The Ezra Klein Show
The Ezra Klein Show

The Opinions: Bernie Sanders and Ruben Gallego

December 19, 2025

AI Summary

5 min read

🎙️ The Voices & The Context

  • The Format: This episode features a host curating and introducing two in-depth interviews from the sister podcast The Opinions, centered on Democratic strategies to reclaim the working class amid America's evolving political narrative, delivered in a probing, argumentative style.
  • The Format: Two back-to-back interviews conducted by David Leonhardt.
  • The Key Players:
    • David Leonhardt: New York Times opinion editor and interviewer, known for sharp economic analysis, pushing both guests on party failures and policy authenticity.
    • Bernie Sanders: Vermont Senator and progressive icon, famous for decades railing against inequality and oligarchy, bringing feisty, unfiltered energy.
    • Ruben Gallego: Newly elected Arizona Senator, a Marine veteran and working-class Democrat success story in a Trump-won state, offering pragmatic, street-level insights.

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What you'll learn

  • 1 **(00:33) 🎙️ Host Intro: Sharing Two Views on Democrats Winning Back Working Class**
  • 2 **(02:13) 🎙️ Introduction: Senator Bernie Sanders**
  • 3 **(03:21) Burlington Mayor Anecdotes and Early Appeal**
  • 4 **(03:57) Democratic Shift Away from Working Class (Pre-Trump Era)**
  • 5 **(05:40) Trade Deals and Worker Impacts**
  • 6 **(06:36) Recent Democratic Shifts (Biden/Schumer)**
  • 7 **(08:13) Core Working-Class Crises Ignored by Democrats**

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

What will America’s story be after President Trump? My colleague David Leonhardt did a great series on that question this year, talking to a number of leading politicians. I thought two of those episodes, with Senator Bernie Sanders and with Senator Ruben Gallego, would be of particular interest to you.

And they’re great to listen to as a pair. Sanders and Gallego have strong views about where the Democratic Party went wrong and how it can win back working-class voters in particular — views that have a lot of overlap but also some interesting shades of difference. So I wanted to share both conversations.

You can learn more about our sister show “The Opinions” here — and subscribe wherever you find your podcasts.

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