Trump’s Mafia Presidency, with Barbara McQuade

Trump’s Mafia Presidency, with Barbara McQuade

From The Oath and The Office by Two Squared Media Productions

September 3, 2026 · 1h 3m

About this episode

The episode discusses Trump's governance style and legal challenges with guest Barbara McQuade.

Trump’s abuses of power keep colliding with the law. But even when courts recognize the danger, procedural barriers can prevent them from stopping it. Corey and John examine how standing doctrine blocked a challenge to Trump’s ballroom project, despite an unusual dissent from Chief Justice John Roberts. They also discuss a major free speech victory at Stanford that, like the Khalil case, was weakened by procedural limits. Next, they turn to Trump’s effort to seize control of the Postal Service and refuse delivery of valid mail ballots, using the unitary executive theory to threaten voting rights. Then, former U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade joins the show to explain why Trump governs less like a president and more like a mafia boss. Drawing from her new book, " The Fix ", she connects Trump’s mob style campaign against dissent to the attack on the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Justice Department’s subpoenas targeting New York Times journalists, and the administration’s attempt to undermine voting by mail. Barbara McQuade’s new book, The Fix: Saving America from the Corruption of a Mob-Style Government: https://www.barbaramcquade.com/

People in this episode

Hosts: Corey, John

Guest: Barbara McQuade

Topics covered

  • Trump's presidency
  • abuses of power
  • free speech
  • voting rights
  • mafia-style governance
  • legal challenges
  • political corruption

Keywords

  • Trump
  • mafia presidency
  • abuses of power
  • free speech victory
  • voting by mail
  • Southern Poverty Law Center
  • Justice Department
  • The Fix

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Southern Poverty Law Center, Justice Department, New York Times, Stanford, Postal Service

Books & works: The Fix

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