Bret Stephens on What Trump Gets Right, Wrong and Really, Really Wrong
Below is a transcript of an episode of 'The Opinions.' We recommend listening to it in its original form for the full effect. You can do so using the player above or on the NYT Audio App, Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts.
The transcript has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Patrick Healy: I'm Patrick Healy, deputy editor of New York Times Opinion, and this is The First 100 Days, a weekly series examining President Trump's use of power and his drive to change America. This week, I wanted to talk to my colleague the columnist Bret Stephens.
Bret is a conservative who occupies this really interesting position: He's a Trump critic who thinks the administration is succeeding on some fronts, and he's an American who wants strong leadership in his country, but finds both political parties really lacking. So what's it like to agree with Trump on a bunch of issues, but also kind of hate him? I'm curious how Bret wrestles with that dichotomy and how he thinks Americans should see the next four years.
Bret, thanks for joining me.
Bret Stephens: It's such a pleasure to be here.
Healy: Bret, I really love talking to you because you push me on ideas and you push readers and listeners, and you don't let anyone off the hook, yourself included.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bloomberg
27 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Trump Says US Close to Trade Deal With China
President Donald Trump's threatened tariffs, which has left officials in New Delhi feeling unsure of how to respond. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has said he is 'getting very close to a deal' with China to extend the trade truce between the two countries. Bloomberg's Swati Pandey and Romy Varghese break down what we know on The Asia Trade. (Source: Bloomberg)
Boston Globe
28 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
What to know as Israel considers reoccupying Gaza in what would be a major escalation of the war
Advertisement The threat to reoccupy Gaza could be a negotiating tactic aimed at pressuring Hamas after talks mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar appeared to have broken down last month. Or it could be aimed at shoring up support from Netanyahu's far-right coalition partners. His governing allies have long called for escalating the war, taking over Gaza, relocating much of its population through what they refer to as voluntary emigration and reestablishing Jewish settlements that were dismantled when Israel withdrew in 2005. Whether they prevail will likely depend on the one person with leverage over Israel — President Trump. Asked Tuesday whether he thought Israel should reoccupy Gaza, he said he wasn't aware of the 'suggestion' but that 'it's going to be pretty much up to Israel.' Ground operations in the most densely populated areas To take full control of Gaza, Israel would need to launch ground operations in the last areas of the territory that haven't been flattened and where most of Gaza's 2 million Palestinians have sought refuge. Advertisement That would mean going into the central city of Deir al-Balah and Muwasi, a so-called humanitarian zone where hundreds of thousands of people live in squalid tent camps along the coast. Such operations would force another wave of mass displacement and further disrupt aid deliveries as the U.N. agencies and humanitarian organizations are already struggling to avert famine. Palestinians struggled to get donated food at a community kitchen in Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip, on Monday. Jehad Alshrafi/Associated Press Israel already controls around 75% of the territory, which has been declared a buffer zone or placed under evacuation orders. With Israel also largely sealing Gaza's borders, it's unclear where civilians would go. Related : It would also pose a major risk for the remaining 20 or so living hostages, likely held in tunnels or other secret locations. Hamas is believed to have ordered its guards to kill captives if Israeli forces approach. Hamas-led militants abducted 251 hostages in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war and killed around 1,200 people that day, mostly civilians. They are still holding 50 hostages, less than half of them believed to be alive, and recent videos have shown emaciated captives pleading for their lives. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed over 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and run by medical professionals, is seen by the United Nations and other experts as the most reliable source on casualties. Israel disputes its toll but has not provided its own. International outrage and further isolation Israel's wartime conduct has shocked much of the international community, and prompted even close Western allies to call for an end to the war and to take steps to recognize Palestinian statehood. Advertisement The International Court of Justice is considering allegations of genocide, and the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defense minister, alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the use of starvation as a method of war. Related : Israel has rejected the allegations and accused those making them of antisemitic 'blood libel.' It says it has taken every effort to avoid harming civilians and blames Hamas for their deaths because the militants are deeply entrenched in heavily populated areas. Israel has said it will keep fighting until all the hostages are returned, Hamas is defeated or disarmed, and Gaza's population is given the option of 'voluntary emigration,' which the Palestinians and much of the international community view as forcible expulsion. People take part in a protest outside the US Embassy in Tel Aviv demanding the end of the war, the release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, on July 26. Mahmoud Illean/Associated Press Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in