The Big Story SNAP, ICE, MAHA! Recapping Trump's first year back in office
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Nov 4, 2025 Rob Goodman, an associate professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, dives into the implications of Trump's first year back in office. They discuss the shifting support from elite institutions and potential presidential impunity stemming from recent Supreme Court rulings. Goodman analyzes alarming domestic challenges like government shutdowns and militarized enforcement, as well as Trump's strategies to manage public fatigue. The conversation also touches on upcoming elections as tests of democratic sentiment and the ambitious renovations at the White House that hint at Trump's intent to stay in power.
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Elite Capitulation Versus Public Resistance
- Rob Goodman observes elites are more accommodating to Trump while popular resistance has grown stronger than in his first term.
- He highlights a disjunction between energized public pushback and elite institutions' capitulation.
Court Ruling Fuels Executive Impunity
- Goodman ties the Roberts Court immunity ruling to Trump's sense of impunity and a partisan court working with the president.
- He warns the administration now looks ideologically coherent and staffed with far-right actors driving policy.
Open Use Of State Power Against Opponents
- Goodman describes the administration as openly using state power against groups it sees as opponents, calling it an 'ugly' moment for U.S. politics.
- He sees the shutdown and selective funding as signs of collapsing separation of powers and constitutional governance.