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The Oath and The Office: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Two Squared Media Productions
Mixing sharp wit and serious political fire, The Oath and The Office is where hard-hitting constitutional analysis meets razor-sharp comedy. Distinguished political science professor Corey Brettschneider teams up with comedian John Fugelsang to break down the most powerful 35 words in American democracy—the presidential oath of office. Every president swears to “preserve, protect, and defend” the Constitution, but what happens when one openly attacks democracy and the rule of law itself? Each week, Corey and John pull no punches, exposing the latest threats to the rule of law and demanding accountability. Smart, fearless, and wickedly funny—this is the civics lesson you can’t afford to miss.
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- 3 days ago1h 10m
Did the Supreme Court Just Save the Election? With Skye Perryman
Can Trump use the Postal Service to control how Americans vote by mail? And when does a campaign promise cross the line into an attempted bribe? Democracy Forward President and CEO Skye Perryman joins Corey Brettschneider and John Fugelsang to discuss the Supreme Court’s order keeping Trump’s Postal Service restrictions on mail voting blocked ahead of the midterms. She also provides an update on her organization’s challenge to Trump’s slush fund and discusses her new book, Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times. Before the interview, Corey and John break down the news:The Postal Ruling: What the Supreme Court’s decision means for voters this November.Pardons & Bribes: Trump’s promise of $5,000 checks if Republicans keep Congress and the big business of pardon lobbying. Does calling the pardon power “plenary” excuse corrupt use?AI & Autocracy: Mike Johnson’s hands-off approach to AI safety, and what Hungary’s fight against corruption can teach us about defeating authoritarianism.Support our sponsor today at https://FFRF.us/office
- 1 weeks ago1h 1m
Will the Court Help Trump Steal the 2026 Election?
Could the Supreme Court help Trump disrupt the 2026 election?In this episode of The Oath and The Office, Corey Brettschneider and John Fugelsang examine a new fight over mail ballots and postal rules that could create chaos, disenfranchise lawful voters, and give the administration new leverage over the election process.We also look at why the Supreme Court’s shadow docket matters so much here, what happens when major election rules are decided without full briefing or argument, and why the Court’s own effort to restrict access to its historical records matters for democratic accountability.Plus, we examine a separate legal strategy that could threaten the tax exempt status of major institutions.Subscribe to The Oath and The Office for weekly analysis of Trump, presidential power, the Supreme Court, democracy, and the Constitution.
- 2 weeks ago1h 3m
Trump’s Mafia Presidency with Barbara McQuade
Trump’s abuses of power keep colliding with the law. But even when courts recognize the danger, procedural barriers can prevent them from stopping it.Corey and John examine how standing doctrine blocked a challenge to Trump’s ballroom project, despite an unusual dissent from Chief Justice John Roberts. They also discuss a major free speech victory at Stanford that, like the Khalil case, was weakened by procedural limits. Next, they turn to Trump’s effort to seize control of the Postal Service and refuse delivery of valid mail ballots, using the unitary executive theory to threaten voting rights.Then, former U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade joins the show to explain why Trump governs less like a president and more like a mafia boss. Drawing from her new book, "The Fix", she connects Trump’s mob style campaign against dissent to the attack on the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Justice Department’s subpoenas targeting New York Times journalists, and the administration’s attempt to undermine voting by mail.
- 3 weeks ago37 min
The Christian Nationalism Behind January 6, with Rep. Jared Huffman
Why did the January 6 Committee underplay the role of Christian nationalism in its final report?Rep. Jared Huffman, the only openly nonbelieving member of Congress, joins Corey Brettschneider for a deep dive into the Christian nationalist movement threatening American democracy. Drawing from his new book, No Prophets, Huffman breaks down the specific factions that make up this movement, how they are capturing political power, what they want, and what comes next. We also examine the central role Christian nationalism played in January 6 and why that crucial part of the story was largely left out of the Committee’s final report.Support our sponsor today at https://FFRF.us/officeYou can find Rep. Jared Huffman’s new book, No Prophets, here: https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324130499
- Aug 20, 202656 min
Trump’s Presidency for Sale?
