David Sirota on Trump's Imperial Presidency

David Sirota (former Bernie Sanders speechwriter, Don't Look Up co-writer, The Lever founder) joins Matt to break down Season 2 of his award-winning podcast Master Plan.

They trace the decades-long plot — from Nixon and Watergate to Dick Cheney, Reagan's Justice Department, and Ed Meese — that transformed the presidency into an "imperial" office via unitary executive theory, setting the stage for Trump's aggressive use of power today.

They also discuss:

— Whether Dick Cheney and Ed Meese ever regretted empowering someone like Trump ("leopards ate my face")

— Bipartisan complicity: Obama's drone strikes, DACA, and the temptation for Democrats to wield the same power

— Gridlock, corruption (Season 1 tie-in), public demand for a "king who gets things done," and the Founders' anti-monarch vision

— Plus: Bernie Sanders' long-game impact, Don't Look Up's warning about distraction machines, and why deep storytelling matters

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