdered teenager Yusef Hawkins. The conversation explores how Trump inserted himself into politics through cultural commentary starting in 1988, mirroring George Steinbrenner's attention-grabbing tactics from the 1970s, while the city grappled with the AIDS epidemic and Ed Koch's failure to meet the moment due to fears of being outed.

The discussion examines the broader cultural awakening of the era, from the rise of ACT UP during the AIDS crisis to Spike Lee's movie "Do the Right Thing" serving as a wake-up call for white America, all occurring under the looming presence of Mario Cuomo, who was "larger than life" in New York politics. Mahler details how Trump mastered the art of becoming one of New York's "tabloid gods" before heading toward spectacular bankruptcy in 1990 and entering his "hibernation" period in the '90s, while also drawing parallels between historical political dynamics and contemporary figures like Zohran Mamdani. The episode concludes with insights into why transformational mayors like David Dinkins struggled with reelection and how the Yankees' resurgence became symbolic of the city's broader renewal, providing essential context for understanding how New York's unique political and cultural ecosystem created the conditions that would eventually propel Trump from local celebrity to national political figure.

Finally, he answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment.

Timeline:

00:00 Chuck Todd’s Introduction

03:45 Trump praises Chuck on Truth Social

04:45 Trump missed the context of Chuck’s comments

05:30 It took six weeks for Chuck’s comment to make it to Trump

06:45 Trump wants to be historic and shows he’s needy

08:00 Trump is desperate for affirmation, whether it’s positive or negative

09:15 Trump bullies everyone into believing there are no rules

10:15 Trump ran into resistance in 1.0, but not in 2.0

11:15 Why the pushback to Trump has dissipated

14:00 The Republican party is a unified defense mechanism for Trump

14:45 Democrats are split on how to push back on Trump

18:00 The apocalyptic vision of DC Trump paints is inaccurate

20:30 Trump’s actions are terrible for the long term image of the U.S.

22:15 If we want to stay a constitutional republic, we need checks and balances

24:15 Two big developments in CA governor race

25:15 Eleni Kounalakis drops out of CA gov race

26:15 Rick Caruso setting up run for governor? Would be frontrunner

28:45 Stephen Kloobeck and Caruso could eat into each other

30:15 Sherrod Brown opts to run for senate rather than governor

32:30 Brown puts the Ohio senate seat in play

34:30 Amy Acton could present real challenge to Ramaswamy in Ohio

38:30 Ohio will be a stress test for Republican brand in a bad year

39:30 Mamdani leads by wide margin in new poll, Adams gets no traction

40:00 Cuomo campaign is flailing

41:30 Jonathan Mahler joins the Chuck ToddCast! 

43:00 Jonathan's New York "credentials" 

46:00 Inspiration for "The Bronx is Burning" 

48:15 Ed Koch started the celebrification of NYC mayors 

50:00 Koch presided over a rebirth of NYC before it unraveled

 51:15 Why Roy Cohn's death signaled the end of an era 

52:30 Cohn connected Trump with the NYC elite 

54:00 Al Sharpton & Donald Trump fed off each other 

55:30 Trump was considered a "fleeting cultural figure" in the 80s 

57:30 The civil rights community wanted to break with Sharpton 

59:00 Sharpton publicized the murder of Yusef Hawkins 

1:00:00 Sharpton chose the politicians allowed at the funeral 

1:01:30 Mario Cuomo was larger than life, loomed over NYC 

1:04:15 Trump begins his rise as celebrity beyond NYC in 1988 

1:05:30 Trump inserts himself into politics via cultural commentary 

1:07:00 The Rise of Act up amidst the AIDS epidemic 

1:09:45 Anger that Ed Koch wasn't meeting the moment during epidemic 

1:11:00 Koch didn't bring attention to AIDS for fear of being outed 

1:14:00 Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" breaks into cultural zeitgeist 

1:19:00 "Do the Right Thing" was a wake up call for white America 

1:21:15 The "Gods of New York" are tabloid gods 

1:22:30 Trump learned how to grab attention in NYC tabloid culture 

1:23:30 Steinbrenner in the 70s was Trump in the 80s 

1:25:00 The Yankees resurgence importance to NYC's resurgence in 70s 

1:26:30 Trump headed for a spectacular bankruptcy in 1990 

1:28:15 Trump's "hibernation" period in the 90s 

1:29:30 Is there a parallel to Mamdani's victory? 

1:30:30 Why David Dinkens couldn't win reelection

1:33:15 Chuck's thoughts on interview with Jonathan Mahler 

1:36:00 Ask Chuck 

1:36:15 Will Democrats' strategy of gerrymandering help or hurt them? 

1:39:00 Top cities for MLB expansion? 

1:46:00 What's the response to Texas redistricting if not California?