Trump's inauguration

Donald Trump just declared a national emergency, promised to defeat inflation, and spent his inauguration speech listing eight executive orders before getting to gender policy. Joseph Lavoie and Andrew Percy crack open a Great Lakes Brewery Octopus Wants to Fight IPA and try to make sense of what just happened.

We discuss:

The Reagan test. Andrew grew up in the 80s watching American presidents project Western values and power. Trump's inauguration felt like a mishmash pulled from the new right — clear on what it's against, less clear on what it's for.

Why this isn't just American. Immigration, economic anxiety, young men feeling left behind — the undertones of Trump's message will resonate far beyond US borders. Canada, the UK, and much of the West are dealing with the same pressures.

The speed of response. Canadian provinces came together faster on tariffs than they ever did on interprovincial trade. It took Trump to force action on fentanyl enforcement and immigration. Joseph's question: should it really require a crisis to get governments moving?

Is there a deal to be done? Trump talks like a dealmaker. No tariffs today could mean room to negotiate. Andrew's pitch: buy Trump into Canadian energy, meet the NATO spending commitment, and use the Arctic threat to force action on sovereignty.

Are we overreacting? Last time people lost their minds, and four years later democracy was still standing. But the Hillbilly Elegy question lingers — the communities that put Trump in power in 2016 aren't much better off today. So where does this movement end?

Also discussed: why Christia Freeland's launch protest annoyed Andrew, why Air Canada needs competition, and whether Andrew's resting bitch face has improved. (Spoiler: the jury's still out.)

Beer of the week: Octopus Wants to Fight IPA, Great Lakes Brewery. Piney, resinous, very hoppy. Four out of five stars. Dank.

00:00 Welcome from Toronto — Cheeky half and Octopus Wants to Fight IPA
01:55 Trump's inauguration speech — National emergency and the policy blitz
03:24 Reagan versus Trump — The projection problem
05:06 Not just Trumpism — Why this message resonates across the West
07:33 The hyper-responsive requirement — How allies must adapt to Trump
11:18 The deal-maker optimism — Three wins Canada could extract from Trump
13:27 Lame duck or long movement? — The Hillbilly Elegy lesson
16:49 Beer review — Great Lakes Octopus Wants to Fight IPA
18:30 Rant of the week — Christia Freeland protests and Air Canada monopoly
20:34 Wrap and what's next — Back to Vancouver for the liberal leadership race