Trump’s Bad Week Is Democracy’s Opening

About this episode

The episode discusses recent judicial actions against Donald Trump and the role of citizens and journalism in supporting democracy.

Donald Trump’s revenge politics hit resistance this week — not by accident, but because citizens, journalists, lawyers, judges, and lawmakers kept pushing. This week on The Oath and The Office, Corey Brettschneider and John Fugelsang break down a rare hopeful stretch for democracy: a judge blocks payouts from Trump’s so-called “anti-weaponization” fund, another judge reopens questions around Trump’s IRS settlement, courts reject Trump’s attempt to put his name on the Kennedy Center, and thousands of federal lawyers are leaving rather than serve an authoritarian agenda. Corey and John also discuss the fight inside CBS and 60 Minutes, the role of independent journalism, and why democracy depends not just on courts, but on citizens willing to expose corruption, demand accountability, and keep the constitutional system alive.

People in this episode

Hosts: Corey Brettschneider, John Fugelsang

Topics covered

• democracy
• Trump
• judicial system
• citizen activism
• independent journalism
• accountability

Keywords

• Trump
• democracy
• judicial system
• citizen activism
• independent journalism
• accountability
• corruption

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: CBS, 60 Minutes, IRS, Kennedy Center

More episodes of The Oath and The Office

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• Can Trump Undo Our Citizenship Rights? (with ACLU’s Cecilia Wang) · May 14, 2026 · 1h 6m
• The Supreme Court’s Assault on Our Rights (with Kate Shaw) · May 7, 2026 · 1h 13m
• Trump’s War on Truth and Science (with James Morone) · April 30, 2026 · 58 min