Podcast Summary:

The New Yorker Radio Hour
Episode: A Moderate Republican Wants to Primary Donald Trump in 2020
Date: March 1, 2019
Host: David Remnick
Featuring: Bill Weld, Evan Osnos, Rachel Syme

Episode Overview

This episode centers on former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld, a moderate Republican planning to challenge Donald Trump in the 2020 Republican presidential primary. Host David Remnick interviews Weld about his motivations and strategies, delving into the state of the Republican Party and the challenges of running against an incumbent president with broad party support. The episode also features analysis of Michael Cohen's congressional testimony with New Yorker writer Evan Osnos, and concludes with a lighter segment on fashion and perfume with columnist Rachel Syme.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bill Weld’s Unprecedented Primary Challenge to Trump

• Weld’s Political Identity:
  • A “New England moderate”—fiscally conservative, socially liberal.
  • Not moderate in his criticism of Trump.
• Motivation for Running:
  • Weld views Trump’s presidency as a “train wreck” domestically and internationally.
  • Weld feels compelled to challenge what he sees as a breakdown of legal norms and presidential comportment.
  • Quote (Weld, 01:15):

    "The truth is that we've wasted an enormous amount of time by humoring this president, indulging him in his narcissism and his compulsive, irrational behaviors.”

• Core Issues for Weld’s Campaign:
  • Trump’s foreign policy (insulting allies, favoring autocrats).
  • Undermining rule of law (not respecting Justice Department independence).
  • Climate change and environmental stewardship.
  • Opposition to withdrawal from trade treaties like the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
  • Concerns over the President’s divisive political style.
  • Quote (Weld, 02:51):

    "On the international front, the president has totally upended the correct order of things. He's insulting our allies. And, you know, his favorite foreign leaders are the ones who are autocratic or despotic."

• Viability of Challenge:
  • Weld acknowledges Trump’s high Republican approval ratings but notes the unpredictability of politics.
  • Weld remains optimistic that political conditions can change rapidly.
  • Quote (Weld, 04:18):

    "Six months is an eternity in politics...I think many people are making the mistake now of assuming that nothing is going to change..."

• Handling Trump’s Tactics:
  • Weld expects to be ignored, then ridiculed, but says he left his privacy behind long ago.
  • Quote (Weld, 05:10):

    "Probably ignoring as long as he can and then ridiculing. But look, I checked my privacy at the door a long time ago, decades ago."

• Purpose Beyond Protest:
  • Weld insists that his candidacy is not a "suicide mission," but a real campaign with intentions to win and serve the country.
  • He frames his leadership style as inclusive and contrasts it with Trump's divisive approach.
  • Quote (Weld, 06:00):

    "The point is to win the election. And, you know, I feel more than prepared to discharge the duties of that office."

• Fundraising and Donor Support:
  • Weld claims donors are interested, particularly because he’s running as a Republican.
  • Quote (Weld, 06:52):

    "Everybody that we've spoken to about this race has said, ooh, if you're running as an R, I'm in."

2. The Republican Party’s Rightward Shift

• Party Extremes & Gerrymandering:
  • Weld faults both parties for moving towards the extremes, attributing this in part to gerrymandering and the incentive to raise money through fear.
  • Quote (Weld, 07:41):

    "It's partly gerrymandering. It's partly that they all want to be re elected. And...the way to raise lots of money is to scare people."

  • Weld calls the current political climate a "sick situation."
• Racism & White Supremacist Strains:
  • Weld promises to publicize and denounce the party's tolerance of racist imagery, citing the Trump campaign's use of George Lincoln Rockwell (American Nazi Party founder) imagery as a dog whistle for white supremacists.
  • Boldly places Trump’s nationalism in historically dangerous company.
  • Quote (Weld, 09:23):

    "He makes no bones about the fact he says America first, which was Charles Lindbergh's fifth column before World War II...that's the Nationalist Workers Party."

3. Policy Differences: Environment and Climate

• Weld supports the Paris Climate Accords and ambitious U.S. commitments.
• Skeptical of progressive proposals like the Green New Deal for their cost, but emphasizes a proud environmental track record.
• Quote (Weld, 10:03):

  "I think we should rejoin the Paris Climate Accords, for openers, and adopt percentages that are consonant with our responsibility on the issue of climate."

• Weld touts his past work cleaning up Boston Harbor as an example of impactful environmental action.
• Quote (Weld, 10:45):

  "I've got to study that more than I have. It sounds pretty expensive...But I do think that, at bottom, Europe has its monuments and its cathedrals, and we've got our mountains and our valleys and our rivers and our streams, and we better damn well take care of them."

4. Campaign Prospects:

• Weld is banking on a strong showing in New Hampshire and New England.
• Lists western and Pacific states, as well as parts of the Rust Belt, as potentially receptive.
• Questions whether Trump will debate, suggesting it may only happen out of a desire to “crush” him.
• Quote (Weld, 11:35):

  "He might. You know, to show he could crush me like a bug."

5. Why Has Trump "Hung On" So Long?

• Weld references the "Fifth Avenue" shooting comment, seeing Trump as Icarus flying too close to the sun.
• Acknowledges Trump’s remarkable political resilience, but questions how long it can last.
• Quote (Weld, 12:58):

  "Well, he's had a great run being Icarus and flying near the sun, that's for sure. But, you know, the wax in Icarus wings melted and he plunged into the sea. You just don't know how long a charmed life is gonna keep on going in politics."

Analysis Segment: Michael Cohen’s Testimony & Trump’s Washington with Evan Osnos

(Begins ~13:52)

• Context: The episode occurs during an extraordinary week in U.S. politics, with Michael Cohen (Trump’s former lawyer) testifying before Congress and the breakdown of a Trump-Kim summit in Hanoi.
• Collision of Events: Osnos draws connections between the two major stories—Cohen’s testimony and Trump’s North Korea diplomacy—both reflecting Trump’s reliance on personal persuasion over substance.
  • Quote (Osnos, 14:24):

    “They are both, in a way, about the collision of Donald Trump's ability to muscle a certain reality into existence.”

• Content of Cohen Testimony:
  • Cohen revealed Trump’s direct involvement in hush-money payments and indicated that Trump might have misrepresented assets on loan applications.
  • While not providing a "smoking gun" for removal, testimony opens avenues for further investigation, particularly regarding bank fraud.
  • Quote (Osnos, 16:34):

    “He was still facilitating the reimbursement of Michael Cohen for hush payments to the adult film star Stormy Daniels... It’s just his own signature now betrays that.”

• Political Consequences:
  • Cohen’s words carry weight because he was an insider-turned-critic (“the passion of the convert”).
  • The Democratic-controlled House now pursues these leads with increased determination.
• Outlook:
  • The process is far from over; more hearings and investigations likely.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Bill Weld:

  • "They say the president has captured the Republican Party in Washington, as he himself might tweet. Sad. It’s even sadder that Republicans in Washington, many of them, exhibit all the symptoms of Stockholm Syndrome, identifying with their captor." (01:15)
  • "You know, I've been watching closely for some time... and I just can't sit quietly by anymore." (02:16)
  • "I think his advisors will say, ignore this fellow as long as you can, assuming I get in." (11:35)

• Evan Osnos:

  • “In some ways, that gives him credibility that Trump's fans... would never bestow on somebody who is just peering down on Trump from a television studio.” (15:52)
  • “We’ve now entered a new phase in which it turns out, as we know, it really matters who controls the House of Representatives.” (17:45)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:09-13:22: Main interview: David Remnick and Bill Weld—Trump primary challenge, the state of the GOP, and key issues
• 13:52-18:29: Analysis of Michael Cohen testimony with Evan Osnos
• 18:51-26:41: “Style and Substance” Segment: Rachel Syme on fashion memes, pockets in women’s clothes, and avant-garde perfumes

Brief Summary: Fashion & Perfume with Rachel Syme (18:51–26:41)

• Conversation about a social media meme where you Google "Rihanna + your birthday" to find a fashion horoscope.
• Discussion of “Articles of Interest” podcast episode on the history and politics of pockets in clothing.
  • Quote (Remnick, 21:59):

    "This idea of who has access to the tools they need, who can walk through the world comfortably and securely. This is what we are talking about when we talk about pockets."

• Perfume trends—novelty and realism, including perfumes that smell like fresh-baked bread, cherry, gunpowder, and food.
• Lighthearted demonstration: Remnick tries Tom Ford’s “Lost Cherry” and Cire Trudon’s “Révolution.”
  • Quote (Remnick, 25:19):

    "It’s the best thing that's happened to me in weeks."

  • Quote (Syme, 26:03):

    "Gunpowder is your new signature scent."

Takeaways

• Bill Weld is launching an uphill but principled campaign to return moderation and lawfulness to the Republican Party.
• He is deeply critical of Trump, both on policy and personal conduct, and sees Trumpism as an aberration and a symptom of deeper party malaise.
• Michael Cohen’s testimony marks a new phase in the investigations of Trump, with possible long-term implications for his legal and political future.
• The episode closes on a lighter note, exploring culture, fashion, and the surprising world of perfume.

For further reading:

• The New Yorker Radio Hour
• Bill Weld’s campaign platform (archived)
• Evan Osnos’s reporting at The New Yorker
• Rachel Syme’s writing