"The Washington Roundtable discusses what surprised them in 2025, reflecting on the major shock-and-awe events that defined the first year of Donald Trump's second term: the capitulation of major law firms, universities, and media companies; the evisceration of foreign aid; the sudden threats of war against Venezuela; and much more. The panel also considers the shape and state of resistance to Trumpism in 2025. "There is this tug-of-war going on about what kind of country we will be by the end of this process," the staff writer Evan Osnos says."
""It's not just about how the big institutions will behave-it's also about how regular people behave every day when they see things that are unbearable." This week's reading: " The Curse of Trump 2.0," by Susan B. Glasser Tune in to The Political Scene wherever you get your podcasts."
2025's first year of Donald Trump's second term produced shock-and-awe events that reshaped political norms. Major law firms, universities, and media companies showed signs of capitulation under pressure. Foreign aid was sharply reduced, and sudden threats of war against Venezuela increased geopolitical tensions. The dynamic between institutional accommodation and civic resistance became central to national politics. Ordinary citizens face daily choices about when to resist or comply, and those everyday actions will influence whether democratic norms and institutions hold or erode further. Recommended reading for context includes The Curse of Trump 2.0 by Susan B. Glasser.
Read at The New Yorker
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