How Alarmed Should Journalists Be About Democratic Erosion?

On this episode of the Chuck ToddCast, veteran journalist for The Economist, James Bennet joins Chuck to break down Donald Trump’s scathing U.N. speech and what it reveals about his worldview: not isolationist, but relentlessly self-centered, with his personal interest framed as national interest. Bennet warns that Trump’s grip on power is existential for him and his administration, and if institutions like the Supreme Court allow unchecked presidential firings, the rule of law itself could unravel. From the Cold War’s stabilizing influence to the fractures of today’s four-party system crammed into two, Bennet and Chuck explore whether America can navigate its political turmoil without mass violence, and how drone warfare, refugee flows, and the collapse of the international rules-based order are reshaping global politics.

The conversation also turns inward, examining how journalism has struggled to adapt in the Trump era. Bennet reflects on writing for international audiences, the dangers of catering to niche media bubbles, and why legacy outlets must rediscover local reporting. He argues that deplatforming Trump was a massive mistake that accelerated the collapse of resistance, while public pressure against platforming controversial voices continues to erode open debate. From Biden’s misunderstood mandate to the Senate’s paralysis and the rise of cult-of-personality politics, this episode considers what reforms will be necessary both in government and in journalism.

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Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 James Bennet joins the Chuck ToddCast

01:30 Trump scolds other nations in scathing U.N. speech

02:30 Trump behaved like Hugo Chavez in U.N. speech

03:45 Trump is not an isolationist, but it’s all centered around him

04:30 Trump sees his interest as the national interest

06:15 How alarmed should we be?

07:15 Things have gotten pretty dark in the past two weeks

08:00 Staying in power is existential for Trump & his administration

09:30 If you lose the rule of law, you lose the country

10:15 If SCOTUS allows fed firing, there’s no going back

11:00 John Roberts desperate to avoid constitutional showdown

12:30 Government will require major reform after Trump

15:00 The cold war was a stabilizing force in American politics

17:00 America is a four party system crammed into two parties

19:00 Public sentiment has been pessimistic the entire 21st century

20:45 Can we get through this without mass violence?

22:30 It’s hard to imagine a productive modern constitutional convention

24:00 The last “protectionist race” led to a world war

25:15 We’re no longer living in the international rules based order

26:30 Drones are massively changing the dynamics of warfare

28:00 Refugee flows are causing political instability worldwide

28:30 Trump has no interest in leading internationally

30:00 Trump is constantly campaigning and only for his base

32:00 Did we export our politics to Israel, or the other way around?

33:45 Only Obama had a majority of the vote in the 21st century

34:45 Governors are the only politicians that campaign beyond their base

37:00 Biden misunderstood his 2020 mandate and overreached

38:30 Who is the Economist reader?

40:30 Writing about American politics for an international audience

42:30 If you had more resources, what would you focus on covering?

43:30 Legacy media needs to give more attention beyond D.C. and NYC

45:00 Need to find a new model in order to bring back local journalism

47:45 There’s too many journalists in D.C. and not enough in America

49:30 Journalism now caters to niche audiences

51:15 Deplatforming Trump was a massive mistake

52:00 Once ABC caved in lawsuit, resistance to Trump collapsed

54:00 Public pressures journalists to not platform people they disagree with

55:00 Michael Bennet was consensus candidate to replace Schumer

56:45 Nothing gets done in the senate, many senators leaving

1:00:15 In the TV era, successful presidents have had cults of personality

1:01:15 Newsom having success emulating Trump’s style

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