Alex Isenstadt on ‘Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump’s Return to Power’

Larry is joined by Axios Senior Political Reporter Alex Isenstadt to talk about his new book Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump’s Return to Power. They begin their conversation by discussing Alex’s approach to writing the book and the environment surrounding Trump when he decided to run for president a second time. They then analyze the personality differences between Trump’s first and second administration, particularly the bevy of influential allies currently in his cabinet, like White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles (10:25). This leads to an examination of Trump as an indomitable political athlete whose mystique has kept a solid base of followers even through his most politically devastating moments (15:40). After the break, Larry and Alex shine a light on Trump’s mercurial relationship with Fox News, Rupert Murdoch, and Tucker Carlson, while highlighting the behind-the-scenes machinations that led to JD Vance’s ascendancy to vice president (28:13). Finally, Larry and Alex analyze the viability of Elon Musk’s partnership with Team Trump and talk about the future of both the Democrat and Republican parties (45:36).

Host: Larry Wilmore
Guest: Alex Isenstadt
Producer: Chris Sutton