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The David Frum Show

The Atlantic

To defend democracy, one has to believe in it. To believe in democracy, one has to understand it. Where it came from. How it works. What’s true. What’s not. What others did before you. How it could be better. How to make a difference.

Each week, The David Frum Show digs deep into the big questions people have about our society, explains the progress Americans have made together, and reminds us that the American idea is worth defending.

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32 episodes
a few times a week
Avg 50 min
English

Episodes 32

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Saturday · 9 min
Did Marco Rubio Just Start His 2028 Campaign?
Marco Rubio’s speech at the Acropolis in Greece seemed very presidential, but does the secretary of state have what it takes to actually stand up to the Donald Trump wing of his party?
#78
Wednesday · 58 min
Why American Cities Cost So Much and Deliver So Little
Reihan Salam on why large American cities are often ineffective at governing themselves and how American cities can deliver better government to their residents. Plus: Trump’s weird bomber recall and “Every War Must End” by Fred Charles Iklé.
October 3 · 8 min
Are You Better Off Under Trump? The Numbers Say No
Why Americans feel worse off under Trump, even as the economy grows
#77
September 30 · 50 min
How Trump Could Threaten the 2026 Election
Former Attorney General Eric Holder on the dismantling of the Voting Rights Act and whether the 2026 midterm elections will be free and fair. Plus: Trump’s China state-dinner disaster and “Agrippa" by Robert Harris.
September 26 · 10 min
Trump’s Desperate Diesel Plan Will Backfire
Why Donald Trump’s reported plan to ban diesel exports is doomed to fail
#76
September 23 · 1 hr 11 min
How to Argue in the Trump Era Without Losing Your Mind
Jessica Tarlov on her new book, “I Disagree: Winning Arguments Without Losing Friends,” and the dangers of platforming the wrong people. Plus: a Synagogue Shooting in Belleville, Ontario and “Yesteryear” by Carol Claire Burke.
September 19 · 10 min
Trump Has Turned America Into a Credit Risk
Why America’s rising borrowing costs are really a crisis of trust
#75
September 16 · 58 min
The Atrocities That Shaped the Modern Middle East
Historian Simon Sebag Montefiore on his latest book, “The Cauldron,” and how violence forged the modern Middle East. Plus: The Hidden Hand by Warren Kinsella.
#75
September 12 · 13 min
Did America Win the War on Terror?
Twenty-five years after 9/11, David Frum discusses whether the United States won its War on Terror.
#74
September 9 · 59 min
Inside the White House on 9/11
John McConnell on his memories of working in the White House on September 11, 2001. Plus: American Pastoral by Philip Roth.
#73
September 2 · 57 min
How Trump Lost Asia
Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on how Donald Trump is abandoning America’s historic allies and abandoning the Pacific to China. Plus: What could happen to Trump’s ill-gotten wealth, and Red Dawn Over China: How Communism Conquered a Quarter of Humanity, by Frank Dikötter.
#72
August 26 · 1 hr 1 min
What Are Jewish Voters Supposed to Do?
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on why she is skipping the Michigan Democratic Party’s convention, the rise of anti-Semitism within her party, and the conundrum Jewish Democrat voters face. Plus: A new round of Trump’s Canadian trade war and “American Scoundrel,” by Kai Bird and Susan Goldmark.
#71
August 5 · 1 hr 3 min
Was Herbert Hoover America’s Most Misunderstood President?
Margaret Hoover on Herbert Hoover’s life, presidency, legacy, and the renovation of his presidential library. Plus: Trump’s dropped Reflecting Pool indictment and The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John le Carré.
#70
July 29 · 59 min
The Fight That Could Decide 2028
Jonathan Chait on the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the far left’s attacks on Obama’s legacy, and the Michigan Democratic Senate primary that will decide the future of the party. Plus: more Trump tariffs and Eric Cline’s “1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed.”
#69
July 22 · 52 min
Why Are Groceries So Expensive?
Economist Vincent Smith on rising grocery prices and whether there will be relief any time soon. Plus: Trump’s broken economic policies and Edith Hamilton’s “Mythology.”
#68
July 15 · 54 min
Social Security Is Running Out of Time
Maya MacGuineas on the looming exhaustion of the Social Security Trust Funds and whether America will ever have a responsible federal budget. Plus: another ICE shooting and “A Place of Greater Safety” by Hilary Mantel.
#67
July 8 · 51 min
Is the Left Driving Women Away?
Shannon Watts on the increasing hostility toward women among some progressive voters. Plus: the Graham Platner news and “Killing Baby Hitler” by Michael Tomasky.
#66
July 1 · 56 min
The American Experiment Is Worth Believing In
The Atlantic’s editor in chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, on America’s 250th anniversary and the American idea today. Plus: what we can learn from American history on this Fourth of July and “City on a Hill: A History of American Exceptionalism” by Abram Van Engen.
#65
June 24 · 55 min
Did Trump Surrender to Iran?
Inside the Trump-Iran negotiations with Vivian Salama. Plus: Why do people no longer care about climate change? And “Bel Canto” by Ann Patchett.
#64
June 17 · 1 hr 8 min
Cuba Is Collapsing. Will Trump Invade?
CNN international correspondent Patrick Oppmann on Trump’s fixation on Cuba, the current state of the Cuban government, and what happens next. Plus: J. D. Vance’s presidential aspirations and “Othello.”

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