Background Briefing

How Trump Turns Crisis Into Power: The Shutdown, the Military, and the War on Truth

As a potential government shutdown looms, economist Robert Kuttner joins the program to unpack how Donald Trump is exploiting the crisis—using racist deepfakes and disinformation to shift blame and consolidate power. Later, historian Stuart Schrader discusses Trump’s alarming rhetoric to military leaders and the rise of “enemy within” narratives, while climate scientist Michael Mann exposes the ignorance and anti-science fervor fueling MAGA’s grip on its base.