Truth and trust are the cornerstones of U.S. democracy. How can the United States, and its leaders, resurrect those central ideas to ensure a viable future for the country and its people?

In this episode, Gautam Mukunda is joined by three-time Pulitzer Prize recipient and prolific author, Thomas Friedman, to discuss weaknesses in American democracy and how to repair them, and what the Biden administration can do to set the U.S. on a trajectory of long-term sustainable growth.

Throughout his career, Thomas Friedman has held various foreign and domestic positions with the New York Times, including Foreign Affairs Op-ed columnist and White House Correspondent. Friedman is the author of seven bestselling books, among them From Beirut to Jerusalem and The World Is Flat, and is a recipient of the National Press Club’s lifetime achievement award.

"We need to go back now and really look at all the things in our society that have been normalizing and monetizing the erosion of truth and trust because without that our democracy is not sustainable." — Thomas Friedman

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Books Referenced:

From Beirut to Jerusalem, by Thomas Friedman

The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, by Thomas Friedman

Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution – And How it Can Renew America, by Thomas Friedman

Strangers in Their Own Land, by Arlie Russell Hochschild

Designing Climate Solutions: A Policy Guide for Low-Carbon Energy, by Hal Harvey, Jeffery Rissman, and Robbie Orvis

The Politics of Innovation: Why Some Countries Are Better Than Others at Science and Technology, by Mark Zachary Taylor

A Promised Land, by Barack Obama

Guest Info:

Thomas L. Friedman became the New York Times Foreign Affairs Op-Ed columnist in 1995. He joined the paper in 1981, after which he served as the Beirut bureau chief in 1982, Jerusalem bureau chief in 1984, and then in Washington as the diplomatic correspondent in 1989, and later the White House correspondent and economic correspondent. Mr. Friedman was awarded the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for international reporting (from Lebanon) and the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for international reporting (from Israel). He also won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for commentary. Mr. Friedman is the author of From Beirut to Jerusalem, which won the National Book Award in 1989. He has written several other books, including Hot, Flat, and Crowded, an international bestseller.

Born in Minneapolis, Mr. Friedman received a B.A. degree in Mediterranean studies from Brandeis University in 1975. In 1978 he received a master’s in modern Middle East studies from Oxford. His column appears every Sunday and Wednesday.

@TomFriedman on Twitter

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“Rebuilding America” with Tom Friedman