The David Frum Show

In this episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum opens with his thoughts on how President Trump will behave after suffering a humiliating defeat in the 2026 midterms. David warns that the final two years of President Trump’s term could be filled with multiple constitutional crises.  Then, David is joined by Bob Inglis, a former Republican representative, to discuss what it...

On this Saturday episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum discusses the consequences of the 2026 midterms and how the collapse of Republican gerrymanders could reshape American politics for decades to come. Sign up for David Frum’s newsletter alert. Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from...

In this episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum opens with a reminder on how hard President Trump has worked over the past two years to prevent free and fair elections in 2026. Then David is joined by Dave Rapallo, former longtime staff director of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, for a conversation on what tools Democrats in Congress would have to investigate Presi...

On this Saturday episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic discusses the upcoming midterm elections and how they present the American people an opportunity to hold Congress accountable for its negligence. David discusses how the 2024 Congress is asleep at the wheel and the problems a new Congress, with a new majority, would urgently need to address. Sign up for David Frum’s newsletter alert....

In this episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum opens with thoughts on the coming midterm elections and the difficult position Republicans now face. He explains the political “fork” confronting Republican candidates: Having attached themselves to an increasingly unpopular president, they risk alienating either moderate voters or Trump’s loyal base. Then, David is joined by Omar...

On this week’s Saturday edition of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum discusses the possibility of an AI bubble and the bleak forecast for the American economy under President Trump. Sign up for David Frum’s newsletter alert. Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insig...

In this episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum opens with his thoughts on the growing calls for Medicare for All. David discusses how Medicare for All might actually work, why it’s impractical, and why it is fundamentally a promise Democrats cannot keep. Then, David is joined by Kara Swisher to discuss her new podcast with Hillary Clinton, the dangers of unregulated AI, and th...

On this Saturday episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum discusses the series of amazingly well-timed trades in the oil market that raise urgent questions about corruption inside the Trump administration. Sign up for David Frum’s newsletter alert. Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from c...

In this episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum discusses President Trump’s announced diesel deal with Russia, the administration’s abandonment of Ukraine, and why Trump is giving up so much to gain very little.  Then, David is joined from Kyiv by Illia Ponomarenko, a Ukrainian journalist and the author of the new book “The Land of Tears and Hope.” David and Illia talk abo...

On this week’s Saturday episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum discusses Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech at the Acropolis in Greece and what it means for the future of the Republican Party. Sign up for David Frum’s newsletter alert. Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-e...

In this episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum opens with his thoughts on the sudden recall of 12 B-1 bombers from their base in the south of England to the mainland of the United States. He asks what prompted the move and why the Trump administration refuses to learn vital military lessons from Ukraine. Then, David is joined by Reihan Salam, the president of the Manhattan Ins...

In this Saturday episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum explains why President Trump’s approval rating has sunk so far just two years into his second presidency. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week’s episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum opens with his thoughts about the recent state visit by the Chinese president Xi Jinping to the United States. David discusses President Trump’s embarrassing behavior at the dinner and how he has isolated the United States in its rivalry with China. Then, David is joined by former Attorney General of the United States Eric...

On this week’s Saturday bonus episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum discusses President Trump’s reported plan to ban diesel exports. David explains why the proposal is ill-conceived, how it could backfire, and what it reveals about the administration’s fundamental misunderstanding of the global economy. - - - Sign up for David Frum’s newsletter alert. Get more from your favor...

In this episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum opens with his reaction to the shooting at the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Ontario on Yom Kippur. David discusses the rise of violence against Jews around the world, and why condemnations of anti-sSemitic violence ring hollow when they come from people who spread myths about Jewish conspiracies. Then, David is joined by Jessica Tar...

In this Saturday episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum explains why rising borrowing costs in the United States are not just an economic warning sign but also a measure of America’s declining trust under Donald Trump. Photo:  Timothy A. Clary / AFP via Getty Images - - - Sign up for David Frum’s newsletter alert. Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subsc...

On this week’s episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum opens with a discussion of the seemingly forgotten attack on the Yazidi people by ISIS in 2014.  Then, David is joined by historian Simon Sebag Montefiore to discuss his new book, “The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East.” David and Simon discuss how much of the present-day Middle East emerged from the ruins...

In the debut Saturday episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum reflects on the quarter century of warfare that has followed September 11, 2001, and asks whether the United States won its War on Terror. Sign up for David Frum’s newsletter alert. Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear...

In this episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum is joined by John McConnell, the longtime senior speechwriter for President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, to discuss their memories of September 11, 2001—25 years later.  Then, David ends with a discussion of “American Pastoral,” a novel by Philip Roth, and what we can learn about domestic terrorism from the...

In this episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum opens with a discussion of how Donald Trump has enriched himself and his family during his presidencies. David discusses how these ill-gotten gains bring up difficult questions about the future of American democracy. Then David is joined by former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to discuss the impact of the Trump presid...

On this week’s episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum opens with his thoughts on the blowing up of trade talks between the U.S. and Canada, and President Trump’s reckless trade war against Canada. David discusses how this trade war hurts not only America’s relationship with Canada but its global standing as a reliable trade partner. Then David is joined by Michigan Attorney Ge...

In this episode of The David Frum Show, The Atlantic’s David Frum opens with his reaction to the Justice Department’s decision to drop its case against the Olympian David Hearn. He argues that the prosecution was baseless from the start and, using the classic “prisoner’s dilemma” thought experiment, explains why future administrations must hold abuses of power accountable if American democracy is...

In this week’s episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum opens with his reaction to President Trump’s latest round of tariffs and explains why he believes they are weakening America’s economy and its alliances. Then, David is joined by his Atlantic colleague Jonathan Chait for a wide-ranging discussion on the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, whether presidents should be funny,...

On this week’s episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum opens with his thoughts questioning whether the Trump administration has any plan at all to meet the challenge of debt and deficits.  Then, David is joined by Vincent Smith, director of agricultural policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute and professor emeritus of economics at Montana State University. Frum...

On this week’s episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum opens with his reaction to the recent ICE shooting in Maine. Then, David is joined by Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, to discuss the future of Social Security, the mounting national debt, and the political dysfunction preventing Washington from confronting America’s fiscal chall...