The A.C.L.U. v. Trump 2.0

The New Yorker Radio Hour

WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

News, David, Books, Arts, Storytelling, Wnyc, New, Remnick, News Commentary, Yorker, Politics

4.2 • 5.5K Ratings

🗓️ 14 February 2025

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Anthony Romero, the head of the A.C.L.U., says that the United States is on the brink of a constitutional crisis. “We’re at the Rubicon. Whether we’ve crossed it remains to be seen.”

Transcript

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0:00.0	Listener supported, WNYC Studios.
0:10.8	This is The New Yorker Radio Hour, a co-production of WNYC Studios and The New Yorker.
0:18.5	Welcome to The New Yorker Radio Hour. I'm David Remnick.
0:22.6	In Donald Trump's first term in office, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU, filed 434 lawsuits against the administration.
0:32.6	They included suits against the so-called Muslim ban and family separation at the border and many more.
0:38.3	There is no telling how many lawsuits they will file in a second Donald Trump administration.
0:44.3	The executive director of the ACLU is Anthony Romero.
0:48.3	Romero has held the job since 2001, September 2001, to be exact, he started in the role just a few days before the
0:56.8	September 11th attack. Romero has done the job under four presidents. Since Donald Trump's
1:03.1	second inauguration, the ACLU has filed suits to block executive orders ending birthright
1:08.4	citizenship, defunding gender affirming health care, and much more.
1:13.4	I spoke with Anthony Romero last week.
1:21.0	Let's begin with the most essential question, legal and political.
1:25.4	Are we less than a month into the Trump administration, the second
1:29.2	Trump administration, on the brink of a constitutional crisis? I think we could very well be there.
1:36.6	We're at the Rubicon. Whether we've crossed it is yet to be determined.
1:40.8	Well, describe what the Rubicon is. What is the Rubicon? The Rubicon is the flagrant
1:46.0	abuse of judicial power. If the Trump administration decides to run the gauntlet and openly defy
1:52.7	a judicial order in a way that is not about an appeal, it's not about clarifying, it's not about
1:59.8	getting a congressional fix, but an open
2:03.1	defiance to a judicial order, then I think we're there.
2:06.9	What are the issues where that's a possibility?
	...

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