return for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. It says it is willing to give up power but will not lay down its arms as long as Israel occupies territories the Palestinians want for a future state. Another open-ended occupation Israel captured Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. The United Nations, the Palestinians and others continued to view Gaza as occupied territory after the 2005 withdrawal of Israeli troops and settlers, as Israel maintained control of its airspace, coastline, most of its land border and its population registry. The full reoccupation of Gaza would pose long-term challenges that Israel is well aware of given its long history of occupying Arab lands, including the likelihood of a prolonged insurgency. Israeli support for the war already appears to have declined since Netanyahu ended a ceasefire in March, as soldiers have been killed in hit-and-run attacks. Advertisement As an occupying power, Israel would be expected to maintain order and ensure the basic needs of the population are met. In the West Bank, it has largely outsourced that to the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited autonomy in population centers. But in Gaza, Netanyahu has ruled out any future role for the PA, accusing it of not being fully committed to peace, and has not produced any plan for Gaza's postwar governance and reconstruction. Long-term repercussions Even if Israel succeeds in suppressing Hamas, the reoccupation of Gaza could pose an even more profound threat to the country. It would leave Israel in full control of the territory between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, which is home to around 7 million Jews and 7 million Palestinians — most of the latter denied basic rights, including the vote. Even before the war, major human rights groups said the situation amounted to apartheid, something Israel vehemently denies. A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches along Gaza City, on Sunday. Jehad Alshrafi/Associated Press Unless large numbers of Palestinians are expelled — no longer merely a fantasy of Israel's far-right — Israel would face an all-too-familiar existential dilemma: Create a Palestinian state in the 1967 territories and preserve Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, or rule over millions of Palestinians indefinitely and hope they never rally behind the idea of equal rights in a binational state. Israel would no longer be able to point to Hamas' rule in Gaza, or factional divisions among Palestinians, as reasons to avoid such a reckoning. And when Trump leaves office, it may find it has few friends to back it up. Advertisement
CNBC
29 minutes ago
- CNBC
CNBC Daily Open: Trump's interview suggests he's not backing down from his policies
U.S. President Donald Trump joined CNBC's "Squawk Box" Tuesday for a lengthy interview that touched on tariffs, the Federal Reserve, the state of Russia's economy and being rejected as a customer by JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America. For those pressed on time and want a very broad TL;DR: Trump appears to be digging in on his policies. With modified country-specific "reciprocal" tariffs due to start Aug. 7 — and duties on India to be raised within the next 24 hours, according to Trump's comments during the interview — the Trump administration seems to be turning its attention to sectoral ones. Trump told CNBC that he will announce his tariff plan for semiconductors "within the next week or so." Additionally, he will impose "a small tariff" on pharmaceutical imports before ratcheting it up to 250% within a year and a half. The U.S. president doesn't look like he's backing down from his feud with the central bank, either. Days after the Fed chose to hold interest rates, Trump discussed his potential candidates to replace Jerome Powell as Fed chair. Among those contenders are former Governor Kevin Warsh and Kevin Hassett, the National Economic Council director. "Both Kevins are very good," Trump said. Whichever Kevin — or "other people that are very good, too," in Trump's words — assumes the role when Powell's term ends in May 2026 (or is truncated earlier, depending on Trump's moves), they would have to help prop up an economy that seems to be slowing, as indicated by July's startling jobs report and ISM Services index. Semiconductor tariffs in the works. In an interview with CNBC, Trump said he will announce new tariffs on semiconductors as soon as next week. He also said he'd impose a "small tariff" on pharmaceuticals before raising it to as high as 250%. Trump has four candidates for Fed chair. While the president didn't reveal their identities, he said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has taken himself out of consideration. Major U.S. stock indexes pull back. Stocks retreated Tuesday on ISM data that indicated the services sector nearly shrank in July. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index added 0.15%, but European semiconductor stocks fell on Trump's tariff comment. AMD's earnings fall short of expectations. That's despite the chipmaker reporting second-quarter revenue that beat Wall Street estimates. Shares of Advanced Micro Devices lost more than 6% in extended trading. [PRO] Topping expectations might not be enough. Even though the S&P 500 is on track for second-quarter earnings growth of almost double digits, compared with a year earlier, investors are giving a muted response, according to Goldman Sachs. Russia's economy 'stinks,' Trump says, and lower oil prices will stop its warmachine The rift between Moscow and Washington looks set to deepen. "Putin will stop killing people if you get energy down another $10 a barrel. He's going to have no choice because his economy stinks," Trump, told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Tuesday. The comments come after relations between Moscow and Washington, which remained cordial at the start of Trump's second term in office despite the ongoing war, soured in recent weeks.
