The Briefing with Michael Waldman

Can the Presidency Be Tamed? (with David Frum)


Listen Later

From Washington to Lincoln to FDR to the present day, presidents have long been drivers of American progress. Yet the presidency has also been prone to immense abuse.

Today, we are experiencing an executive power grab at a scale never seen before. Is this merely a continuation of trends or something entirely new? How should we understand this moment in American history? And what do we need to do to restore checks on the office?

Listen as David Frum, former speechwriter for President George W. Bush and staff writer at The Atlantic, speaks about this moment in our constitutional history and what it will take to correct course.

Recorded on February 17, 2026.

Keep up with the Brennan Center’s work by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, The Briefing, at https://go.brennancenter.org/briefing.

The Brennan Center is a nonpartisan law and policy institute that works to repair, revitalize, and defend our systems of democracy and justice so they work for all Americans. The Brennan Center cannot support or oppose any candidate for office.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brennancenter.substack.com
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The Briefing with Michael WaldmanBy Brennan Center

  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5

5

27 ratings


More shows like The Briefing with Michael Waldman

View all
The Rachel Maddow Show by Rachel Maddow, MS NOW

The Rachel Maddow Show

37,220 Listeners

Pod Save America by Pod Save America

Pod Save America

87,980 Listeners

The Intercept Briefing by The Intercept

The Intercept Briefing

6,118 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

113,075 Listeners

Pod Save the World by Pod Save the World

Pod Save the World

24,835 Listeners

Up First from NPR by NPR

Up First from NPR

56,825 Listeners

Radio Atlantic by The Atlantic

Radio Atlantic

2,366 Listeners

The Intelligence from The Economist by The Economist

The Intelligence from The Economist

2,546 Listeners

Strict Scrutiny by Strict Scrutiny

Strict Scrutiny

5,868 Listeners

The MeidasTouch Podcast by MeidasTouch Network

The MeidasTouch Podcast

50,977 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

16,492 Listeners

The Lincoln Project by The Lincoln Project

The Lincoln Project

9,262 Listeners

On with Kara Swisher by Vox Media

On with Kara Swisher

3,520 Listeners

THE DAILY BLAST with Greg Sargent by Greg Sargent

THE DAILY BLAST with Greg Sargent

791 Listeners

Letters from an American by Heather Cox Richardson

Letters from an American

6,247 Listeners