Trump’s intimidation playbook and a presidential middle finger

This week, the FBI raided the home of a Washington Post journalist, sparking First Amendment fears. At the same time, the Justice Department has opened an investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell, drawing concerns from bigwigs on Wall Street and questions as to how the administration treats its perceived political enemies. Colby speaks with Dan Merica, co-anchor of our politics newsletter The Early Brief, and Matt Viser, White House bureau chief, about President Donald Trump’s playbook for intimidating his critics, the chilling effects of his administration’s probes and why his coarse response to a heckling auto worker has drawn both criticism and praise. Today’s show was produced by Thomas Lu and Josh Carroll. It was edited by Martine Powers and mixed by Sean Carter.

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Trump’s intimidation playbook and a presidential middle finger is an episode from Post Reports by The Washington Post.

This episode is 36:09 long.

This episode was published on Jan 16, 2026.

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