Trump ‘Is Living in a Fantasy Version of His Own Presidency’ | The Ezra Klein Show

Trump's State of the Union Was a Win for Democrats. President Trump’s approval ratings on the economy, immigration and trade are deep in the red. But in Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, he decided to tell the American people: You don’t know what you’re talking about. “Today our border is secure, our spirit is restored, inflation is plummeting, incomes are rising fast. The roaring economy is roaring like never before,” he said. I'm not going to fact-check the president in this episode. But I do want to ask: Even if he can’t be honest with the American people, is he at least being honest with himself? My editor Aaron Retica joins me to discuss. 00:00 Intro 05:37 Trump believes his own [expletive] 10:15 What signal did the SOTU send? 13:44 Governing retail, not wholesale 17:37 Disorder 23:51 “A cornered Trump” 28:24 The Trump that could have been 34:40 The Right's "brain rot" problem 41:30 Congressional resistance Read the full transcript here: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/25/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-sotu-2026.html Watch more on @EzraKleinShow Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com. 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 Thumbnail credit: Eric Lee for The New York Times