Conversations with Bill Kristol

In this discussion with Eric Edelman, a former ambassador and defense official, the conversation tackles pressing geopolitical challenges facing Donald Trump. Edelman highlights Iran’s nuclear ambitions, the shifting dynamics in the Middle East, and the urgent need for robust U.S. military support. The situation in Ukraine and China's military buildup are also on the table, emphasizing the importance of American leadership. He calls for strategic decision-making to strengthen global alliances and address threats to national security.

In this insightful conversation, Harvard law professor Jack Goldsmith, a former Assistant Attorney General, delves into the looming implications of a second Trump presidency. He analyzes Trump's ambitions to reshape federal control, highlighting the potential risks to constitutional governance and the rule of law. Goldsmith discusses the evolving power of presidential pardons and the erosion of checks and balances, emphasizing the critical role of Congress and civil servant independence in maintaining democratic integrity amidst political pressures.

What should we expect in Donald Trump’s second term?To discuss, we are joined by John Bolton, who served as National Security Advisor in the Trump White House from 2018 to 2019 and with distinction in many prior Republican administrations. Drawing on insights from working closely with Trump in his first term, Bolton shares his perspective on what the second term might look like. Bolton argues Trump selected his cabinet nominees for “fealty” rather than competence—and he discusses the politicization and chaos in government agencies that could result. Bolton also considers the role of the Senate as a potential check on the president, and reflects more broadly on Trump’s approach to the presidency.

Ronald Brownstein, a senior editor at The Atlantic and CNN political analyst, dives into the recent election results, revealing voter dissatisfaction driving a shift toward Trump. He discusses how economic discontent influenced this change and the cognitive dissonance affecting voter perceptions of extremism versus stability. Brownstein also examines demographic voting patterns, especially among white voters, and the challenges for both parties in appealing to the working class. The talk emphasizes the importance of economic messaging in shaping future elections.

Where does the race stand two weeks before Election Day? To discuss, we are joined by Ronald Brownstein, a senior editor at The Atlantic and a senior political analyst at CNN.  According to Brownstein, the election is “closely balanced on the knife’s edge” and very subtle shifts among coalitions in the swing states easily could change the outcome. Brownstein shares his perspective on possible paths to victory for each candidate based on the current data, and what we ought to look for on the campaign trail and in the polling during the last days of the campaign. Following the election, Brownstein will rejoin us for a special Conversation to analyze and reflect on what the 2024 returns reveal about the electorate—and what we can learn from these trends about how our politics might play out in the years ahead. 

How would the economy do under a Trump or Harris administration?  To discuss, we are joined again by the distinguished Harvard economist Jason Furman, who was Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers in President Obama’s second term. Furman shares his perspective on a wide variety of subjects including tariffs, trade policy with allies and adversaries, the dangers of a politicized Fed, inflation, and immigration. Forecasting economic policies under the two potential administrations, Furman contends that Kamala Harris would track Biden’s policies to some degree, but “her instincts are just a little bit more towards wanting to pal around with CEOs than labor leaders relative to Joe Biden.” As for Trump, Furman argues that “there’s one Trump, with responsible advisors, who doesn’t do anything he says on the campaign and things turn out basically fine. There’s another Trump who does follow through, and that could be a downside for growth and a large downside in terms of higher inflation.” 

We face an ever more dangerous geopolitical environment. In this Conversation, Princeton professor and AEI nonresident senior fellow Aaron Friedberg analyzes America’s foreign policy challenges and considers how a Harris or Trump administration might approach the threats we face. According to Friedberg, the cooperation among Russia, China, Iran, North Korea “has grown more and more sophisticated and complex” in recent times, making the challenges in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia more difficult to address—as well as more interrelated. Friedberg argues that the volatility in American domestic politics makes predicting the American approach to countering these threats increasingly uncertain. As he puts it, “If Trump comes back, the range of possible policies in each of these areas is just much wider than would have been typically the case in the past”—and a key question with Harris is "To what extent does she share [Biden’s] gut instinct regarding American leadership?"

How might Tuesday’s debate shape the race in the weeks ahead? How can Harris capitalize on her performance? Will the debate affect the results in November?  With less than eight weeks to Election Day, veteran Democratic strategist James Carville shares his advice to the Harris campaign and analysis of the race. As he puts it: “People still, for better or worse, know Trump. [Harris] had a great debate, a great convention, but still has some more to fill out here.” According to Carville, now Harris might benefit from giving speeches on issues from the economy to foreign policy. The Democratic base, he argues, “will allow her great leeway in appealing to more unaligned voters—and Trump doesn’t have that.” Carville and Kristol also discuss whether another debate will happen, Trump’s struggles to focus on issues, and possible key moments ahead in an extraordinary campaign.  

Doug Sosnik, a seasoned political strategist, analyzes the presidential race's current dynamics following Biden's withdrawal. He highlights Harris's success in positioning herself as the change candidate focusing on the future. However, he warns that she lags behind 2020's Biden-Harris numbers and must close the gap. Sosnik discusses the potential impact of upcoming debates, the importance of voter narratives, and the shifting demographics influencing Harris’s campaign strategy, particularly among younger voters and key battleground states.

Where do things stand in the race now that the matchup is set?According to veteran Democratic strategist James Carville, the replacement of Joe Biden by Kamala Harris has improved prospects for the Democrats—though “not as much as some people think.” As he puts it: “It’s like I tell people, if you have an infected wisdom tooth and you go to the dentist and they pull it out, you feel on top of the world—[but] God, you really don’t feel any better than you would if you never had the infected wisdom tooth.”  In a race that may be won at the margins, as in 2016 and 2020, Carville explains that Harris must define herself and her candidacy successfully where she still isn’t well known. According to Carville, she has the opportunity to brand Trump as “past, yesterday, and stale”—but the Harris-Walz campaign must have a forward-looking message and run on concrete policy proposals. Carville also discusses the selection of Walz, the mood at Mar-a-Lago since Biden’s withdrawal from the race, how the Trump strategy against Harris might develop, and offers advice about whether to have and how to handle a Harris-Trump debate.