I’m Isaac Saul, and this is Tangle. Today we have a special Sunday edition interview with David French. To unlock the full transcript, become a member here.
David French is one of the most-read conservatives in America today, but he’s increasingly unsure which party actually represents his interests.
The New York Times columnist and host of Advisory Opinions has had his political world upended in the Trump era; he’s seen his party morph from one that felt neatly aligned to many of his views to something he describes, today, as being unrecognizable. Just this week, the contrast between French and some of his fellow Republican party travelers was made stark: After writing a piece praising the decency of Texas Democrat James Talarico, despite disagreeing with him politically, French faced a “volcanic” (his words) reaction from the right for saying nice things about a progressive, pro-choice Christian who supports things like expansive rights for trans minors.
Given the public criticism he was facing, the timing of our long-planned interview was serendipitous; I got to ask him if he regretted anything about what he wrote, how he was processing the blowback, and whether he’d cast a ballot for Talarico in Texas if he lived there. I also asked him about the legality of Trump’s war in Iran under American and international law (French’s answer surprised me), which party better represents moderate conservatives today, and if working at The New York Times has changed his politics or his writing at all.
It was a fascinating conversation, and given French’s important role in political discourse today, we decided to share it with you all in this special edition newsletter. There are a few ways you can enjoy the interview:
The transcript is an abbreviated version of our conversation, edited for length, clarity, and some of the newsier parts of the interview. Enjoy!
Isaac Saul: We’re recording this on Thursday afternoon. Obviously, we are a couple of weeks now into a war — I don’t know what else to call it aside from a war — with Iran.
David French: It’s a war. I mean, there’s no credible argument that it’s not a war. Come on.
Isaac Saul: Okay, great. I’m glad we’re on the same page. There’s obviously a lot of threads here. I want to start by just asking you something I’ve been getting asked a ton by my audience, which is: how is it okay for Donald Trump to do this? Where is Congress? Can you just give us the lay of the land about legal questions like this?
