Courage vs. Capitulation: Lewis and Weisberg on Trump 2.0’s Quiet Heroes and Loud Cowards

Authors Michael Lewis and Jacob Weisberg have built careers on writing deeply researched books about the ways human judgement shapes powerful institutions, especially the U.S. government. Their latest books are a study in contrasts. In “Profiles in Cowardice,” Weisberg scrutinizes the people in positions of great power who folded to President Donald Trump’s power grab at the start of his second term. Lewis’s “Blockers” highlights the opposite: the nameless career bureaucrats who tried to defend federal laws and norms in the early days of DOGE. Kara, Michael and Jacob talk about the ways the second Trump administration has been dramatically different from the first, whether Elon Musk and his DOGE “musk-rats”really intended to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget, and why gutting the civil service left all of us worse off. They also talk about the upcoming midterm elections and how Democrats can work to hold the Trump administration accountable should they win back power in Congress. Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices