The David Frum Show (The Atlantic)

Episode: Trump's Plot Against the 2026 Elections
Date: June 11, 2025
Host: David Frum
Guest: Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ)

Brief Overview

In this episode, David Frum explores the mounting threats facing American democracy, particularly focusing on the Trump administration’s tactics for the 2026 congressional elections. After an extensive monologue outlining Trump’s escalating use of emergency powers and attacks on the rule of law, Frum interviews Senator Ruben Gallego, a Democratic rising star from Arizona. Their conversation spans the political realities in competitive states, Democratic Party weaknesses, the evolving Latino identity in U.S. politics, issues facing American men, and the role of military experience in public service.

Frum’s Monologue: Trump, Emergency Powers, and the Rule of Law

Theme: The Trump administration’s response to recent protests is not just a law-and-order issue, but a test run for interfering with future elections.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

• Recent LA Protests as “Trial Run” (02:15–05:00):
  Frum details disorderly protests in Los Angeles against Trump’s immigration raids, which prompted Trump to attempt to federalize the CA National Guard and offer militarized responses.

  “…what happened in California this weekend is as a trial run, a test, a practice for things that Donald Trump has in mind in 2026.” (05:00)

• Trump’s Strategy for 2026 Elections (05:30–09:00):
  Rather than governing for popularity, Trump is establishing legal and logistical levers to suppress or manipulate elections in blue states, thereby protecting himself from loss of congressional majorities.

  • Precedents: Northern Marianas Islands postponed votes after a typhoon; Reconstruction-era troop deployments.
  • Hypothetical: Trump provokes disorder, declares emergency, postpones blue-state House elections, thereby skewing Congress.

  "The President doesn't have a button he can press to stop elections…But what the President can do is put pressure on certain states or delay…to convene a House…full of newly elected people from his states and vacancies from the other states." (08:04)

• Authoritarian Personalities, Trump-Musk Dispute (10:00–17:00):

  • Frum draws comparisons between Western liberal-democratic governance and “personalist” regimes.
  • Critiques both Trump and Elon Musk, describing a future where American power serves egos and personal interests.

  "We're having a breakdown of the rule of law system in the United States. I've often worried that you could have a Trump administration, or you could have the rule of law…but not both." (18:10)

Interview: Senator Ruben Gallego

1. Political Realities in a Competitive State

(22:04–26:54)

• Living (and Winning) in Arizona:
  Gallego’s electoral success is attributed to authentic engagement with working-class and centrist constituents. Arizona lacks deep partisan bubbles, so practical concerns (like home ownership or buying a “big-ass truck”) outweigh ideological purity.

  "If these men feel that we're not able to get them that future that could allow them to buy that big ass truck…then we're going to lose their votes." – Gallego (22:22) “We’re very realistic about what was happening out there…just working so hard and they're just not getting anywhere…” – Gallego (24:22)

• Contrast With National Democrats:
  Frum contrasts the hard-won practicality of swing-state politicians with the ideological and sometimes out-of-touch rhetoric of party leaders from safe seats.

2. Democratic Party Weaknesses with Men

(26:54–33:50)

• Problems with Democratic Messaging:
  Party leaders focus excessively on language and optics rather than tangible actions or economic issues.

  "Democrats are all about data until they don't like the data. The data for men is they're just not doing well." – Gallego (27:26)

• Ignoring Struggling Men: Gallego insists that failing to address the economic, social, and emotional hardships faced by men—across all backgrounds—is politically and morally hazardous.

  "For some reason, Democrats have gotten sheepish about this…the fact is, like, making sure people's economic needs will cross all racial barriers and if you do it rightly, will also cross these gender, gender gaps that we're seeing." – Gallego (33:38)

• Non-Traditional Outreach:
  Understanding how working-class Latino men engage with politics (sporadic, via worksite talk/social media) has been key to Gallego’s campaigns.

3. Latino Identity and Democratic Disconnect

(33:50–38:39)

• The Limitations of “Latino” as a political label:
  The Democratic tendency to lump diverse communities under “Latino” misses significant cultural, geographic, and economic distinctions.