This week on The Oath and the Office, we follow four stories that raise one question: what happens when the restraints on presidential power start disappearing?Donald Trump is being sued over a service offering paying customers early access to his Truth Social posts, including market-moving announcements, for as much as $100,000 a month. Is official presidential information becoming a private commodity?Then Trump goes back to the Supreme Court after two lower court losses, asking the justices to revive his plan to impose new conditions on mail ballots ahead of the midterms. Corey Brettschneider and John Fugelsang break down what the fight means for presidential power over elections.We also look at ICE’s reported plan to spend millions on electric shock gloves and the Treasury Department’s decision to dismantle major beneficial ownership disclosure rules designed to expose anonymous shell companies, rules originally championed by Marco Rubio as a weapon against money laundering, trafficking, and terrorism.From presidential self-enrichment to elections, immigration enforcement, and financial secrecy, the question is the same: who is left to constrain executive power?
- Aug 13, 202651 min
Trump vs. the Supreme Court. Again.
Trump already lost on birthright citizenship. Now he is testing the limits of constitutional law with two narrower executive orders. We explain the high-stakes game of chicken underway: can a president just keep pushing after the courts and the Constitution say no?Plus, a rapid-fire breakdown of this week’s legal chaos:Vanity Plates: A bizarre but critical free speech fight.DOJ Takeover: Todd Blanche officially steps in as Attorney General after a bruising confirmation fight over Trump, DOJ independence, and a $1.8 billion slush fund.The $400 Million Ballroom: A court abruptly blocks Trump’s massive White House construction plan.Targeting Fauci: Senate Republicans vote to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt.
- Aug 6, 20261h 0m
Blanche’s Confirmation Deal: Trump’s Weaponization Fund Could Return
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appears to have secured the committee votes needed to advance his nomination. He cleared the path by agreeing to rescind Donald Trump’s controversial $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund and narrow sweeping IRS audit protections for Trump and his family.But does the deal truly kill the fund—or merely clear a political hurdle while leaving the door open for its return? Corey and John argue that walking back these dangerous policies does not erase Blanche’s complicity in advancing them, nor does it prove him fit to lead the Justice Department.They also break down a consequential week for executive power and the nation’s democratic guardrails:Elections: Trump’s escalating attempt to expand federal control over mail voting.Press Freedom: Withdrawn Justice Department subpoenas that sought testimony and phone records from New York Times journalists.Media Pressure: The FCC’s continuing pressure campaign against ABC.Surveillance: Allegations that the Secret Service illegally tracked James Comey and his wife.Intelligence: The Senate’s party-line confirmation of Jay Clayton to lead the intelligence community.The checks on executive power are being tested in real time. Some are holding. Others may prove temporary.
- Jul 30, 20261h 15m
What Trump and the New Right Really Believe | David French
What does Trump actually believe, and how does his worldview connect to the New Right? Corey Brettschneider and John Fugelsang look beyond the latest outrages to the ideology linking them. Then New York Times columnist David French joins Corey to discuss the forces reshaping the American right.Inside the episode:David French on birthright citizenship, the postliberal right, and whether there is a path out of America’s democratic crisis.The attack on the Smithsonian and the fight over who counts as truly American.Trump’s ties to the manosphere and the grievance politics driving the New Right.The pressure on New York Times journalists, the disappearance of a Whitney Cummings joke, and the fight to stop Penn Station from being renamed for Trump.
About The Oath and The Office
Mixing sharp wit and serious political fire, The Oath and The Office is where hard-hitting constitutional analysis meets razor-sharp comedy. Distinguished political science professor Corey Brettschneider teams up with comedian John Fugelsang to break down the most powerful 35 words in American democracy—the presidential oath of office. Every president swears to “preserve, protect, and defend” the Constitution, but what happens when one openly attacks democracy and the rule of law itself? Each week, Corey and John pull no punches, exposing the latest threats to the rule of law and demanding accountability. Smart, fearless, and wickedly funny—this is the civics lesson you can’t afford to miss.
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