Maureen Dowd on Trump the Narcissist, Act II

Maureen Dowd got her start in journalism during the Nixon era. Over her decades in Washington, she’s developed a keen understanding of how presidents wield power to further their goals. In this episode of “The Opinions,” she joins the deputy Opinion editor, Patrick Healy, to examine the breathtaking speed with which President Trump is carrying out his agenda.

Maureen Dowd on Trump the Narcissist, Act II

The columnist sits down with Patrick Healy to discuss the enduring appeal of President Trump.

Below is a lightly edited transcript of an episode of “The Opinions.” We recommend listening to it in its original form for the full effect. You can do so using the player above or on the NYT Audio app, Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts.

Patrick Healy: This is “The First Hundred Days,” a weekly series examining President Trump’s use of power and his drive to change America.

This week, I want to dig into Trump’s unique approach to power, and especially to controlling people and events in his second term, compared to the chaos of his first.And there’s no better person to do that with than my colleague Maureen Dowd. She’s known Trump for decades. Maureen, thanks for being here.

Maureen Dowd: Thanks, Patrick.

Healy: I wanted to start off with your column about Trump’s inaugural speech last week, because I really think it defines this presidency so far. You wrote about how Trump was seen as a clown, as a dilemma by some in his first term, but now he’s a master and commander of the entire fleet. He’s really in control like we’ve never seen him before. Do you think this is real with Trump, or is it a performance in terms of this sense of absolute power, absolute control that he’s trying to project?