When the former secretary of state and C.I.A. director Mike Pompeo, a man who had dealt firsthand with autocrats like Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, described Randi Weingarten as “the most dangerous person in the world” last November, it seemed as though he couldn’t possibly be serious.Weingarten is 65 and just over five feet tall. She is Jewish and openly gay — she’s married to a rabbi — and lives in Upper Manhattan. She is the longtime president of the American Federation of Teachers, which is not even the country’s biggest union of public school educators. The A.F.T. did give in excess of $26 million to Democratic candidates and causes in the 2022 election cycle, but the Carpenters and Joiners union gave more than twice as much.The public education system may not be very popular right now, but both Democrats and Republicans tend to like their local schools and their children’s teachers. The unions that represent those teachers, however, are more polarizing. One reason for this is that they are actively involved in partisan politics and, more specifically, are closely aligned with the Democrats, a reality powerfully driven home during the pandemic. In some ways, Randi Weingarten and the A.F.T. — the union “boss” and “big labor” — are a logical, even inevitable target for the G.O.P.This story was recorded by Audm. To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Randi Weingarten, Jon Valant, Rick Hess, and Jamaal Bowman discuss the Democratic Party's lack of vision for public education and lay out a path forward. They emphasize the importance of pro-public education candidates, address child poverty, challenge ineffective policies, and advocate for reducing testing. They also discuss the need for Democrats to actively fight against harmful ideas and form a public education coalition.

Kurt Anderson, an author and political analyst, discusses the unpredictability surrounding the potential Trump administration. Randi Weingarten, the President of the American Federation of Teachers, passionately addresses Trump's detrimental impacts on American education. They dive into the cultural battles linked to education policy and warning signs of privatization. The conversation reveals the critical need for strong public schools and equitable education for all families, highlighting the erosion of trust in the public education system.