The Gist Steve Hayes & Damon Linker: The Hole Truth
10 snips
Oct 28, 2025 
Damon Linker, a political science lecturer and Substack writer, teams up with Steve Hayes, Editor of The Dispatch, to dissect Trump's controversial demolition of the White House East Wing. They explore whether the uproar is about aesthetics or deeper issues and discuss the true dangers facing democracy. The conversation shifts to Trump's influence on public opinion and the speculation around a potential 2028 run. They also tackle larger themes like Congress's role in eroding democracy and urban homelessness, sparking a lively debate on governmental responsibility.
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Don’t Inflate Symbolic Acts Into Existential Crises
- Damon Linker argues the East Wing demolition is overblown and often treated like a bigger authoritarian sign than it is.
- He warns against treating every Trump misdeed as an existential crisis and urges perspective.
Distinguish Levels Of Harm
- Steve Hayes sees the East Wing act as bad mainly for lying and procedural violations, not as regime-ending.
- He cautions against conflating lower-tier outrages with the gravest authoritarian harms.
Trump Shapes Rather Than Succumbs To Opinion
- Steve Hayes says Trump doesn't ignore public opinion; he believes he can reshape it.
- Trump's skill is turning implausible claims into durable beliefs among his base.
