NewsNews CommentaryPolitics

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.

Play

Open in

40 episodes
a few times a week
Avg 47 min
English

Episodes 40

Newest Oldest Longest

All20 Unplayed20 In progress0 Played0

Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.

Saturday · 10 min
How Republicans Lost Their Grip on Power
On this Saturday episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum discusses the consequences of the 2026 midterms and how the collapse of Republican gerrymanders could reshape American politics for decades to come. Sign up for David Frum’s newsletter alert. Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Atlantic subscribers also get access to exclusive subscriber audio in Apple Podcasts. Subscribe today at TheAtlantic.com/Listener. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
#82
Wednesday · 49 min
Can Democrats Hold Trump Accountable?
Dave Rapallo on how Democrats in Congress could possibly investigate Trump and how he might fight back.
October 31 · 10 min
America’s Most Useless Congress Faces the Midterms
On this Saturday episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic discusses the upcoming midterm elections and how they present the American people an opportunity to hold Congress accountable for its negligence. David discusses how the 2024 Congress is asleep at the wheel and the problems a new Congress, with a new majority, would urgently need to address. Sign up for David Frum’s newsletter alert. Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Atlantic subscribers also get access to exclusive subscriber audio in Apple Podcasts. Subscribe today at TheAtlantic.com/Listener. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
#81
October 28 · 59 min
The Man Who Risked Death Documenting ISIS
Omar Mohammed on life in Mosul under ISIS rule
October 24 · 10 min
Is an AI Recession Coming?
On this week’s Saturday edition of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum discusses the possibility of an AI bubble and the bleak forecast for the American economy under President Trump. Sign up for David Frum’s newsletter alert. Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Atlantic subscribers also get access to exclusive subscriber audio in Apple Podcasts. Subscribe today at TheAtlantic.com/Listener. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
#80
October 21 · 1 hr 3 min
Will the Tech Oligarchs Turn on Trump?
Kara Swisher on whether AI will ever be regulated
October 17 · 8 min
Who Profited From Trump’s Plans?
On this Saturday episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum discusses the series of amazingly well-timed trades in the oil market that raise urgent questions about corruption inside the Trump administration. Sign up for David Frum’s newsletter alert. Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Atlantic subscribers also get access to exclusive subscriber audio in Apple Podcasts. Subscribe today at TheAtlantic.com/Listener. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
#79
October 14 · 1 hr 1 min
How Trump Is Selling Out Ukraine
The Ukrainian journalist Illia Ponomarenko on his new book, “The Land of Tears and Hope,” a history of his country
October 10 · 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
October 7 · 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.

Showing 1–20 of 40 episodes