Diane Rehm: On My Mind cover image

Diane Rehm: On My Mind

"Donald Trump is daring opponents: 'Come and get me!'"

Jan 30, 2025
31:30

It has been ten days since Donald Trump was inaugurated for his second term as president. Since then, he has signed a flurry of executive orders, pardoned every January 6th defendant, pushed through controversial cabinet picks, and made moves to completely reshape the federal workforce. 

And by most accounts, the Democratic response has been ... tepid.

“Donald Trump is charting new ground for a president,” says Susan Glasser, staff writer at The New Yorker. “He is daring opponents: 'Come and get me!'"

So far, Glasser adds, nobody has taken him up on the dare. But this week’s federal funding debacle might have changed the equation and given Democrats an opening.

Glasser is also co-author of a book about Trump’s first four years in the White House titled The Divider, and says he seems poised to take advantage of this opportunity for a do-over. She joins Diane to talk about what we’ve seen from the new administration so far and what, if anything, Democrats can do to put a check on his power. 

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