Donald Trump's Chaotic and Contradictory Day 1
Plus: A listener asks the editors about the validity of using emergency measures to restrict movement during the L.A. wildfires.
In this week's The Reason Roundtable, editors Peter Suderman, Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, and Nick Gillespie react to the second inauguration of President Donald Trump. The gang parses some of his contradictory ideas before touching on the saga of banning TikTok, the Chinese-owned social media application, in the United States.
01:46 - Donald Trump's second inauguration
14:20 - Trump's Day 1 executive actions
28:34 - Joe Biden's farewell address
42:25 - Weekly listener question
48:04 - TikTok ban
57:10 - This week's cultural recommendations
Mentioned in this podcast:
"Day 1," by Liz Wolfe
"Trump Signals a Crackdown on Legal and Illegal Immigration," by Fiona Harrigan
"Trump Promises To Be a 'Peacemaker,' Threatens Panama," by Eric Boehm
"Trump's 'External Revenue Service' Is a Public Relations Effort. It Won't Change How Tariffs Work," by Eric Boehm
"Many Workers Don't Want To Return to the Office. That Could Help Shrink the Government," by J.D. Tuccille
"The Equity Mess," by Matt Welch
"Biden's Preemptive Pardons Undermine Official Accountability and the Rule of Law," by Jacob Sullum
"Biden Attempts To Ratify the Equal Rights Amendment by Blog Post," by C.J. Ciaramella
"The Tech Bros Love Trump Because the Democrats Pushed Them Away," by Robby Soave
"State-Run TikTok Coming Soon?" by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
"TikTok Is Back Online as Trump Proposes Nationalizing It," by Joe Lancaster
"These Lawmakers Actively Use TikTok Even After Voting To Ban It," by Joe Lancaster
"SCOTUS Rules in Favor of TikTok Ban as Some Supporters Realize It's a Bad Idea," by Robby Soave
"Was David Lynch the Original Libertarian Democrat?" by Nick Gillespie
"Twin Peaks and the Moment TV Changed," by Jesse Walker
Send your questions to roundtable@reason.com. Be sure to include your social media handle and the correct pronunciation of your name.
Today's sponsors:
- Are you a student looking for a transformative opportunity that supports the foundations of a free society? Reliance College invites students aged 16 to 24 to the 2025 Great Connections Seminar in Chicago, from July 26 to August 2. This year's theme, "Reason and Free Will," dives into timeless ideas from writers such as Thomas Jefferson, Ayn Rand, and Aristotle. Students sharpen critical thinking in small, dynamic groups, developing the intellectual tools needed to thrive in a free society. Outside the classroom, they'll explore Chicago's vibrant culture—touring museums, trying improv comedy, and building lifelong connections. Parents, this program equips students to think, reason, and act independently. Go to reliancecollege.org/reason to learn more and apply. Early registration is just $400 before March 1, including room and board, with scholarships available. Don't miss out! Visit www.reliancecollege.org/reason to learn more and apply.
- Are you being lied to? They tell you to max out your 401(k) and IRA, and then make you beg for permission to use your own money! It's time to get the truth and discover a better way to grow and protect your money! Bank On Yourself is the proven retirement plan alternative banks and Wall Street desperately hope you never hear about. You're in control. You get access to your money for emergencies and opportunities with no questions asked! There are no government penalties or restrictions on how much or when you can take it. And when you use your money, it keeps growing like you never touched it! Try doing that with a 401(k) or IRA…you can't! You can get a free report that reveals how you can Bank On Yourself and enjoy tax-free retirement income, guaranteed growth, and control of your money. Just go to https://www.bankonyourself.com/roundtable.
Audio production by Ian Keyser
Assistant production by Hunt Beaty
Music: "Angeline," by The Brothers Steve
- Video Editor: Ian Keyser
- Producer: Hunt Beaty
Editor's Note: As of February 29, 2024, commenting privileges on reason.com posts are limited to Reason Plus subscribers. Past commenters are grandfathered in for a temporary period. Subscribe here to preserve your ability to comment. Your Reason Plus subscription also gives you an ad-free version of reason.com, along with full access to the digital edition and archives of Reason magazine. We request that comments be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment and ban commenters for any reason at any time. Comments may only be edited within 5 minutes of posting. Report abuses.
Please
to post comments
Restricting movement during an emergency? I can't imagine such a thing!
