Legitimacy and Restoration in American Politics

Objective normalcy makes a comeback. In several inauguration speeches, Trump delivered a searing indictment of the elites, a symbolic rebuke to the old order, and a reassertion of American ideals. He followed this up with a barrage of executive orders, including one overturning federal affirmative action. Though these are dramatic actions in one sense, in another they’re just first steps toward restoring the founders’ principled regime. The hosts discuss the first days of Trumps term, the spillover effect of ending federal DEI programs in the private sector, and the reconsideration of birthright citizenship in the face of birth tourism and mass immigration.