In a recent episode of The Ezra Klein Show, journalist Ezra Klein addressed some tough questions from his listeners. One listener raised a concern about Klein’s interviews with Trump allies, suggesting that it might make Trump’s movement seem “normal,” when it’s anything but.
Klein responded thoughtfully, saying, “I don’t know what counts as ‘normal.’ Yes, I don’t think Trump is a ‘normal’ president, but let’s be honest—he’s been elected, or nearly elected, three times. So who’s more ‘normal’: me, a glasses-wearing Brooklyn podcaster, or Donald Trump?”
Klein went on to explain that trying to label Trump as “abnormal” might stop us from understanding the people who support him. He said, “That doesn’t mean I agree with him or his actions. Some things, like weaponizing the government, are things I will oppose with everything I have. But I also want to understand the full picture, even the parts I really don’t like.”
Klein made it clear that his show isn’t about being anti-Trump. “Don’t expect this to be a ‘resistance show,’” he said. “I’m a reporter. I want to understand what’s going on, so I can make up my own mind.”
He also shared that, while he doesn’t agree with everything Trump does, some parts of his presidency might just be typical politics. “There will be some things—like the tariffs or government efficiency—that are just regular political moves,” Klein explained. “But there could also be things that signal a more authoritarian path, and that’s where we need to be careful.”
In the first Trump administration, Klein noted, it was easier for many liberals to see Trump as a fluke, a one-time mistake. “But now, it’s clear this isn’t just a one-off. And my job is to keep reporting on it, no matter how hard it gets,” he said.
Klein wrapped up by saying that while many people in Trump’s administration might not want to talk to him, he won’t stop asking the hard questions. “Just because Trump crosses a line doesn’t mean I’m not going to talk about the other important issues—like the tariffs or the policies. I’m not going to stop doing my job just because things get uncomfortable.”
So, while Klein’s podcast isn’t here to take sides, it’s definitely here to make sense of a very complicated political moment.
