🎧 Trump Stress Test

Episode summary: David talks to the historian Sarah Churchwell about how well America’s political institutions have withstood the stress of the last four years. Have we seen the limits of presidential power or have we discovered how easy it is to trash those limits? Are constitutional checks and balances still intact? Is it really Mitch McConnell who is putting American democracy under stress? Plus we talk about what will be needed to restore the social contract and the perils of political humility. Talking Points: Many of the founding institutions in political life have been put under stress during the Trump administration. - Trump has said a lot, but he hasn’t done much. We’ll have a better sense of the extent of the damage after the election. - Trump’s behaviour often gets more outlandish as the constraints on his power become more visible. The power of the U.S. executive has been growing, certainly since 9/11. - Both Bush and Obama strengthened the executive presidency. - Some have argued that Trump’s incompetence…