Chuck Todd delivers a sweeping, big-picture meditation on the Trump era and where it's ultimately headed, arguing that despite the widespread conviction that Trump is teflon and that nothing will ever take him down, his presidency will end not with a bang but a whimper — and history won't remember it well. He predicts that a century from now Trump will be remembered somewhere between Grover Cleveland and Richard Nixon, and that his act, like every previous iteration of Trump, will eventually wear out its welcome with the public — because it always has, and he's already entered some version of lame-duck territory. The heart of the episode is Chuck’s astonishment at Trump's financial disclosure, which he calls a brazen catalog of impeachable offenses. His sharpest line reframes Trump's entire brand: he doesn't actually "own the libs" — he owns the people who send him money, and he's utterly oblivious to the plight of anyone who isn't rich. He closes on a genuinely searching note — observing that Trump is visibly aging and less sharp, that the country is tired of him and it's starting to show, that his single greatest fear is exposure and ridicule, and that he's proving to be nothing more than a grifter.
Then, Carolyn Ryan — deputy managing editor of The New York Times — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a candid conversation about the state of American journalism at a moment when the Times has become, as Ryan puts it, one of the last big independent organizations left in news. Ryan makes the case that serious journalism has become almost impossible without the resources the Times can still muster — deep-dive reporting requires enormous time, the best legal team in the business to withstand the threats and lawsuits now routinely aimed at the press, and an ownership structure insulated from market pressure. She's blunt about the difference the Ochs-Sulzberger family makes: newsrooms owned by publicly traded companies inevitably change their behavior to satisfy shareholders, while the family that controls the Times is, in her words, "ride or die" for journalism — a distinction that has never mattered more than it does now, even as she praises the excellent nonprofit newsrooms springing up around the country. Ryan explains how the Times is building regional reporting hubs and investing heavily in places like Texas on the theory that a truly national news organization needs a journalist in every state, why book reporting from stars like Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan often lands with more impact and candor than day-to-day breaking news, and how the paper decides which reporters get the coveted book leave that produces those deeper stories.
The conversation gets into the harder editorial questions facing the Times in the Trump era. Ryan discusses the paper's major investment in a more rigorous polling and data operation , its aggressive push into video to reach younger audiences, and the perennial tension over whether there should be a brighter line between the newsroom and the opinion page — a separation the Times has tried to clarify through design changes and by being more transparent about its process. Ryan is thoughtful about one of the thorniest challenges in modern journalism: how to handle the obvious lies told by Trump and other political figures, explaining that to actually call something a "lie" you have to establish intent, that the audience cares enormously about how things are described, and that the language should always be direct and forthright without tipping into hysteria. She closes with a sharp critique of the Pentagon kicking out reporters and banning contact with unauthorized military members — a policy she argues is not only unconstitutional but a direct threat to the journalism that keeps the public informed about how its military actually operates.
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Finally, Chuck hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to revisit the admission of several western states into the union and how it built the modern senate. He also answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment.
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Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction
04:00 Trump has been teflon, we’re convinced nothing will take him down
05:00 Trump era will end in a whimper, history won’t remember it well
07:15 In 100 years, Trump will be as remembered like Cleveland or Nixon
08:15 Trump admitted to rank corruption in his financial disclosures
09:45 Eventually, Trump’s act will wear out its welcome
10:45 Those who criticized Hunter Biden should be outraged about Trump
12:15 Trump has already entered some version of lame duck territory
14:00 Every era of Trump eventually wore out with the public
16:00 In politics, Trump has had nine lives. Survived when nobody else would
17:30 January 6th should have been the end of Trump… but wasn’t
19:15 The bribes from the middle east just keep getting worse and worse
21:15 Trump has lost his ability to influence anyone but his base
22:30 Trump’s financial disclosure is a catalog of impeachable offenses
23:15 Trump’s act feels like it’s entering its late-stage form
24:15 Trump made America 250 participation an endorsement of himself
28:00 Financial disclosure showed how brazen his corruption is
29:30 Trump’s disclosure was 927 pages, Obama’s was 8
31:00 Trump was anti-crypto until he realized he could monetize it personally
31:45 Trump has converted the presidency into a business
33:00 Trump doesn’t “own the libs”... he owns the people who send him money*
36:00 Trump is oblivious to the plight of anyone who isn’t rich
37:45 Trump has stakes in tons of companies with government contracts
39:30 In a healthy political system, this level of corruption would force retreat
41:15 Almost no Republicans appeared with him as he monetized the 4th of July
42:30 America should have been about the country, Trump made it about himself
44:15 Trump ignored warnings about the heat, put his own supporters at risk
46:30 The botched reflected pool is a perfect metaphor for Trump’s presidency
48:15 The white supremacist Patriot Front showed up in DC
49:00 Patriot Front felt emboldened and welcomed enough to show up in Trump’s DC
51:30 Trump is aging and not as sharp
52:15 The country is tired of Trump and it’s starting to show
53:30 Trump’s biggest fear is exposure and ridicule
55:30 Trump is politically vulnerable, he’s proving to only be a grifter
57:00 How did the country turn itself over to this man twice?
1:05:15 Carolyn Ryan joins the Chuck ToddCast
1:07:00 The NYT is the last big independent organization left in news
1:08:00 Positives & concerns about the state of media?
1:09:30 NYT stress importance of fact based reporting
1:10:15 It’s important for journalists to have access to resources
1:11:45 Journalists require access to legal resources
1:12:45 Deep dive journalism requires lots of time & resources
1:13:15 NYT has the best legal team in the business
1:14:15 Newsrooms owned by publicly traded companies change behavior
1:15:45 The Ochz-Sulzberger family is ride or die for journalism
1:16:45 Great non-profit newsrooms exist around the country
1:19:15 NYT is trying to build hubs in certain cities & regions
1:19:45 Book reporting can have greater impact than day-to-day reporting
1:21:15 What’s the NYT policy regarding book vs day-to-day reporting?
1:22:00 Haberman/Swan are a singular force in journalism
1:22:45 Haberman is a scoop machine
1:23:15 Situation room with Bibi scoop broke in the paper months ago
1:24:00 Book reporting offers depth and candor that breaking news doesn’t
1:26:00 How do you decide which reporters can go on book leave?
1:27:45 NYT has created a much more rigorous polling unit
1:28:15 Polling and data are huge investments for the Times
1:30:00 State level polls are a great way to take temperature on issues
1:31:15 Public opinion shift on Israel has been historically fast
1:32:45 NYT investing big in video to reach a younger audience
1:34:45 Journalism has to adapt to new technologies/platforms
1:37:45 Should there be a brighter line between the NYT & opinion page?
1:38:30 Times isn’t guided by audience capture or clicks
1:39:30 Changed the design of the opinion segment to differentiate it
1:41:15 Is the fact checking process the same for opinion pieces?
1:43:30 Have to be forthright about the journalism process for the audience
1:45:15 The impact of having your newsroom centered in NYC?
1:48:45 It’s important to elevate journalists from across the country
1:49:45 NYT is investing heavily in reporting in Texas
1:51:00 You want a national strategy, have a journalist in every state
1:53:15 Grappling with publishing Trump’s & others obvious lies
1:54:15 To call something a lie, you have to understand intent
1:55:45 The audience really cares about how things are described
1:56:15 Language should be direct & forthright, not hysterical
1:58:45 Audience is being numbed to the corruption stories
2:01:30 Unclear how the Dem establishment responds to progressive uprising
2:02:30 What’s being missed by Pentagon kicking out reporters?
2:03:15 Banning talking to unauthorized military members is unconstitutional
2:05:15 The importance of access journalism
2:08:15 Chuck’s thoughts on the interview with Caroline Ryan
2:11:00 ToddCast Time Machine - July 10th, 1890
2:11:30 The U.S. had just admitted six new states and twelve Republican senators
2:12:15 Settlers were building the west, politicians were building the senate
2:14:00 Congress needed to replace votes from the south with votes from the west
2:15:15 Political considerations are why we have two Dakotas
2:15:45 The western states provided votes for a stronger federal government
2:17:30 The politicians had a public mandate to admit these states
2:18:15 Republicans built and maintained their political coalition via statehood admission
2:19:45 Politicians will always seek to give themselves political advantage
2:20:15 The map of America is a map based on political considerations
2:21:00 D.C. and Puerto Rico will eventually become states
2:21:45 Ask Chuck
2:22:00 Thoughts on D.C. statehood, do you support it?
2:25:15 What would it take for a 3rd party to have a viable chance of winning?
2:28:45 If Democrats take control of congress, do they risk stopping Trump’s arch?
2:32:00 What is holding back Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio governor’s race?
2:35:45 How could the Supreme Court overturn a constitutional amendment?
2:39:00 Props to Charleston, South Carolina and Miami helmet
2:40:15 Thoughts on LeBron & his free agency
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