Episode 293: Adam Davidson

Adam Davidson is a staff writer at The New Yorker. “I am as shocked this moment that Trump was elected as I was the moment he was elected. That fundamental state of shock. It’s like there’s a pile of putrid, rotting human feces on a table and like six of the people around the table are like, ‘That is disgusting.’ And four are like ‘Oh it’s so delicious. Oh, I love it. It’s delicious.’ And I keep saying, ‘Well, why do you like it?’ ... Trump is not a very interesting person in my mind. He’s a very simple, one of the most simple public figures ever. And his business is complex that in that it’s lots of people doing lots of things, but the fundamental nature of it is not that mysterious. So, it is a challenge to keep me engaged, but I’m engaged. And then as a citizen, I’ve never been more engaged.” Thanks to MailChimp for sponsoring this week's episode. @adamdavidson [0:21] Adam Davidson's archive at The New Yorker [00:35] The Big Short (Paramount• 2015) [00:43] Surprisingly Awesome podcast archive at Gimlet Media [00:47] Planet Money [00:51] WBEZ Chicago [00:53] This American Life [0:55] Adam Davidson’s archive at Harper’s [01:35] "Donald Trump’s Worst Deal" (The New Yorker • Mar 2017) [04:15] "Michael Cohen and the End Stage of the Trump Presidency" (The New Yorker • Apr 2018) [26:17] Adam Davidson’s archive at NPR [31:48] Marketplace [34:44] Ben Taub on Longform [39:48] "Making It In America" (The Atlantic• Jan 2012) [41:42] Ira Glass’s Archive at This American Life [42:37] Thriveal Podcast [45:19] Zoe Chace on Longform [45:35] Losers: The Road to Everyplace but the White House (Michael Lewis • Vintage • 1998) [51:13] We The Economy (Cinelan• 2015) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices