In this episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum opens with his thoughts on how President Trump will behave after suffering a humiliating defeat in the 2026 midterms. David warns that the final two years of President Trump’s term could be filled with multiple constitutional crises.
Then, David is joined by Bob Inglis, a former Republican representative, to discuss what it is like to lose an election, the mindset of the defeated Republicans in 2026, and whether Republicans will do some real soul-searching after being wiped out by a blue wave. Frum and Inglis also talk about the future of faith-based politics in the GOP.
Finally, David ends the episode with a discussion of the novel “All for Nothing” by Walter Kempowski, a story of a German family living out the end of the Second World War.
Sign up for David Frum’s newsletter alert to find out when a new story is published: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/david-frum/?follow=true&utm_campaign=frum-yt
Subscribe to “The David Frum Show” on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-david-frum-show/id1305908387
Subscribe to “The David Frum Show” on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/79CBHEDdEbdykveVgbpWs7
Follow The Atlantic on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theatlantic/?hl=en
Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Atlantic subscribers also get access to exclusive subscriber audio in Apple podcasts. Subscribe today at https://accounts.theatlantic.com/products/?utm_medium=cr&utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=apple_podcasts
Subscribe to The Atlantic on YouTube: http://bit.ly/subAtlanticYT
#davidfrum #thedavidfrumshow #theatlantic #podcast #uspolitics #politics #midterms2026
00:00 Trumpism Turns Grotesque
00:36 Introduction
01:10 Trump After Midterms
02:37 Stephen Miller Signal
04:17 Rampage Against Congress
06:07 Bob Inglis
07:11 Life After Losing
08:44 Can Republicans Learn?
14:26 Farmers Tariff Backlash
18:28 Who Stayed Home?
20:18 Spiral Into Extremism
24:50 2028 Contenders And Style
29:34 Evangelicals And Trump
43:16 “All for Nothing” Book Talk