On this week’s Saturday episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum discusses Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech at the Acropolis in Greece and what it means for the future of the Republican Party. Sign up for David Frum’s newsletter alert. Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-e
10 Oct 2026 · 9 minTo defend democracy, one has to believe in it. To believe in democracy, one has to understand it. Where it came from. How it works. What’s true. What’s not. What others did before you. How it could be better. How to make a difference. Each week, The David Frum Show digs deep into the big questions people have about our society, explains the progress Americans have made together, and reminds us that the American idea is worth defending.
Latest episodes
In this episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum opens with his thoughts on the sudden recall of 12 B-1 bombers from their base in the south of England to the mainland of the United States. He asks what prompted the move and why the Trump administration refuses to learn vital military lessons from Ukraine. Then, David is joined by Reihan Salam, the president of the Manhattan Ins
7 Oct 2026 · 58 minIn this Saturday episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum explains why President Trump’s approval rating has sunk so far just two years into his second presidency. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
3 Oct 2026 · 8 minIn this week’s episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum opens with his thoughts about the recent state visit by the Chinese president Xi Jinping to the United States. David discusses President Trump’s embarrassing behavior at the dinner and how he has isolated the United States in its rivalry with China. Then, David is joined by former Attorney General of the United States Eric
30 Sep 2026 · 50 minOn this week’s Saturday bonus episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum discusses President Trump’s reported plan to ban diesel exports. David explains why the proposal is ill-conceived, how it could backfire, and what it reveals about the administration’s fundamental misunderstanding of the global economy. - - - Sign up for David Frum’s newsletter alert. Get more from your favor
26 Sep 2026 · 10 minIn this episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum opens with his reaction to the shooting at the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Ontario on Yom Kippur. David discusses the rise of violence against Jews around the world, and why condemnations of anti-sSemitic violence ring hollow when they come from people who spread myths about Jewish conspiracies. Then, David is joined by Jessica Tar
23 Sep 2026 · 1 h 11 minIn this Saturday episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum explains why rising borrowing costs in the United States are not just an economic warning sign but also a measure of America’s declining trust under Donald Trump. Photo: Timothy A. Clary / AFP via Getty Images - - - Sign up for David Frum’s newsletter alert. Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe.
19 Sep 2026 · 10 minOn this week’s episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum opens with a discussion of the seemingly forgotten attack on the Yazidi people by ISIS in 2014. Then, David is joined by historian Simon Sebag Montefiore to discuss his new book, “The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East.” David and Simon discuss how much of the present-day Middle East emerged from the ruins of th
16 Sep 2026 · 58 minIn the debut Saturday episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum reflects on the quarter century of warfare that has followed September 11, 2001, and asks whether the United States won its War on Terror. Sign up for David Frum’s newsletter alert. Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear
12 Sep 2026 · 13 minIn this episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum is joined by John McConnell, the longtime senior speechwriter for President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, to discuss their memories of September 11, 2001—25 years later. Then, David ends with a discussion of “American Pastoral , ” a novel by Philip Roth, and what we can learn about domestic terrorism from the book
9 Sep 2026 · 59 minIn this episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic ’s David Frum opens with a discussion of how Donald Trump has enriched himself and his family during his presidencies. David discusses how these ill-gotten gains bring up difficult questions about the future of American democracy. Then David is joined by former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to discuss the impact of the Trump presi
2 Sep 2026 · 57 minOn this week’s episode of “ The David Frum Show, ” The Atlantic ’s David Frum opens with his thoughts on the blowing up of trade talks between the U.S. and Canada, and President Trump’s reckless trade war against Canada. David discusses how this trade war hurts not only America’s relationship with Canada but its global standing as a reliable trade partner. Then David is joined by Michigan Attorney
26 Aug 2026 · 1 h 1 minIn this episode of The David Frum Show , The Atlantic ’s David Frum opens with his reaction to the Justice Department’s decision to drop its case against the Olympian David Hearn. He argues that the prosecution was baseless from the start and, using the classic “prisoner’s dilemma” thought experiment, explains why future administrations must hold abuses of power accountable if American democracy i
5 Aug 2026 · 1 h 3 minIn this week’s episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum opens with his reaction to President Trump’s latest round of tariffs and explains why he believes they are weakening America’s economy and its alliances. Then, David is joined by his Atlantic colleague Jonathan Chait for a wide-ranging discussion on the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, whether presidents should be funny,
29 Jul 2026 · 59 minOn this week’s episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum opens with his thoughts questioning whether the Trump administration has any plan at all to meet the challenge of debt and deficits. Then, David is joined by Vincent Smith, director of agricultural policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute and professor emeritus of economics at Montana State University. Frum and S
22 Jul 2026 · 52 minOn this week’s episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum opens with his reaction to the recent ICE shooting in Maine. Then, David is joined by Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, to discuss the future of Social Security, the mounting national debt, and the political dysfunction preventing Washington from confronting America’s fiscal chall
15 Jul 2026 · 54 minIn this episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum discusses the recent allegations toward Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner. David warns Democrats that if they don't exercise caution with candidate selection, they risk losing winnable races in the 2026 midterm elections. Then, David is joined by Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action, to discuss the increasing
8 Jul 2026 · 51 minIn this week’s episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum discusses the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. David discusses how he hopes Americans can find a future where we rediscover how much there is to be proud of in the American experience and offers a comparison to another turbulent time in American history: the Compromise of 1850. Then,
1 Jul 2026 · 56 minIn this episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum opens with his thoughts on why American progressives have seemingly abandoned the fight against climate change. He wonders if, after Trumpism is defeated, Americans can go back to solving issues that really matter. Then, David is joined by his Atlantic colleague Vivian Salama to discuss the negotiations between Iran and the United
24 Jun 2026 · 55 minIn this episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum opens with his thoughts on Trump’s new Iran deal and how it affects the future of the Republican Party and J. D. Vance’s presidential aspirations. David discusses the predicament that Vance finds himself in as the administration’s most vocal Iran War skeptic. Then, David is joined by CNN’s Patrick Oppmann, who has been reporting f
17 Jun 2026 · 1 h 8 min