Mona Charen speaks with The Atlantic’s Idrees Kahloon about how Trump’s immigration, university, trade, fiscal, and foreign-policy agenda could weaken the foundations of long-term American prosperity and global influence. They also discuss China, alliances, executive power, political corruption, and Kahloon’s reconsideration of campaign-finance reform in an era of small-donor-driven extremism and weakened political parties.

Trump’s Anti-Growth Agenda
By Idrees Kahloon

Thomas Edsall tells Mona Charen Democrats can recover from Trump's bad ratings by moderating on three fronts: transgender policy (affirm two sexes, restrict sports/prisons/youth surgery), immigration (pro-legal, pro-enforcement), and crime (oppose lenient DAs and no-bail policies).

His diagnosis: the party's become too elitist and needs working-class voters back to beat MAGA.

If the Democrats Actually Want to Win, This Is What They Have to Do

Mona Charen and Eric Edelman examine how Trump stumbled into the Iran war without a clear plan, alienated allies, strengthened Tehran's position, and left the United States looking weaker.

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Links mentioned in this episode:

Inside Israel’s Secret Operation to Cultivate Ahmadinejad
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/13/us/politics/israel-mahmoud-ahmadinejad-iran.html

US lacks scores of ambassadors in Africa
https://www.semafor.com/article/07/10/2026/us-lacks-scores-of-ambassadors-in-africa