Washington Week with The Atlantic full episode, 12/19/25

President Trump had a lot of thoughts this week about affordability, Rob Reiner, the Middle East, all of his White House predecessors, and he seems very angry these days. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Ashley Parker and Franklin Foer of The Atlantic, Zolan Kanno-Youngs of The New York Times and Jonathan Karl of ABC News to discuss this and more.

President Trump this week pressured Ukraine to accept his administration’s peace proposal, one that heavily favors Russia. This as his administration’s national security strategy has put him at odds with American allies. Moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Susan Glasser of The New Yorker, Amna Nawaz of PBS News Hour and Vivian Salama and Anne Applebaum of The Atlantic discuss all this and more.

The Trump administration’s self-styled Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, has spent most of this week on defense, facing accusations that he committed war crimes and that he endangered the lives of U.S. pilots. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Peter Baker of The New York Times, Susan Glasser of The New Yorker and Nancy Yousef of The Atlantic to discuss this and more.

Even in an administration filled with unorthodox characters, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., stands out. He's more famous, more popular and more influential than any of his peers. And he's the most important figure in American health and science today. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Michael Scherer of The Atlantic, Dan Diamond of The Washington Post and Julie Rovner of KFF Health News to discuss.

President Trump is under considerable pressure and has been lashing out in fairly unprecedented ways, even for him. And then he called for the execution of Democratic members of Congress. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Peter Baker of The New York Times, Leigh Ann Caldwell of Puck, Jonathan Karl of ABC News and Toluse Olorunnipa of The Atlantic to discuss this and more.

The Jeffrey Epstein scandal has become so combustible that it’s creating fissures with the GOP. Plus, Democrats wrestle with their own over moderate senators' vote to end the government shutdown. Join guest moderator Vivian Salama, Natalie Andrews of The Wall Street Journal, Nancy Cordes of CBS News, Andrew Desiderio of Punchbowl News and Jeff Mason of Reuters to discuss this and more.

President Trump enjoys hosting leaders, projecting power and his central role in world affairs. But there’s a different reality outside the Oval Office, one in which polls are showing him unpopular with the majority of Americans. Join Jeffrey Goldberg, Leigh Ann Caldwell of Puck, David Ignatius of The Washington Post, Mark Leibovich of The Atlantic and Jeff Zeleny of CNN to discuss this and more.

Trade deals in Asia, a threat to resume nuclear weapons testing and a government shutdown that’s set to become the longest in American history. Join guest moderator Vivian Salama, Paul Beckett of The Atlantic, Jeff Mason of Reuters, Seung Min Kim of The Associated Press and Andrea Mitchell of NBC News to discuss this and more.

President Trump took a wrecking ball to the East Wing of the White House, and in so doing obliterated the line between metaphor and literal reality. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Peter Baker of The New York Times, Susan Glasser of The New Yorker, David Ignatius of The Washington Post and Toluse Olorunnipa of The Atlantic to discuss this and more.

Buoyed by the belief that he brought peace to the Middle East, President Trump is trying to end Russia’s war on Ukraine. But at home, he’s waging war on domestic critics, engaging in a prosecution campaign without precedent. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Nancy Youssef and Anne Applebaum of The Atlantic, Stephen Hayes of The Dispatch and Tyler Pager of The New York Times to discuss more.