Scott Detrow
Appearances
Consider This from NPR
Is the U.S. headed for autocracy?
M. Gessen knows what it feels like when a democracy starts to look like something else. They lived in Russia in the aughts in early 2010s, which was a period of time when Vladimir Putin steadily cracked down on activists, journalists, and opposition leaders. And one of the particularities of Russia, according to Gessen, is that before things became threatening, they often just seemed ridiculous.
Consider This from NPR
Is the U.S. headed for autocracy?
And then there's that proposal for the U.S. to, quote, own the Gaza Strip, permanently relocate the Palestinians who live there and redevelop it.
Consider This from NPR
Is the U.S. headed for autocracy?
Consider this. Trump's term has been marked by a string of policy proposals that would have been unthinkable in any other administration. Even if they don't go anywhere, they are reshaping the boundaries of our democracy. From NPR, I'm Scott Detrow.
Consider This from NPR
Is the U.S. headed for autocracy?
It's Consider This from NPR. M. Gessen argues that there's a simple through line to the barrage of proposals in President Trump's first month.
Consider This from NPR
Is the U.S. headed for autocracy?
Gessen has thought and written a lot about autocracy, most recently as an opinion columnist on The New York Times. So I got them on the line to talk about how they make sense of the Trump administration so far.
Consider This from NPR
Is the U.S. headed for autocracy?
I want to do the radio host thing here of pushing back on the idea I've invited you onto this program to talk about, but I'm very curious about how you think about this. Because Americans voted to return Trump to power. And there's a lot of anecdotal and broader evidence that a lot of voters hear conversations like the one that we're having right now as white noise.
Consider This from NPR
Is the U.S. headed for autocracy?
This is alarmist worries from elites and magazines and national news outlets. And they either don't believe these warnings or they don't care. How have you thought about this since the election? And what do you think about that dynamic that seems to really be playing out?
Consider This from NPR
Is the U.S. headed for autocracy?
Guessing as trans and non-binary. But they say they failed to take Putin's words seriously at first.
Consider This from NPR
Is the U.S. headed for autocracy?
I think a theme across all of the close analysis of what has happened to countries that have slid into authoritarianism in the past is that a lot of the times the power is willingly given over.
Consider This from NPR
Is the U.S. headed for autocracy?
And when you look across the country right now, whether it's large corporate-owned media settling lawsuits or big corporations suddenly changing their policies and their political actions or nonprofits stripping words from their websites right now,
Consider This from NPR
Is the U.S. headed for autocracy?
What do you think is so different from the first time Trump has office to right now that statements he made the first time around kind of went in and out of a lot of these actors' ears? And this time they're stopping what they are doing. They are recalculating. They are making changes to be on the right side of Donald Trump policies.
Consider This from NPR
Is the U.S. headed for autocracy?
You know, in many different ways, though, all presidents push for and grab power, right? I'm thinking of one of the examples that we've seen in the last few weeks, Trump's takeover of the Kennedy Center board, appointing himself chair of the board. A lot of other examples to pick from, but I'm going with that one because the Kennedy Center put out a statement saying,
Consider This from NPR
Is the U.S. headed for autocracy?
This is a little bit of a paraphrase, but they said, presidents have always had the power to change our board. They just haven't exercised it. So if Trump had that power and chose to use that, again, isn't that the push and pull of democracy?
Consider This from NPR
Is the U.S. headed for autocracy?
Gessen left Russia in 2013. They're in the U.S. now, a columnist for The New York Times. In a recent op-ed, they argued that the phenomenon, outlandish ideas taken seriously, It feels a lot like what has happened in the first month of the Trump administration.
Consider This from NPR
Is the U.S. headed for autocracy?
Em Gessen is an opinion columnist at The New York Times and the author of The Future is History, How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia. Thanks so much for talking to us.
Consider This from NPR
Is the U.S. headed for autocracy?
This episode was produced by Mia Venkat and Conor Donovan. It was edited by Courtney Dorning and Nadia Lancey. Our executive producer is Sammy Yannigan. It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Scott Detrow.
Consider This from NPR
Is the U.S. headed for autocracy?
Like that press conference where President Trump argued that diversity policies were behind that plane crash at the Washington airport.
Consider This from NPR
Is the U.S. headed for autocracy?
Trump has also repeatedly raised the idea that the U.S. will make Canada its 51st state.
Consider This from NPR
Former DOGE employee: work could 'cross extreme ethical and legal lines'
Following the news out of Washington, D.C. can be overwhelming. I'm Scott Detrow, and NPR has a podcast that can help. It's called Trump's Terms. Stories about big changes the 47th president is pursuing on his own terms. Each episode is short, usually around five minutes or so. We keep it calm and factual. We help you follow what matters, and we leave out what doesn't.
Consider This from NPR
Former DOGE employee: work could 'cross extreme ethical and legal lines'
Listen to Trump's Terms from NPR.
Consider This from NPR
The fate of Ukraine hangs in the balance as Trump sides with Russia
Lately, when President Trump talks about Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, he sounds a lot like Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Consider This from NPR
The fate of Ukraine hangs in the balance as Trump sides with Russia
Retired General Ben Hodges was commanding general of U.S. Army Europe from 2014 to 2017. He spoke on NPR's Here and Now.
