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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71 episodes
Updated Wednesday

Episodes71

Newest first

Wednesday · 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.”
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
June 10 · 1 hr
Republicans vs. the Fourteenth Amendment
Professor David W. Blight on President Trump’s war on the Fourteenth Amendment. Plus: Brexit at 10 years and “1873” by Liaquat Ahamed.
June 3 · 52 min
How to Save the Supreme Court From Itself
Kate Shaw on reforming the U.S. Supreme Court. Plus: extremism in the Democratic Party, and the history of the word “graduate.”
May 27 · 50 min
Has Trump Corrupted the Military?
Representative Jason Crow on the chaos at Pete Hegseth’s “Department of War.” Plus: Trump’s Iran defeat and James Boswell’s The Life of Samuel Johnson.
May 20 · 56 min
Trump’s Iran War: America's Loss Is China’s Win
Phillips O’Brien on the global fallout of Putin’s war in Russia, Trump’s war in Iran, and MAGA’s indifference toward Taiwan. Plus: Trump’s new slush fund and “What Science Says About Astrology.”
May 13 · 55 min
What Happens if the U.S. Defaults?
LLoyd Blankfein on the growing U.S. debt, polarization, the state of the economy, and what a United States default would look like. Plus: Trump-branded cellphones and the decline of public confidence in free enterprise.
May 6 · 1 hr 7 min
How to Survive Losing a Child
Danielle Crittenden on losing a daughter, grief, and her new memoir, “Dispatches From Grief.”
April 29 · 54 min
Who Is the Real Base of the Democratic Party?
Jamal Simmons on lessons from the 2024 election, how Democrats can win in 2028, and who the real base of the Democratic Party is. Plus: Why the White House Correspondents’ Dinner feels so out of touch, and “The Magician,” by Colm Tóibín.
April 22 · 1 hr 3 min
On the Brink of Global Recession
The economist Adam Posen on the effect of the war in Iran on the world’s economy and the darkening economic outlook for the United States. Plus: A shifting partisan balance of power and “Ask Not: The Kennedys and the Women They Destroyed,” by Maureen Callahan.
April 15 · 57 min
Is Anybody Actually Winning Trump’s Iran War?
Former U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser Matt Pottinger on the U.S.-Iran cease-fire, Trump’s Hormuz blockade, and China’s reaction to the Iran war. Plus: A seismic election in Hungary and “Labyrinths,” by Jorge Luis Borges.
April 8 · 1 hr 1 min
What It Means to Be American
Fareed Zakaria and David Frum on whether they regret becoming American citizens. Plus: how 18 years of economic turmoil ushered in a new populist era, and a discussion of “Invisible Cities” by Italo Calvino.
April 1 · 53 min
Watching War From the Strait of Hormuz
Graeme Wood on what he saw at the Strait of Hormuz and the lockdown of oil in the Persian Gulf. Plus: Trump’s war-information blackout and Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” at 250 years old.
March 25 · 54 min
The Far-Right Algorithm: Anti-Churchill, Anti-West
Historian Lord Andrew Roberts on why many right-wing podcasters now believe the wrong side won the Second World War, and the rise of algorithmically driven pseudo-historians. Plus: Trump is looking for an off-ramp from his war in Iran, and Gore Vidal’s novel Burr.
March 18 · 1 hr 7 min
Why Britain Is Saying No to Trump’s Iran War
Alastair Campbell on the end of the U.S.-U.K. “special relationship.” Plus: Why Democrats in Congress cannot ignore their duty, and “The Director,” by Daniel Kehlmann.

The David Frum Show

The Fight That Could Decide 2028

Why Are Groceries So Expensive?

Social Security Is Running Out of Time

Is the Left Driving Women Away?

The American Experiment Is Worth Believing In

Did Trump Surrender to Iran?

Cuba Is Collapsing. Will Trump Invade?

Republicans vs. the Fourteenth Amendment

How to Save the Supreme Court From Itself

Has Trump Corrupted the Military?

Trump’s Iran War: America's Loss Is China’s Win

What Happens if the U.S. Defaults?

How to Survive Losing a Child

Who Is the Real Base of the Democratic Party?

On the Brink of Global Recession

Is Anybody Actually Winning Trump’s Iran War?

What It Means to Be American

Watching War From the Strait of Hormuz

The Far-Right Algorithm: Anti-Churchill, Anti-West

Why Britain Is Saying No to Trump’s Iran War