Veteran journalist Mark Halperin said on his podcast Friday that he’s “baffled” at the seemingly ineffective efforts of President Donald Trump’s opponents to thwart his political agenda.
In “The Commentary Magazine Podcast,” Halperin said he’s out of words for the Trump administration and added that the public and the media are witnessing only a fraction of what’s actually happening.
“I’m paid to not be baffled or speechless. That’s been my job. I’m baffled and somewhat speechless. I’ve been thinking in the last couple days. Is there anything in my career as a journalist that I’ve covered that I’d compare to this? And the answer is no,” Halperin said. “I’ve covered presidential campaigns, governments, Oklahoma City bombing, OJ Simpson trial. I’ve covered lots of big complex stories. I find this to be extraordinary and singular.”
Reflecting on the early weeks of past second terms, such as those of Clinton, Bush, and Obama, Halperin said, “It’s nothing like this for obvious reasons. But it also is a second term presidency in the sense that he’s experienced. He knows more about how to do the job and what he wants.”
Mark Halperin joins the podcast today to provide an overview on what he believes is an unprecedented and overwhelming beginning to Trump 2—and why Trump’s opposition continually misunderstands his appeal and his own political savvy. @MarkHalperinhttps://t.co/IEx04nOslA
— Commentary Magazine (@Commentary) February 7, 2025
Trump’s time away from the courtroom, Halperin said, has allowed him to strategically plan his return to power, aiming to enact what he called a “revolution” in American politics.
“And the theater of it and the personality and the historical narrative arc are all of course super compelling but what matters is the real lives of real people and the impact this is going to have on not just American government and the world, but American history,” Halperin said. “And I think on that score, based on the early returns here after a couple weeks, this turns the Reagan Revolution [into] a joke. It makes the notion that George W. Bush came into Washington [to] really shake things up. There’s no comparison, what they’re doing.”
Halperin said that the Trump administration’s strategy is a blend of meticulous planning and effective improvisation, which has left his opponents scrambling.
“And it’s some combination of careful planning that was hidden from view for the most part and ad hockery that is being mostly successful because this is open field running. I’m very reluctant to use sports metaphors but I think it’s the right one. This is Travis Kelce catching the ball on his own 40 and looking around and seeing there’s no one near him. And he’s just barreling downfield,” Halperin said. “The Democrats are nowhere on the field. The press is nowhere on the field. The liberal interest groups are nowhere on the field. The reasons for their being so ill prepared, I think, will be studied eventually. I have never seen anything like, not just the activity but the inability, of his opponents to forget stopping him. They’re barely, with a few exceptions, even slowing him down.”
Just like Halperin, George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley said that the president’s tactics in his second term have taken everyone by surprise. He discussed Trump’s strategy of aggressive legal challenges and executive actions, which he said have stirred both anticipation and anxiety in Washington, D.C. Trump, Turley said, is actively preparing his administration to tackle legal obstacles directly instead of dodging them through a sequence of provocative executive orders.
Featured Image Credit: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America
