To The Contrary with Charlie Sykes Susan Glasser: TrumpSchmerz
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Oct 9, 2025 
Susan Glasser, a staff writer at The New Yorker, dives into the concept of 'TrumpSchmerz'—the pervasive anxiety felt during the Trump era. She discusses the troubling weaponization of government power and the erosion of political norms, questioning if American institutions can withstand authoritarianism. Their conversation touches on international alarm regarding U.S. stability and the implications of political retribution, underscoring how the Justice Department is being leveraged for personal agendas. Glasser reflects on how this tense climate shapes her journalistic approach.
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Rhetoric Becoming Structural Change
- Susan Glasser argues Trump is now converting inflammatory rhetoric into structural actions that change America.
- She says the escalation in 2025 marks a shift from threat to implementation of retribution and control.
Supreme Court As The Real Inflection
- Glasser emphasizes the Supreme Court now faces direct tests of core Trump claims about unilateral powers.
- She warns Chief Justice Roberts will determine if the Court curbs or enables systemic abuses.
Tolerance Determines The Outcome
- Glasser and Sykes stress the crisis is not only Trump's actions but what Americans will tolerate.
- They argue public acquiescence, not just Trump, will decide the future of American democracy.