NYT journo says his podcast won't be 'resistance show' in 2nd Trump term, rejects 'normalizing MAGA' concerns

"Normalizing MAGA, normalizing Trump by having certain people on the show: Do you have any thoughts on, on that and that charge?" Klein's podcast editor Claire Gordon summarized the question. 

"I don't know what counts or doesn't count as normal," Klein responded. "On the one hand, do I think Donald Trump is a normal or even a very stable genius? I don't. On the other hand, he has been elected or almost elected president three times now."

"But I want to be pretty clear: Don't expect this show to be a resistance show. I don't do this or have these interviews because I'm open-minded. I am a reporter. I am curious. I'm trying to understand things so I can make up my own mind," he added.

The Times journalist stressed the importance of trying to "understand" Trump and his administration's actions even when he vehemently opposes them, striking a "balance" he may see as a challenge over the next four years.  

"And I intend to try to take everything at its level and the fact that one thing is happening doesn't mean you have to cover the other thing - in either direction. I think this is going to be really hard to balance. I did less of this in the first Trump administration, to be honest," he conceded. 

"It was much easier, even for the people reporting on it, to treat him as aberrant. Because in some ways his own administration treated him as aberrant. And it seemed possible this was just a one-time fluke in American politics: The butterfly flapped its wings, and we got this. And that's not what it is anymore. It wasn't in a way what it was then," Klein said. "And my first job on this show is to be a good reporter. I understand the show is an act of continuous reporting, and I'm not being a good reporter and not doing a good job if I'm not actively reporting on this administration."

"So we'll see what shape that takes. Many of them don't want to talk to me, but it is not going to be a closed-door policy because Trump goes over some line in one area - and then there's no more talking about the tariffs or something. It's not the way I'm going to do my job," Klein added.