Fareed Zakaria GPS: “Trump Tests the Limits of Presidential Power”

Date: March 23, 2025
Host: Fareed Zakaria (CNN)

Episode Overview

This episode explores major global political issues with a special focus on the Trump administration’s unprecedented exercise of executive power. Fareed Zakaria examines whether the U.S. is facing a constitutional crisis, how Israel is handling renewed conflict and internal upheaval, and whether there is hope for peace in Ukraine. The episode features insightful discussions with legal scholars Leah Litman and Sai Prakash, Israeli journalist Ari Shavit, and former Council on Foreign Relations president Richard Haass.

Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. Trump and the Limits of Presidential Power

[00:29-14:28]; [15:31-20:40]

Zakaria’s Opening Commentary: The Myth of the Manufacturing Comeback

• Tariffs, manufacturing nostalgia, and economic realities:
  • Trump administration aims for an "American manufacturing comeback," often supported by tariffs and aggressive economic policy ([00:29]).
  • Zakaria unpacks the myth versus the reality: services dominate advanced economies, with the U.S. exporting software, entertainment, and finance, not goods.
  • Attempts to revive manufacturing via protectionism are seen as economically backward: “The effort to revive manufacturing via protectionism is an effort to defy basic economics.” – Fareed Zakaria ([08:42])

Panel on Presidential Power: Leah Litman & Sai Prakash

Are We in a Constitutional Crisis?

• Leah Litman:
  • Asserts the country is indeed in a constitutional crisis, describing the executive’s recent assertions of unbounded authority as “fundamentally anti-constitutional.”
  • “Saying we are in a constitutional crisis does not convey the gravity of the situation... the power to disregard law... deportations are the clearest example.” ([09:07])
• Sai Prakash:
  • Less definitive: notes that while Trump claims to follow court orders, significant disputes and concerning behavior exist at lower levels.
  • “The administration believes it'll ultimately prevail in some of these cases. So it's not trying to trash the courts, at least not yet.” ([10:20])

Who Interprets the Law?

• Zakaria references Marbury v. Madison, reaffirming that judges interpret the law—a principle he says appears threatened by executive overreach ([09:48]).

Deportations and National Security Justifications

• The Trump administration’s novel use of old, wartime statutes to justify Venezuelan deportations is described as a legal stretch:
  • Fareed: “These are American government planes, American government pilots. Presumably they have to follow American law, or am I mistaken?” ([10:50])
  • Prakash: “They’re attacking that particular judge, but they’re not attacking Supreme Court... they want to maintain the claim that they are complying with court orders.” ([11:21])

Role of District Court Judges

• Litman argues that lower federal courts have long had authority to grant nationwide relief on federal policy—undermining Trump’s claim that district judges overstep their role ([12:20]).

National Security as a Blanket Justification

• Litman draws a direct parallel to Japanese-American internment, warning against courts rubber-stamping executive actions in the name of national security:
  • “If [courts] did so, that would mean, for example, court should have upheld the internment of American citizens of Japanese descent during World War II...that is one of the most clear parallels to the situation we are seeing now.” ([15:57])

Firing of Independent Agency Officials (The ‘Unitary Executive’ Theory)

• Prakash contends the Constitution grants the president the right to remove executive officers, and predicts the Supreme Court will side with Trump on these issues ([17:44]).
• Litman warns this logic could mean even institutions like the Federal Reserve “lose their independence,” risking “economically catastrophic” results if presidents can manipulate monetary policy for political ends ([18:43]).
• Prakash points out a nuance: the administration distinguishes between direct regulatory authority (possibly presidentially controlled) and monetary policy (possibly not) ([19:52]).

2. Israel’s Constitutional and Identity Crisis

Guest: Ari Shavit (Israeli Journalist)
[22:07-28:13]

War in Gaza and Domestic Unrest

• Netanyahu’s decision to resume the Gaza offensive and fire internal security chief has sparked mass protests.
• Ari Shavit connects Israel’s crisis to American concerns: “Israel is right now sinking into a constitutional crisis that...is already happening here.” ([22:48])

Israel’s “Conceptual Civil War”

• Shavit explains the profound divide between:
  • Liberals, who fear an Erdogan-style power grab stripping checks and balances (“illiberal democracy—or something worse, because...we don’t have a constitution to defend us”).
  • Populist/nationalist right, who believe unelected judges and generals block majority rule ([23:32]).
• “The real discussion at the moment...is what is democracy?...the right...saying, we have the majority and we cannot rule because the judiciary, the military, the police, the secret service don't let us rule. On the other hand, you have the liberals who are saying...we may lose all checks and balances.” ([23:32])

Netanyahu’s Motives and the American Parallel

• Shavit describes Netanyahu’s recent evolution:
  • “The old Benjamin Netanyahu was a conservative Republican American. The new Netanyahu...is more like a French monarch: ‘The state is me’...There is a kind of element of Trump envy. He basically says, why can’t I do here what Trump is doing in America?” ([26:06])
• He argues Israel’s political crisis, unfolding amid existential war, is even more acute than America’s ([27:45]).

