In the final pod of the Trump Era, Jon, Jon, and Tommy talk about the 45th President’s final days in office, how he’s changed the Republican Party and America over the last four years, and President-elect Joe Biden’s new plans to fight the recession and the pandemic. Then Lovett and Favreau talk about what goes into writing an inaugural address as part of their Crooked Media YouTube series, Speechwriters React.

Show notes

Trump’s Last Day

• ABC News: At least 21 states activating National Guard troops in capitals to prepare for possible attacks 
• AP: FBI vetting Guard troops in DC amid fears of insider attack
• Politico: Fortress D.C.
• NPR: Up To 25,000 Troops Descend On Washington For Biden’s Inauguration
• WaPo: Trump to flee Washington and seek rehabilitation in a MAGA oasis: Florida 
• FiveThirtyEight: Since The Capitol Attack, Trump’s Approval Rating Has Plummeted At A Record Rate
• LA Times: Trump retreats from his job, and Pence fills the void as ‘acting’ president 
• The Guardian: Trump to hold early morning sendoff ceremony on Biden inauguration day 
• WaPo: Undeterred, Biden will push unity in a capital locked down after an insurrection 
• NYT: Pence plans to attend Biden’s inauguration.
• WaPo: This impeached, one-term president refused to go to his successor’s inauguration. Now Trump will do the same. 
• AP: Trump to skip Biden swearing-in — Biden’s fine with that 
• NPR: Trump Won’t Attend Inauguration; Congress Pushes Ahead With Capitol Ceremony 
• The Atlantic: The Coming Republican Amnesia
• Axios: Scoop: Gina Haspel threatened to resign over plan to install Kash Patel as CIA deputy 
• WaPo: For those who quit Trump after riot, critics say it’s too little — and four years too late 
• WSJ: Here’s Who Resigned From Trump’s Administration After Riot at the Capitol
• NYT: As Circle of Trump Aides Dwindles, a Few Plan to Stay to the End
• Politico: Trump staffers are worrying about their next job 
• Bloomberg: Trump Averts Mass-Resignation Crisis as Riot Tests Staff Loyalty 
• The Guardian: How the Republican voter fraud lie paved the way for Trump to undermine Biden’s presidency
• WaPo: The Trump presidency was marked by battles over truth itself. Those aren’t over. 
• NYT: Post Trump, Republicans Are Headed for a Bitter Internal Showdown
• WaPo Analysis: Trump leaves behind a Republican Party both broken and still in his grip
• CNN: As Trump leaves the stage, Republicans grapple with new conspiracy caucus
• NYT: Abandon Trump? Deep in the G.O.P. Ranks, the MAGA Mind-Set Prevails 
• NYT Op-Ed: Trump Is the Republican Party’s Past and Its Future
• WaPo Analysis: The GOP fight now is the same fight it’s been for years: The establishment vs. the fringe 
• Politifact: Trump-O-Meter
• NY Mag: Trump Wanted to Erase Obama’s Legacy. He Failed. 
• Politico: 30 Things Donald Trump Did as President You Might Have Missed 
• CNN: How Trump’s most consequential policies have changed America 
• WaPo: Trump’s most enduring legacy could be the historic rise in the national debt 
• Reuters: Trump ends his term like a growing number of Americans: out of a job \
• NYT: Pompeo, Who Led Trump’s Mission at State Dept., Leaves With a Dubious Legacy

Biden’s First 10 Days 

• WaPo: Biden plans a flurry of executive orders, new legislation for first days as president
• NYT: Biden Seeks Quick Start With Executive Actions and Aggressive Legislation 
• NYT: Biden Outlines $1.9 Trillion Spending Package to Combat Virus and Downturn 
• Vox: Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion Covid-19 stimulus plan, explained
• NYT: How Biden’s Proposed Paid Leave Would Work 
• NYT: One Sentence in Biden Stimulus Plan Reveals His Health Care Approach 
• NY Mag: The Good, the Bad, and the Odd in Biden’s Stimulus Plan 
• NYT: That’s a Lot of Money 
• NYT: A Look at What’s in Biden’s $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Plan 
• CNBC: Critics say Biden’s Covid relief plan breaks promise of $2,000 stimulus checks
• Vox: “A colossal waste”: Some Republicans question Biden’s Covid-19 relief plan
• WaPo: Congressional Republicans balk at Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief plan, complicating push for quick passage
• Roll Call: Biden preps coronavirus ‘rescue’ plan, with ‘recovery’ bill to follow 
• WaPo: Biden team briefs Congress on emerging stimulus plan, aims for bipartisan deal 
• Axios: Biden outlines plan to reverse Trump policies on first day of presidency
• Vox: How Biden hopes to use executive actions to address America’s “compounding crises”
• Politico: Biden plans dozens of executive orders for early days of presidency 
• CNN Opinion: Biden’s ambitious 100-day plan to erase Trump’s legacy 
• Politico: Biden will halt federal executions, other actions on first day in office 
• Politico: Biden to yank Keystone XL permit on first day of presidency
• WaPo: Biden choices for CFPB, SEC signal pivot to robust enforcement 
• CNN: Biden nominates Gary Gensler for SEC commissioner, Rohit Chopra to lead Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 
• Politico: Biden taps Warren ally Chopra to lead Consumer Bureau 
• LA Times: Column: $1 fines from consumer agency were common under Trump. That’s about to change