Episode 426

How Bad Is It?

A Conversation with David Frum

July 23, 2025

Sam Harris speaks with David Frum about the current state of American politics. They discuss the extent of Trump’s corruption, his immigration crackdowns, what’s going well under Trump 2.0, Trump’s support for Ukraine and Israel, U.S. foreign policy, nuclear proliferation, Israel’s security and internal political conflicts, perceptions of the war in Gaza, the Trump administration’s professed support for Jews, the fallout of DOGE, Trump’s friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, and other topics.

David Frum is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the host of The David Frum Show. He is the author of 10 books, most recently Trumpocracy (2018) and Trumpocalypse (2020). In 2001 and 2002, David was a speechwriter for President George W. Bush. From 2014 to 2017, he chaired the prominent U.K. center-right think tank Policy Exchange. He writes for The Atlantic on topics including politics, policy, art, literature, and history.

Website: https://davidfrum.com/

X: @davidfrum