Why Wright Wrote The Barn

Chuck Todd unpacks a seismic moment in Republican politics: Marjorie Taylor-Greene’s break from Donald Trump and her abrupt resignation from Congress. He traces how the split—months in the making—reveals deep fractures inside the “America First” movement, with MTG positioning herself as the true-believer successor to the Bannon wing while accusing both parties of fueling a self-serving “political industrial complex.” Chuck explains why her departure signals growing disillusionment among Trump’s base, how job displacement and economic anxiety are reshaping the electorate, and why MTG’s political instincts make her far more formidable than her critics admit. Then he turns to new confusion surrounding the administration’s Ukraine peace proposal—where even Republicans like Marco Rubio appear uneasy—and how Trump’s handling of Venezuela risks alienating Latin American partners and setting U.S. diplomacy back decades.

Then, author Wright Thompson joins Chuck Todd to discuss his new book The Barn and the enduring struggle to tell the stories of civil rights in America. Wright delves into the history of Emmett Till, the ongoing battle over how Black history is taught in the South, and the limitations of projects like 1619 in capturing the full scope of systemic racism. He reflects on how the South’s “lost cause” imagery and historical amnesia continue to shape politics, culture, and education, and why remembering Till’s story is essential for understanding the roots of American dysfunction. Along the way, Wright also explores how sports have historically led society in moral leadership, from civil rights breakthroughs to the integrity of figures like LeBron James.

Thompson also tackles broader questions about American governance and society, from the failures of individual politicians to the structural incentives that keep the country in political spirals, the challenges of the modern presidency, and the looming threats of drone warfare and algorithm-driven polarization. He offers insights from his journey as a sportswriter, illustrating how cultural narratives—from the 1940s to today—shape our national conversation. This episode is a deep dive into history, morality, and the complexities of chronicling America’s past while grappling with its present and future.

Finally, Chuck hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to revisit the year America had TWO Thanksgivings, answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment and recaps the weekend in college football. 

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Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction

04:15 Marjorie Taylor-Greene splits w/Trump and resigns from congress

06:15 MTG’s break with Trump has been months in the making

07:30 MTG is an “America First” true believer

08:30 Trump isn’t as America First as his coalition

10:15 Trump isn’t governing based on the coalition he built

11:00 MTG could be a presidential candidate repping the Bannon wing

12:15 MTG calls out the “political industrial complex” in her statement

13:45 There is truth to the political industrial complex accusation

15:30 For 20 years every election just flips back and forth between parties

17:00 Job displacement is going to be a massive electoral issue

18:00 MTG is a spurned true believer

21:30 Whatever you think of her, MTG understands how congress works

22:15 MTG wants to send the message that she’s the true believer

24:00 MTG wanted to blow up the system & establishment, Trump didn’t

26:00 Trump is always bullshitting, some of his followers are finding it out

28:15 MTG didn’t want to face a Trump-backed primary challenger

31:30 Trump will be at the center of the midterms, that’s bad for the GOP
33:00 If MTG ran for senate in Georgia, she’d probably win

34:30 The MAGA coalition is cracking, Trump won’t be able to fix it

36:15 Confusion between administration and congress over Ukraine peace deal

37:45 Rubio argued the peace proposal was written by the U.S. 

39:15 Rubio is clearly uncomfortable with the terms of the deal

39:45 Steve Witkoff just plays stenographer for the Kremlin

41:00 The majority of congress supports Ukraine far more than Trump

43:00 The administration has not made the Venezuela case to congress

44:30 Trump could set us back decades with Latin America w/missteps in Venezuela

50:30 Wright Thompson joins the Chuck ToddCast

51:30 Why Wright wanted to write “The Barn”

52:45 The MAGA project wants to go back to pre civil rights era

54:00 How Emmit Till and civil rights are taught in the south

55:30 The war on black history has been embodied in textbooks

56:45 The biggest flaw of the 1619 Project is it didn’t go far enough

58:30 The barn where Emmit Till was killed isn’t a national landmark

01:00:45 The south still drapes itself in the “lost cause” civil war imagery

01:02:00 So many bomb throwing politicians aren’t built for governing

01:03:00 There was huge overseas money propping up the south in 1860’s

01:05:30 America required catastrophes to pull out of political death spirals

01:06:30 The battle against powerful forces just to tell civil rights stories

01:08:15 Emmit Til is a symbol, but he was also just a boy

01:09:30 It’s incumbent on Americans to remember Til’s name

01:10:45 The seeds of our dysfunction were planted between Vietnam & NAFTA

01:11:45 You have to understand Mississippi to understand America

01:14:00 If Garfield had lived we may have passed civil rights 80 years sooner

01:15:00 Separating your own politics from the era you are writing about?

01:16:00 There were many political fence sitters in World War 2 France

01:17:45 People are willing to ignore/participate in atrocities during civil war

01:18:15 How Wright got into sportswriting

01:19:45 Sports leaned into civil rights before society as a whole did

01:21:00 Michael Jordan wouldn’t be able to fence sit in modern America

01:23:15 From the 1940’s-60’s, sports heroes were rooted in morality

01:25:30 Greatest written sports profiles

01:27:15 The hubris of wanting to be president should disqualify you for it

01:29:15 The American tribe has been under relentless assault for 30 years

01:30:30 The American experiment is an incredibly difficult endeavor

01:31:15 Individual politicians are less important than incentive structures

01:33:00 America hasn’t had a recent galvanizing event requiring collective sacrifice

01:34:45 The coming drone wars are terrifying

01:36:45 America longs for a radical centrism

01:39:00 People need to realize the algorithm is the enemy, not another person

01:41:00 Obama v Trump could be the cultural showdown America needs

01:42:00 Trump didn’t realize the employees didn’t come with the White House

01:43:00 The presidency is an impossible job

01:44:30 Whose sports profile do you want to write but can’t get access to?

01:47:30 LeBron has managed to keep a squeaky clean profile despite his stardom

01:50:00 Why the podcast format is a better way to talk to people

1:52:30 Chuck’s thoughts on interview with Wright Thompson

1:53:00 Toddcast Time Machine - 1939

1:53:30 America had two Thanksgivings after FDR moved it

1:55:30 FDR changed the date for Thanksgiving to help retailers

1:56:15 Presidents used to choose the date for Thanksgiving

1:58:30 Thanksgiving date was always changed for logistical reasons

1:59:45 FDR moved Thanksgiving up one week & started a culture war

2:01:00 23 states celebrated “Franksgiving”

2:01:30 3 states celebrated two Thanksgivings

2:02:30 In 1941, Congress stepped to make official date for Thanksgiving

2:05:00 Ask Chuck

2:05:30 Thoughts on Trump falling head over heels for Zohran Mamdani?

2:12:30 Would Chuck ever run for office someday?

2:16:00 How do you track evolving policies across administrations?

2:18:45 College football recap

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