Consider This from NPR
The fate of Ukraine hangs in the balance as Trump sides with Russia
As the once cold relations between the U.S. and Russia begin to thaw, the fate of Ukraine hangs in the balance. From NPR, I'm Scott Detrow. It's Consider This from NPR. For the past three years, the U.S. has been Ukraine's leading supporter in its war with Russia. But with a series of stunning moves, President Trump is now sounding more aligned with Russia than with Ukraine.
Consider This from NPR
The fate of Ukraine hangs in the balance as Trump sides with Russia
To break this down, we are joined by NPR's Greg Myrie in Washington and Joanna Kikis in Kiev. Hey to both of you. Hello. Hi, Scott. Greg, I want to start with you. Trump is publicly attacking Ukraine's president. Why? Why is he doing this?
Consider This from NPR
The fate of Ukraine hangs in the balance as Trump sides with Russia
That was Trump speaking at Mar-a-Lago this week, echoing a popular Kremlin talking point. The false assertion that Ukraine started the war with Russia, a war that saw Russian troops pour over Ukraine's border and Russian missiles and drones bombard Ukrainian cities for three years. Trump was referring to a meeting that happened earlier this week. Top U.S.
Consider This from NPR
The fate of Ukraine hangs in the balance as Trump sides with Russia
Joanna, how are people in Ukraine responding? Specifically, how is Zelensky responding?
Consider This from NPR
The fate of Ukraine hangs in the balance as Trump sides with Russia
So Trump is attacking Zelensky, echoing Kremlin talking points. Zelensky is responding. But Joanna, at the same time, Trump's envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, is in Kiev. How is he being received?
Consider This from NPR
The fate of Ukraine hangs in the balance as Trump sides with Russia
OK, so, Greg, what what is likely to happen with U.S. military support for Ukraine? It's billions and billions of dollars.
Consider This from NPR
The fate of Ukraine hangs in the balance as Trump sides with Russia
Question for both of you. Trump really seems to be in a hurry here to get ceasefire negotiations started. What are the various parties? We're talking Trump in America, Ukraine, and Russia. What do they want from these talks? Greg, let me start with you.
Consider This from NPR
The fate of Ukraine hangs in the balance as Trump sides with Russia
and Russian officials gathered in Saudi Arabia to discuss ending the war. Not included in the meeting? Anyone from Ukraine. These comments have shaken supporters of Ukraine and its allies, both here and abroad. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer responded to some of Trump's comments on the Senate floor this week.
Consider This from NPR
The fate of Ukraine hangs in the balance as Trump sides with Russia
That is NPR's Joanna Kakissis in Kiev, as well as NPR's Greg Myrie talking to us from Washington. Thanks to both of you.
Consider This from NPR
The fate of Ukraine hangs in the balance as Trump sides with Russia
Thanks, Scott. This episode was produced by Mark Rivers and Brianna Scott. It was edited by Jeanette Woods, Tara Neal, Patrick Jaron-Watanon, and Nadia Lancey. Our executive producer is Sammy Yannigan. It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Scott Detrow.
Consider This from NPR
The fate of Ukraine hangs in the balance as Trump sides with Russia
Zelensky responded too. He spoke through an interpreter to a small group of reporters at the presidential palace in Kiev on Wednesday morning, saying that while he respected Trump as a leader, Trump was living in what Zelensky called a circle of Russian disinformation.
The NPR Politics Podcast
How Trump's Immigration Policy Is Taking Shape
Following the news out of Washington, D.C. can be overwhelming. I'm Scott Detrow, and NPR has a podcast that can help. It's called Trump's Terms. Stories about big changes the 47th president is pursuing on his own terms. Each episode is short, usually around five minutes or so. We keep it calm and factual. We help you follow what matters, and we leave out what doesn't.
The NPR Politics Podcast
How Trump's Immigration Policy Is Taking Shape
Listen to Trump's Terms from NPR.
The NPR Politics Podcast
Trump's Tariff Tumult
Following the news out of Washington, D.C. can be overwhelming. I'm Scott Detrow, and NPR has a podcast that can help. It's called Trump's Terms. Stories about big changes the 47th president is pursuing on his own terms. Each episode is short, usually around five minutes or so. We keep it calm and factual. We help you follow what matters, and we leave out what doesn't.
The NPR Politics Podcast
Poll: Majority Thinks Trump Is Making Changes Too Quickly
Following the news out of Washington, D.C. can be overwhelming. I'm Scott Detrow, and NPR has a podcast that can help. It's called Trump's Terms. Stories about big changes the 47th president is pursuing on his own terms. Each episode is short, usually around five minutes or so. We keep it calm and factual. We help you follow what matters, and we leave out what doesn't.
The NPR Politics Podcast
Poll: Majority Thinks Trump Is Making Changes Too Quickly
Listen to Trump's Terms from NPR.
The NPR Politics Podcast
Roundup: Congress Works On Budget; Cabinet Meets; Good TV
Following the news out of Washington, D.C. can be overwhelming. I'm Scott Detrow, and NPR has a podcast that can help. It's called Trump's Terms. Stories about big changes the 47th president is pursuing on his own terms. Each episode is short, usually around five minutes or so. We keep it calm and factual. We help you follow what matters, and we leave out what doesn't.
The NPR Politics Podcast
Roundup: Congress Works On Budget; Cabinet Meets; Good TV
Listen to Trump's Terms from NPR.