Media Confidential

Susan Glasser on Trump: ‘The big, fat, naked emperor in the room’

The New Yorker columnist discusses how the media should respond to the president

April 06, 2026
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On this week’s Media Confidential interview, New Yorker columnist Susan Glasser joins Alan and Lionel to discuss how reporters should deal with President Trump.

The three discuss how to hold power to account when the president’s communications are so vast, from phone interviews to social media posts. 

They also talk about the risks of US media “sanewashing” Trump and normalising a distorted new reality.

In this wide-ranging discussion, Susan, Alan and Lionel muse on the dangers of a president wielding largely unchecked power—and consider how his next decisions will affect the world.