President Trump doesn’t recognize the guardrails that were visible to previous presidents, and self-restraint isn’t his specialty. That's why Denmark is preparing for the defense of Greenland. The panel discusses what's behind Trump's thinking.
Clip: How Trump ignores the guardrails of the presidency
Jan. 16, 2026 AT 9:01 p.m. EST
FROM THIS EPISODE
Clip: Trump's mixed messages and unpredictability on Iran
It seemed inevitable earlier this week that President Trump would be ordering military strikes on Iran, but then he pulled back after getting pressure from Israel and America’s Arab allies to hold off. But that doesn’t mean that he won’t attack Iran next week, or tomorrow, or right now, for that matter. Unpredictability is often a useful leadership tool, but we’re in a whole other reality now.
Full Episode: Washington Week with The Atlantic full episode, 1/16/25
If you have the feeling that we’re all just living in Trump’s world, you’re not alone. No president in our lifetimes has made himself the center of everything the way that Trump has. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Jonathan Karl of ABC News, David Sanger of The New York Times, Nancy Youssef of The Atlantic and Nick Schifrin of PBS News to discuss this and more.
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