Inside Trump’s ‘Royal Court’ | The Ezra Klein Show

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It has been harder to get insight into the dynamics of President Trump’s White House this term compared with the first one, partly because there have been fewer leaks. But after the attack on Venezuela and the administration’s actions in Minneapolis, I’ve found myself wondering: How exactly is Trump making decisions? Who is he listening to? How does this White House work? Ashley Parker and Michael Scherer cover the Trump administration for The Atlantic and have written a series of big profiles on key figures in this administration. Parker previously won three Pulitzer Prizes for her reporting at The Washington Post. 00:00 Intro 1:53 ‘Guardrails’ in the first term: staff resistance, leaks, and turnover 08:43 Loyalty as the litmus test: building a royal court for term two 12:59 Power centers inside the West Wing: Susie Wiles, information flow, and Stephen Miller’s reach 25:01 How does Trump get information? 37:08 Stephen Miller’s maximalist playbook: power, force, and pushing past norms 40:35 Is the strategy backfiring? Polls, blowback, and the immigration ‘penalty box’ recalibration 44:02 Who really runs what: JD Vance, Marco Rubio’s rise, and the ‘gives orders’ tier 57:48 A White House as royal court: Trump’s time and gut-instinct governing 1:11:25 Book recommendations Read the full transcript here: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/20/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-ashley-parker-michael-scherer.html Watch more on @EzraKleinShow Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at [email protected]. You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs.html Evan Vucci/Associated Press