Author McKay Coppins sits down with Peter Baker of The New York Times to discuss Coppins' best-selling biography Romney: A Reckoning, which offers an intimate look into the life and career of Senator Mitt Romney. Coppins explains the unique process of creating the book, which reads like an authorized biography, but over which he retained editorial privileges. Coppins explains how Romney's faith influenced his political and personal life, and the thread of rationalization toward self-interest that marked Romney's career and that of so many other politicians. Coppins and Baker also discuss Romney's complex relationship with Donald Trump, including Trump's endorsement of Romney in 2012, and Romney's later criticism of former President Trump and failed attempts to derail his candidacy.

 

Explored in the conversation are aspects of Romney’s life not commonly known, but that Coppins had access to through 45 one-on-one conversations as well as unvarnished journal entries and other correspondence. Peter Baker, Chief White House Correspondent for The New York Times, praises Coppins' book for the unique lens it provides into the inner workings of Washington and the Republican party in the Trump era.

 

Guests

McKay Coppins

Peter Baker

 

Additional Reading

Romney: A Reckoning, by McKay Coppins 

"What Mitt Romney Saw in the Senate," by McKay Coppins 

The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021, by Peter Baker and Susan Glasser