2650 - The Disastrous Final Year of Donald Trump's Presidency w/ Carol Leonnig

Sam and Emma host Carol Leonnig, national investigative reporter at the Washington Post, to discuss her recent book she co-authored with Phillip Rucker, I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump's Catastrophic Final Year. They begin by stepping off Leonnig’s and Rucker’s previous work A Very Stable Genius, and how they were able to secure a sit down with Trump following his complete bashing of their last book. They look into his continued desire for an audience, not to mention an audience of his audience, and the maintenance of his three primary beliefs in his final year: that the 1/6 rioters were genuinely loving people, that BLM protesters were a clear existential threat, and that he, Donald Trump, was the clear winner of the 2020 election. Delving into the ladder, Sam, Emma, and Carol explore how Trump was able to convince both his base and himself of the election fraud, before moving onto his mishandling of the Coronavirus pandemic from the very start. They discuss his strategy of focusing on the battleground of the daily news cycle, taking every problem as a PR crisis, even as those close to him attempted to steer him towards practically tackling the pandemic to save his reelection. Carol then goes deep into the pressure on journalists, when it comes to Trump, to find the truth behind the truth, looking into what he and his administration actually believe, and why they genuinely take the actions they take, looking particularly into his clearing of Lafayette Square for a biblical photo op. They round out the interview by looking deeper into his administration, his enablers, and those that attempted to control his impulses, as well as the effect of his first three years on emboldening the worst of him. Sam and Emma conclude the free half by summarizing the vote-a-rama that took place on reconciliation, and Fox & Friends’ realization that socialism is, indeed, popular. And in the Fun Half: Emma, Sam, and the MR crew chat about the over-saturation of media critique, the importance of a large-scale audience for MR, and follow up yesterdays “Ligma” variant discussion with an exploration of some of the worst, and best, of MR IMs. Then, a dear MR Discord Moderator calls in for some carpentry tips (surprisingly not asking Emma of Nazareth), before Sam and a caller talk civics versus ethics, and Chris from Minneapolis follows up a discussion on the Senate Dem’s performative vote against “defund the police” by exploring what localities are actually doing, not just saying. Lastly, they look into the mob of parents chanting “child abuse” (unfortunately, not at themselves) at a Franklin, TN school board meeting on masks, plus, your calls and IMs! Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here. Join the Majority Report Discord! http://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ (Merch issues and concerns can be addressed here: majorityreportstore@mirrorimage.com) You can now watch the livestream on Twitch Check out today’s sponsors: Tushy: Hello Tushy cleans your butt with a precise stream of fresh water for just $79. It attaches to your existing toilet – requires NO electricity or additional plumbing – and cuts toilet paper use by 80% – so the Hello Tushy bidet pays for itself in a few months. Go to hellotushy.com/majority to get 10% off today! quip: quip mouthwash kills bad breath germs, helps prevent cavities, and leaves you feeling fresh thanks to a formula that gives your mouth everything it needs. Their 4X concentrate has fluoride, xylitol, and CPC, but they left out the artificial colors and stinging alcohol you’ll find in a lot of other rinses.That’s $5 off a Mouthwash Starter Kit, which includes a Refillable Dispenser and a 90-dose supply of quip’s 4x concentrated formula, at getquip.com/majority5. Support the St. Vincent Nurses today as they continue to strike for a fair contract! https://action.massnurses.org/we-stand-with-st-vincents-nurses/ Subscribe to Discourse Blog, a newsletter and website for progressive essays and related fun partly run by AM Quickie writer Jack Crosbie. https://discourseblog.com/ Subscribe to AM Quickie writer Corey Pein’s podcast News from Nowhere, at https://www.patreon.com/newsfromnowhere Check out The Letterhack’s upcoming Kickstarter project for his new graphic novel! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/milagrocomic/milagro-heroe-de-las-calles Check out Matt Binder’s YouTube channel! Check out The Nomiki Show live at 3 pm ET on YouTube at patreon.com/thenomikishow Check out Matt’s podcast, Literary Hangover, at Patreon.com/LiteraryHangover, or on iTunes. Check out Jamie’s podcast, The Antifada, at patreon.com/theantifada, on iTunes, or at twitch.tv/theantifada (streaming every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 7pm ET!) Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattBinder @MattLech @BF1nn @BradKAlsop Help Aamon Hawk Buy A Super Computer!