What was chaotic? Lol.
What the fuck.
I almost thought of listening in to find out, but it would still be stupid.
Eventually someone will come along and listen to this drivel and tell us.
Well trump did what he said he would do, and all of it will benifit America, reason is confused about loving the USA and wanting it to succeed, and by a politician doing what he said he would do
and contradictory, only to those who have TDS
Donald Trump is wrong about Day 1!
No. Vance is wrong. Trump is evil.
Chill - 47 just pardoned all the 1-21 Yuma Oompa Loompas
Huh? Chaotic?
also long live Garth Hudson. take a load off.
Has anyone tried to impeach him yet, or are they waiting for day 2?
Someone already started a website to impeach him. See roundup thread.
I'm sure the Democrats in the House have already drawn up the paper work and are just waiting and hoping they retake it in the midterms.
“Outside the classroom, they’ll explore Chicago’s vibrant culture.”
Will they be handing out complimentary bulletproof vests?
Why cower on defense? Hand out rifles.
I assumed they’d be libs.
It makes me sad to say this but I'm afraid Reason editors will soon have to face the fact that they have made themselves completely irrelevant. Nobody gives a shit what they think about...well anything. Fortunately they have irrelevant friends at The Bulwark to commiserate with.
Are you paying $25 a year for this and reading everything they post?
Somebody cares about what they think.
The $25 is not to read what the Reason editors think; that much is free. The $25 is to tell them how wrong they are.
I'm grandfathered. I don't pay shit. If they shut me down I'm outa here.
Me too.
I agree.
I may pay 25 to make fun of sarc and Jeff.
Lol.
It is a great for of daily entertainment. Especially with Trump back in the saddle. It must be amplifying their pain tenfold.
Same. I assumed they backed out on it. If they're going to charge to comment and view comments then I'm done. The articles are only good as a starting point to mock and then discuss reality.
Same
Can't happen fast enough imo
And I do not read most of the anti liberty statist propaganda served up here. I generally read Liz and the comments if I bother to show up.
Not enough to simply kill off free commenters.
It's been 11 months since they announced that you have to pay to read and debate their opinions.
Either it raised enough money already, and the coders are lazy, or this was an empty threat.
Nope.
At one time (before the DC office) Reason got a pretty sizeable annual check. Which declined over the years as the DC office seemed to undermine the policies of what was formerly a libertarian organization. Unfortunately, there are now none, AFAIK. Liberty Unbound turned into a fundy X-ian site; worthless.
Now Reason gets $5 each year, which seems to keep me in the 'contributor' basket with commenting privileges.
That's gotta be the only reason you haven't gotten ban-hammered for all the assholory that you are composed of.
I thought about paying but their TDS is really showing and even their articles are filled with chaos and are contradictory to libertarian values.
They hit that point years ago. Most come cor just the comment thread.
Citation: js;dr
Have to agree...did this person listen to Kamala's. talk for firemen. At least be thankful. The editors on this article remind me of the Jewish grandmother at the beach who falls to knees after grandson swept out by wave "Oh God spare him , return him....." and a wave brings him back alive and plops him on the shore. She looks at him and then speaks to God "Where is his hat, he was wearing a hat"
And for the record, David Lynch's relevant creative output began and ended with Eraserhead. Full stop.
Bullshit.
IMHO Blue Velvet is a masterpiece. My problem with Lynch is that he pretty much spent the rest of his career remaking Blue Velvet over and over again, but never quite recapturing the tone.
Twin peaks
I really like Twin Peaks. It’s a shame there will never be a season 4 now.
Trump has done more work and good work at that than Biden did his four years...much to the chagrin of the leftist vermin.
That would be the TDS addled shit piles who currently write for Reason.
All of whom should fuck off and die.
The press isn’t used to a non vegetable occupying the White House.
You said nothing when in his first week , from pure spite and with no explanation, Biden recscinded "Promoting Beautiful Federal Civic Architecture"
" a National Civic Art Society survey by the Harris Poll. It found that "72% of American adults prefer classical and traditional design for federal buildings. There were wide majorities for tradition across all demographic groups, including political party affiliation,""
REASON HATES IT WHEN ANYONE HAS STANDARDS. Too cloose to religion or morality or normalcy. You have to be an Empiricist Utilitarian atheist to be Libertarian. May it fall in my lifetime.