Editor’s Note: Washington Week With The Atlantic is a partnership between NewsHour Productions, WETA, and The Atlantic airing every Friday on PBS stations nationwide. Check your local listings or watch full episodes here.
Although how the country is going to change after Donald Trump takes office remains uncertain, it’s clear that he will be one of the most powerful—and emboldened—U.S. presidents. On Washington Week With The Atlantic, panelists joined Jeffrey Goldberg to discuss how Americans could react to Trump’s changes.
Trump and his allies have plans to overhaul the federal government, and the president-elect has nominated loyalists to key Cabinet positions to further this agenda. On this front, Trump has two major things in mind, Dan Balz explained last night: transforming how the executive branch works and significantly cutting spending across various federal agencies. “He has his eyes on trying to radically transform the executive branch … in a way he was never able to do in his first term,” Balz said. “He sees the executive branch as resistance rather than being part of his team.”
Meanwhile, Trump has announced plans to impose massive tariffs against the U.S.’s big trading partners, including Canada and Mexico. But the question remains as to how these tariffs might affect foreign policy.
Joining the editor in chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, to discuss this and more: Dan Balz, a chief correspondent at The Washington Post; Elisabeth Bumiller, an assistant managing editor and the Washington bureau chief at The New York Times; and Jonathan Karl, the chief Washington correspondent for ABC News.
Watch the full episode here.
