Ryan Lizza v. Politico

Plus: 100 days of 2.0

and

Apr 29, 2025

On today’s “To the Contrary” Podcast, I’m joined by Ryan Lizza, the former chief Washington correspondent for Politico. The emphasis here is on former, because Lizza now finds himself in an escalating confrontation with his old bosses. Short version: Politico is demanding that Lizza take down several articles critical of the way that the media — and Politico — are covering Donald Trump.

Lizza is pushing back. Big time.

You can catch up on the controversy on Lizza’s new Substack: Telos News

“Standing Up to Corporate Media Bullying - by Ryan Lizza
“Politico and Free Speech: The foreign-owned media company is demanding that I delete an 1,800-word article criticizing press coverage of Trump.”
“My Formal Response to Politico: Here's what I just told the media conglomerate trying to censor me.”
”The Podcast About Trump's Threat to Democracy That Was Never Published: An insider's account of how the media botched the 2024 election”
You can watch/listen here or on YouTube. You can also listen on Apple and other podcast platforms:

Some of the highlights of my conversation with Ryan Lizza

Journalism’s role in democracy.

Dictator, you say?

Via Axios: “Most Americans see Trump as ‘dangerous dictator,’ poll says”.

A majority of Americans say President Trump is a "dangerous dictator" who poses a threat to democracy and believe he's overstepped his authority by actions such as the mass firing of federal employees, a new survey says….
Zoom in: Only four in 10 Americans expressed favorable views of Trump after his first 100 days in office, according to the survey by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI).
And 52% agreed with the provocative statement that Trump "is a dangerous dictator whose power should be limited before he destroys American democracy," the survey said.
That question provided a big warning sign for Trump: Most independents (56%) agreed that Trump is a "dangerous dictator," suggesting that middle-of-the-road voters who helped put him back in office are abandoning him….
A majority of Americans also agree that "President Trump has overstepped his authority by ordering the mass firing of federal employees across multiple agencies."
More than seven in 10 Americans oppose closing or drastically shrinking all major federal agencies, especially if it means things like airline travel, medicine, and water may be less safe.
Two-thirds of Americans oppose new tariffs, or taxes, on imported goods from other countries.
Trump's efforts at fixing economic problems are "running into the headwind of public opinion," Deckman said.
Methodology: The American Values Survey was conducted online from Feb. 28 to March 20. The poll is based on a representative sample of 5,025 adults (age 18 and older) living in all 50 states and the District of Columbia who are part of Ipsos' Knowledge Panel®.