
Trump’s Imperial Presidency: Bogus Charges and Foreign Wars
From The Oath and The Office by Two Squared Media Productions
May 28, 2026 · 1h 1m
About this episode
The episode discusses the implications of Trump's presidency on law, civil liberties, and foreign military actions.
Trump’s claim of power above the law is showing up on every front: bogus prosecutions, deportation threats, attacks on speech, war powers, and military escalation abroad. This week on The Oath and The Office, Corey Brettschneider and John Fugelsang start with the dismissal of human trafficking charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia. A federal judge found the prosecution vindictive and selective, a major rebuke to a Trump DOJ that tried to punish a man after he fought back against his unlawful deportation. Then Corey and John turn to Mahmoud Khalil, where the Trump administration is pushing another dangerous claim: that noncitizens can be detained and deported for political speech. They also discuss new congressional pushback against Trump’s war in Iran and the DOJ indictment of Raúl Castro, as the administration invokes “law and order” while expanding American military power in Latin America. Then filmmaker Andrew Glazer joins the show to discuss "Spring of the Vanishing", his investigative documentary on the American military’s alleged complicity in killings of innocent civilians by the Mexican military during the drug war. The conversation becomes a broader warning about how the…
People in this episode
Hosts: Corey Brettschneider, John Fugelsang
Guest: Andrew Glazer
Topics covered
- Trump's presidency
- legal issues
- military power
- civil liberties
- foreign policy
- political speech
- drug war
Keywords
- Trump
- imperial presidency
- deportation
- military escalation
- civil liberties
- human trafficking
- political speech
- Iran
- drug war
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Trump DOJ, Trump administration, American military
Books & works: Spring of the Vanishing
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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
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