The Crackup of the Trump Elite (video)

The Crackup of the Trump Elite (video)

From Thinking about... by Timothy Snyder

March 18, 2026 · 2 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the implications of Joe Kent's resignation from the National Counterterrorism Center and its reflection on the Trump elite.

Joe Kent never should have been director of the National Counterterrorism Center. Given his complete lack of qualifications and his sympathies for those who wish harm to Americans, the scandal is his appointment, not his resignation. His resignation reveals a fault line in the Trump elite, but not one that does credit to anyone. In basic political terms, it might be suggestive that fighting a doomed war will make it harder rather than easier for Trump to steal the coming election. In the video I sketch this out. If you find it helpful, please share. Thinking about... is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit snyder.substack.com/subscribe

People in this episode

Host: Timothy Snyder

Topics covered

  • Trump elite
  • political scandal
  • counterterrorism
  • election integrity
  • political analysis

Keywords

  • Joe Kent
  • Trump
  • National Counterterrorism Center
  • political scandal
  • election theft
  • counterterrorism
  • politics

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: National Counterterrorism Center

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