David Graham, a political journalist at The Atlantic and author of 'The Project: How Project 2025 Is Reshaping America', discusses the deep roots and implications of Project 2025. He delves into the rise of executive power and how it shapes contemporary governance. Amidst the political turmoil, Graham critiques the impacts of Christian nationalism and faith-based policies on civil rights. He also examines Trump's legal challenges and their polarizing effects on American politics, raising important questions about the future of governance and accountability.
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Graham's Journalism Origin Story
David Graham was inspired to become a journalist after reading Russell Baker's autobiography in middle school.
He fell in love with journalism after writing a story for his college newspaper at Duke University.
insights INSIGHT
Roots of Executive Power
The belief in untrammeled executive power has deep roots linked to Nixon and was influenced by scholars like John Yoo.
Trump energized this movement as a chance to actually implement their vision of strong executive control.
insights INSIGHT
Congress Abdicates; Executive Power Grows
Conservatives criticize Congress for abdicating powers, which led to an empowered executive branch.
The structure of independent agencies and the Justice Department's impartiality role creates inherent contradictions in executive control.
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David Graham is a political journalist. He’s a long-time staff writer at The Atlantic and one of the authors of the Atlantic Daily newsletter. His new book is The Project: How Project 2025 Is Reshaping America. We go through the agenda and hash out the good and the bad.
For two clips of our convo — on whether SCOTUS will stop Trump, and what a Project 2029 for Dems might look like — pop over to our YouTube page.
Other topics: growing up in Akron; his dad the history prof and his mom the hospital chaplain; aspiring to be a journo since reading Russell Baker as a kid; the origins of Project 2025; its director Paul Dans; Heritage and Claremont; the unitary executive; the New Deal; the odd nature of independent agencies; Dominic Cummings’ reform efforts in the UK; Birtherism; Reaganites in Trump 1.0 tempering him; Russiagate; the BLM riots vs Jan 6; equity under Biden; Russell Vought and Christian nationalism; faith-based orgs; Bostock; the trans EO by Trump; our “post-constitutional moment”; lawfare; the souped-up Bragg case; Liberation Day and its reversal; Biden’s industrial policy; the border crisis; Trump ignoring E-Verify; Labour’s new shift on migration; Obama and the Dreamers; Trump’s “emergencies”; habeas corpus; the Ozturk case; the Laken Riley Act; the abundance agenda; the national debt; DOGE; impoundment and Nixon; trans women in sports; Seth Moulton; national injunctions; judge shopping; and trying to stay sane during Trump 2.0 and the woke resistance.
Coming up: Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson on the Biden years, Sam Tanenhaus on Bill Buckley, Walter Isaacson on Ben Franklin, Tara Zahra on the last revolt against globalization after WWI, NS Lyons on the Trump era, Arthur C. Brooks on the science of happiness, and Paul Elie on his book The Last Supper: Art, Faith, Sex, and Controversy in the 1980s. Please send any guest recs, dissents, and other comments to dish@andrewsullivan.com.
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