The Atlantic Current

The sweeping biography of Donald Trump as cultural figure comes to an end. Trump weathers his collapse by audaciously — and hysterically — creating a brilliant but imaginary comeback. Left outside the business world, Trump is rescued by reality television, which rehabilitates his reputation and leads to a new business model of licensing anything he can.

But, by the early 2010s, even that career seems to be at an end. An ignominious appearance on cable television in a show for washed-up, scandal-ridden celebrities seems to augur the end of one the most remarkable careers in American entertainment, and a last hurrah for a man who dramatically changed American culture, for better or for worse.

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Donald Trump sends the island of Ireland into an uproar as he calls for a unified Ireland. Is it, as some believe, a coordinated effort to take a shot at a Labour government that won’t cooperate enough overseas? Or, as Vince argues, is it another case of Trump substituting his “common sense” for detailed understanding? Tull and Vince have fun with the visit, while Tull details the promise and peril of what a United Ireland might look like.

And with the “actually, AI could kill everyone” risk storming into the news cycle, the two bring their respective expertise — and dark humor — to the complex, fascinating, and terrifying future of the technology.

Ahead of the 25th anniversary, Vince and Tull revisit that day. Vince discusses what it was like being in Manhattan as the Twin Towers were hit and fell, while Tull offers his own remembrance from a rural pub in Ireland.

The aftermath of the event — particularly when the US veered into Iraq — has colored that day, and Tull asks if Americans have ever fully come to grips with what happened. Vince closes with a heartfelt plea — and a way, to, perhaps to properly honor the victims.

The fall of Donald Trump in the late 1980s has been extensively documented, yet not particularly well understood. Despite the narrative from his critics then and now, across the decade Trump’s deal-making prowess remains on display.

But it’s his managerial style and, most importantly, strategic ineptitude, that dooms Trump not just in Atlantic City casinos but throughout his empire. The fascinating story of how, and why, Donald Trump blew up.

With “leaving certs” done in Ireland, Tull and Vince turn their attention to higher education. Vince is startled by the seemingly unforgiving path to higher education in Ireland. Tull is brought to silence by the costs of college in the U.S. And while young people in both countries have a seemingly easy choice to make, the duo closes with a discussion of why the right move in dollars is so difficult for many eighteen-year-olds to make.

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With the political scene mostly quiet, Tull and Vince focus in on some of the wildest, funniest, and outright dumbest stories of the week. A MAGA influencer publicly alleges a ‘deep state’ conspiracy, and outs herself in the process. A tiny left-wing party in Ireland threatens to fracture again, leading to a fond discussion of one of the funniest political scenes ever put on film. A sitting US Senator provides a shocking defense for an anti-government stance, and a race in Alaska leads to a riotous discussion of historical elections where two candidates share the same name.

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Tull and Vince cover the death of five teenagers on an Irish highway, and how it might drive a sea change in attitudes toward policing and criminal justice. The focus then turns to lighter stories in the States: one of the wilder statements ever uttered in a political debate, and the 35-year-old White House aide who found herself at the center of a massive story — in part because her president left Americans with so little else to talk about.

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In 1976, Donald Trump gives an interview to the New York Times which is stunning in its brazen falsehoods. Seven years later, Trump Tower opens — and, for a time, shows that Trump has become what he had earlier only pretended to be. A rollicking story of how Trump played the media, used his connections, dealt with the Mob, and set the foundation for his rise to fame in the 1980s.

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Tull and Vince focus on two primary elections in the great state of Michigan as test cases for and reflections of a new Red Scare (and Green Scare) in the US. How a man who spent less than $2,000 and suspended his campaign won — and whether a formidable candidate with an impressive resume and a “funny-sounding name” can do the same in November.

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Mayo’s win in the All-Ireland Gaelic football final sparks a warm discussion on the joy of sports, curses, and a detour into the insanity of American amateur athletics.

But news elsewhere is more grim: renewed terrorist threats in the North, and a complete inability in the US (or anywhere else) to reckon with the damage caused by the global coronavirus pandemic. In both cases, Tull and Vince provide typically brilliant insight - but, in both cases, an easy answer is unfortunately impossible.

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