The president is exerting power and influence over what he thinks of as the country’s “elite” institutions.
As Donald Trump nears the end of his first 100 days in office, his administration continues to take aim at many American institutions. Panelists joined Washington Week With The Atlantic last night to discuss the administration’s stance on the courts, universities, government agencies, and more.
Meanwhile, this week Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska told voters that “we are all afraid,” adding that she’s anxious about using her voice, “because retaliation is real.”
“It is so pervasive, what she is talking about,” Mark Leibovich said last night. She’s not talking about “political intimidation like Elon Musk throwing a bunch of money at an opponent or someone being primaried.” He continued, “She’s talking about physical fear.”
Murkowski’s sentiments are also not isolated, Leibovich added. “It’s been a real hallmark of this era,” he said. “Governing is supposed to take place by politics, by persuasion, by debate. Authoritarianism is by intimidation, by threat, by violence in some cases.”
Joining the editor in chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, to discuss this and more: Peter Baker, the chief White House correspondent for The New York Times; Laura Barrón-López, a White House Correspondent for PBS News Hour; Eugene Daniels, a senior Washington correspondent and incoming co-host of The Weekend at MSNBC; and Mark Leibovich, a staff writer at The Atlantic.
Watch the full episode here.
