The Progressive Regulator Winning Over the Populist Right /Lina Khan wants to overthrow "the autocrats of trade."
June 19, 2025
Hosted by Ross Douthat
Mr. Douthat is a Times columnist and the host of the “Interesting Times” podcast.
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Ross Douthat: Sometimes it feels like the left and right are having similar arguments about the economy these days. We have liberals, like my colleague Ezra Klein, talking about how burdensome regulation stands in the way of growth, sounding a little bit like Ronald Reagan. But then we also have right-wing populists, like Steve Bannon and sometimes Donald Trump, criticizing globalization in ways that can sound a little bit like Bernie Sanders. And I think you can see this convergence between a populist right and left play out especially in debates about the power of big corporations, where people on both sides find reasons to blame Silicon Valley or Wall Street for some of America’s discontents.
My guest today has been part of that convergence. As head of Joe Biden’s Federal Trade Commission, Lina Khan’s efforts to break up corporate monopolies earned her praise from figures like Bannon and then-Senator (now vice president) JD Vance. So we’re going to talk with her about whether this interesting right-left overlap is likely to endure. And also, whether her antimonopoly diagnosis actually addresses America’s deepest problems.
Lina Khan, welcome to “Interesting Times.”
Lina Khan: Thanks so much for having me.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/19/opinion/lina-khan-monopolies-trump.html
Lina Khan, my hero.