Episode description

 In his first month in office, Donald Trump has broken international agreements with allies, ended all foreign aid, voted with America's enemies in the UN, posted a plan to turn Gaza into a Trump casino and resort, purged the Pentagon of military commanders, appointed podcasters and conspiracy theorists to his cabinet, and threatened to invade or annex Canada, Greenland, and Panama. David French and Skye Jethani discuss various theories to explain Trump's approach to governing, and find one model that makes a lot of sense in an article by Jonathan Rouch. Then they contrast it with what the Founders said was necessary for the republic to survive—virtue. Finally, they discuss how the decline of virtue in American leadership may be the fruit of the church's failure to make disciples.

0:00 - French Friday's Moving to The SkyePod!

1:27 - The Theme Song

2:23 - Ukraine and Trump

8:11 - Trump 1.0 vs Trump 2.0

16:43 - Triumphalism's Shelf Life

25:53 - Bureaucracy vs Mob Boss

32:38 - Megachurches and Patrimonialism

39:38 - American Democracy and Christianity

55:52 - Prophecy's Role in MAGA

1:05:00 - End Credits

One Word Describes Trump (Article by Jonathan Rauch): https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/02/corruption-trump-administration/681794/

Cross Purposes: Christianity’s Broken Bargain with Democracy by Jonathan Rauch: https://a.co/d/26wdqNC 

Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America by Jeffrey Rosen: https://a.co/d/6Crl6Hk