  "If you had any Latino friends would have told you, 'Well, that's dumb.' Like why would you do that? Kind of the anti police rhetoric..." – Gallego (37:11)

• Shifts in Values and Socioeconomics:
  As Latinos have integrated and advanced socioeconomically, their values have also shifted, but party messaging has not kept up.

4. Military Experience, Patriotism, and Public Service

(38:39–39:33; 53:26–56:21)

• Impact of Combat: Gallego describes his experience in Iraq as embittering, but not radicalizing:

  “I actually did come back embittered. I came back embittered at the administration for sending me to a bogus war...But it never made me an isolationist…” – Gallego (39:33)

• Supporting Alliances Over Isolationism:
  Emphasizes practicality in U.S. foreign policy: multilateralism, alliances, addressing root causes of instability.

• Motivation for Politics:
  Personal trauma and frustration over veterans’ treatment drove Gallego toward advocacy and office:

  “I got back from the war, I mean, I was fucked up, to be honest…My best friend died…it just kept on coming back and forth, back and forth. And I just kept complaining to congressmen and to everybody. And I realized that…I have a purpose here and it's going to continue to…service.” – Gallego (53:55)

5. Border Security, Mexico, and Tariffs

(43:13–51:44)

• Opposing Militarized, Unilateral Approaches: Gallego favors cooperation with Mexico and respect for partners, warning against Trump’s escalations and bombastic threats.

• Case Study—Colombia: Discusses the irony of destabilizing a formerly successful American ally via punitive tariffs and disruptive policies.

• On Tariffs and Trade Policy: Gallego forcefully argues that tariffs are generally harmful, and advocates for industrial policy and investment over protectionism.

  "That wasn't from tariff policy, that was from an actual industrial policy about how we're actually going to bring this back..." – Gallego (49:40) "Arizona is richer because of trade...our highest paying jobs are due to trade." – Gallego (51:44)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Trump's Constitutional Abuse:

  "President Trump…doesn't see himself as a public servant. He sees himself as a public master...He's doing more than King Charles to honor himself at other people's expense and other people's inconvenience." – Frum (56:36)

• Party Disconnect With Voters:

  "We want the [male] vote, but we want it cheaply...and we want them to be within our safe little tent of ideas and ideology...That's just not how we're going to win." – Gallego (28:10)

• Military Service as Motivation:

  “I did want to get rich first, to be honest.” – Gallego, on his initial career plans (53:48)

• The Role of Parades and Public Service:

  "The president is a public servant...not the master, he's not the king, he's not the emperor...Donald Trump does not see himself as a public servant. He sees himself as a public master." – Frum (56:36)

Important Timestamps

• 02:15: Frum on California protests and Trump’s response as “trial run”
• 05:30–08:30: Frum theorizes Trump’s 2026 election subversion playbook
• 12:00–20:00: Frum on Trump-Musk, breakdown of the rule of law, and government ethics
• 22:04–26:54: Gallego on what Arizona teaches about political engagement
• 27:26: Gallego on the failure to address American men’s struggles
• 33:50: Discussion of Latino labels and cultural realities
• 38:39: Gallego on processing military service and patriotism
• 43:13–51:44: Border policy, Mexico relations, tariffs
• 53:48: Why Gallego chose a life of public service
• 56:36: Frum’s closing monologue on Trump’s parade and “public servant” ethos

Tone & Language

The episode is serious and urgent, fitting for its subject matter, but also grounded in personal narrative and practical political strategy. Gallego’s blunt, lived experience as a Marine and working-class American lends authenticity and directness. Frum’s tone mixes analysis with incredulity at the erosion of American democratic norms.

Summary

This episode tightly weaves analysis of the Trump administration’s accelerating authoritarian tactics with the day-to-day political and cultural realities faced by Democrats like Senator Ruben Gallego. It highlights the growing disconnect between elite Democratic messaging and the lived concerns of working-class and minority voters, the importance of coalition-building, and why defending democracy requires both vigilance against subversion and a restoration of policy grounded in real-world concerns.