A Veteran Diplomat On Trump’s Second Term And American Norms

A Veteran Diplomat On Trump’s Second Term And American Norms

From Tales from the first tee by Rich Easton

May 31, 2026 · 48 min

About this episode

A former Republican diplomat discusses the implications of a presidency based on loyalty rather than limits.

Send us Fan Mail A former Republican, Vietnam veteran, and longtime US diplomat joins us for a blunt look at what breaks first when a presidency runs on loyalty instead of limits. We talk about the “guardrails” that used to stop bad ideas in their tracks and what it means when those guardrails disappear: fewer people willing to say no, more governing by unilateral moves, and more public retaliation aimed at critics. Along the way, we challenge ourselves to listen outside our algorithm and ask...

People in this episode

Host: Rich Easton

Guest: Vietnam veteran

Topics covered

  • politics
  • diplomacy
  • loyalty
  • governance
  • criticism
  • American norms

Keywords

  • Trump
  • diplomacy
  • Vietnam veteran
  • governance
  • loyalty
  • American norms
  • criticism

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Republican, US

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