David Brooks , KQED's Forum

David Brooks on 'Why America Needs a Mass Movement – Now'

23 Oct 2025 • 54 min • EN
54 min
00:00
54:38
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The Trump administration’s constant flouting of court orders, its conversion of ICE into a massive paramilitary organization, its extortion of universities and corporations. It’s all prompted political commentator David Brooks to pose what he calls the question of the decade: “why hasn’t a resistance movement materialized here?” A self-described moderate, Brooks says we’re naive to think Trumpism will end in three years; rather, if unopposed, “global populism of the sort Trumpism represents could dominate for a generation.” We talk to Brooks about how he assesses the No Kings protests and how he’d build on past social movements to counter the tide of populist authoritarianism. We also talk to him about why learning to see other people more deeply can help build meaningful alliances, a concept he develops in his book “How to Know a Person,” which was just released in paperback. Guests: David Brooks, opinion columnist, The New York Times; contributing writer, The Atlantic; commentator, PBS NewsHour Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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