3. Ukraine – Is Peace Possible?

Guest: Richard Haass (Council on Foreign Relations, President Emeritus)
[29:25-35:01]

US Stance: Honest Broker or Russian Backer?

• Zakaria questions whether the US is pursuing peace or “taking Russia’s side,” noting Steve Witkoff (Trump’s Russia envoy) echoes the Russian narrative.
• Haass: “Steve Witkoff erred in two ways. One is essentially adopting many Russian positions, but also prematurely introducing what...are called final status issues. At a time, the United States should simply be pressing for what you might call a simple or clean ceasefire.” ([30:18])

Putin’s Goals

• Haass dismisses the notion that Putin truly wants peace:
  • “He wants to end Ukraine’s existence as a sovereign, independent country...it goes beyond territorial issues.” ([31:27])

Analysis of Trump’s Relationship with Putin

• Fareed notes Trump appears “closer to Putin than to Zelensky.”
• Haass: “I've seen all the theories...admiration of a strong man...dislike for Zelensky because of the issues with Biden...I don't know...if their goal is to get peace, they're undermining their own prospects by not putting pressure on Russia.” ([33:04])

Can Europe Substitute for US Support?

• Haass is skeptical: “Solution’s too big of a word. I think the Europeans plus Ukraine’s own efforts can buy time, but there’s no clear substitute for what the United States is doing.” ([34:23])

4. COVID-19 Response: Lessons Learned

[35:01-39:52]
Fareed Zakaria’s Closing Analysis

• Based on the new book “In COVID’s Wake” by Stephen Macedo and Frances E. Lee
• The scientific community may have “overestimated the dangers...and stifled dissenting scientific viewpoints.”
• Lockdowns, school closures, and other restrictions were adopted despite weak evidence for effectiveness.
• No significant differences in COVID death rates between states with strict or lenient policies (pre-vaccine), according to the authors.
• Major success was vaccination; failures included sharply increased inequality, economic pain, and student loss.
• Zakaria: “A pandemic is too important to be left to scientists.” ([39:43])

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Leah Litman on the gravity of the crisis:
  • "Saying we are in a constitutional crisis does not convey the gravity of the situation." ([09:07])
• Sai Prakash on the Administration’s Legal Posture:
  • "I don't think that particular episode crowns the administration with glory. I think that was very unfortunate." ([11:21])
• Ari Shavit on Israeli Identity Crisis:
  • "The deeper debate in Israel is between its Jewish identity in the nationalist religious dimension and the democratic identity. By the way, the secret of Israel is the balance between the two." ([23:32])
• Richard Haass on Peace in Ukraine:
  • "Putin sees peace not as an end, but as a means to an end...he wants to end Ukraine’s existence as a sovereign, independent country." ([31:27])
• Fareed Zakaria on pandemic management:
  • "Just as war is too important to be left to generals, a pandemic is too important to be left to scientists." ([39:43])

Key Segment Timestamps

• 00:29-08:49: Zakaria’s opening essay on Trump’s economic policy and the manufacturing myth
• 09:07-14:28; 15:31-20:40: Panel with Leah Litman and Sai Prakash: Constitutional crisis, presidential power, deportations, and national security
• 22:07-28:13: Ari Shavit on protests and constitutional emergency in Israel
• 29:25-35:01: Richard Haass on Ukraine, US-Russia-Ukraine relations, and prospects for peace
• 35:01-39:52: Zakaria’s analysis of COVID-19 responses and lessons for future pandemics

Summary

This episode of Fareed Zakaria GPS delivers a comprehensive, urgent exploration of how democracies are tested under crisis, from America’s confrontation with executive overreach, through Israel’s social schisms, to the great power struggles in Ukraine. With deep expertise and pointed analysis, guests and Zakaria alike warn of the fragility of constitutional norms, the perils of unchecked power, and the dangerous lessons of history—reminding listeners that these issues, once theoretical, are now unfolding in real time.