Thank you for subscribing and tuning in! We are grateful for the support and feedback we’ve received over our first couple of episodes and excited to continue this experiment to elevate a sensible but spirited conversation on the issues of the day — from the center.
First up on CenterD, the Trump Administration steps on its own messaging. Despite starting the week on what they could call successes — a trade deal with the UK, a 90-day pause on tariffs with China, and securing the release of an Israeli-American hostage from Hamas — President Trump started his first foreign trip expressing concern about the size of his airplane, and wanting to accept a gift of a luxury airline from Qatar to use as Air Force One. The President’s sales pitch is falling flat with even some Republicans, but will the American people care about the security issues or the $1 billion in taxpayer money it would take to make the plane useable as Air Force One?
We also cover the conflict at the DNC and how it’s distracting from what Congressional Democrats did this week to stand up to Medicaid cuts being advanced by the Republican majority. The DNC’s move may have started as a response to a legitimate protest over gender balance rules, but it’s hard to ignore that some party leadership like the idea of using this moment to remove Vice Chair David Hogg over his plan to help primary Democrats.
We also take on new reporting on ‘Original Sin,’ the Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson book that lays out a compelling story about President Joe Biden’s decline. The book raises serious questions about whether Biden should have ever run, but if all of the interviews for the book happened after the election, are the takeaways skewed by the raw frustration of Democrats in the immediate aftermath of the election? And hindsight is 20/20, but the context was very different at the end of 2022 when a red wave never materialized in those midterms, and President Biden, who had won with the most votes anyone has ever received for the office, who had major legislative successes navigating the country back from Covid and invigorating the economy, made a decision to avoid becoming a lame duck while political capital still seemed to exist.
In our last segment, the panel discusses the concerns being raised by an FCC Commissioner over how the Trump Administration is weaponizing the agency to go after media they deem unfavorable. In this fascinating conversation, we look at the business side, the interests media companies are balancing, and why a trophy media owner may be the ideal. Can mainstream media stay relevant as venues like Substack enable broader conversations? It’s worth a listen! Thank you, and subscribe to be the first to receive our new content!
-Luis.
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