Asking yourself 'can he do that?' The Washington Post has a podcast for that.

About Can He Do That?

“Can He Do That?” is The Washington Post’s politics podcast, exploring presidential power in the face of weakened institutions, a divided electorate and changing political norms. Led by host Allison Michaels, each episode asks a new question about this extraordinary moment in American history and answers with insight into how our government works, how to understand ongoing events, and the implications when so much about the current state of American life and the country’s politics is unlike anything we’ve seen before.

Norms of the presidency have eroded, institutions have been weakened, the country is more divided than ever, the ways we measure and understand political sentiment are flawed, and misinformation has become a powerful piece of the national discourse.

President Biden campaigned on a promise to fix what’s broken, to repair divisions, and to restore some of the norms and institutions that were pillars of the Washington in which he built his career. But can he do that? Does he have the power, ability or even the will to set the country on the path he envisions? Biden said the 2020 election was a battle for the soul of the nation — so who’s really winning?

About us

Host: Allison Michaels

Produced by: Arjun Singh

Latest episode

How to fix our democracy? Start in Kindergarten.

A new report draws a line from today’s civics crises to a long-standing failure to effectively teach American government and history in our public schools. On this episode, we explain what the potential outcomes for civic engagement.

Thursday, March 4, 2021
More Episodes

Reshaping the role of the Justice Department

Can Attorney General nominee Merrick Garland rebuild confidence in the DOJ's independence? How might his efforts on Biden policies like combating far-right extremism and curbing police violence make the perception of an independent DOJ harder?

Friday, February 26, 2021
Biden’s shifting benchmarks for reopening schools

Can President Biden come through on this promise of reopening most schools within his first 100 days? How much can the president influence when and how schools welcome students back into the classroom? And what are the political consequences?

Thursday, February 18, 2021
The duty of a president during crisis

Some of the arguments in Trump's second impeachment trial get at the core of presidential responsibilities. We examine two of them to clarify the duties of a president during crisis and to understand how free speech applies to the commander in chief.

Friday, February 12, 2021
Biden says he wants to reunite migrant families. It won’t be easy.

Families are still separated years after President Trump's policy ended. Latin America correspondent Kevin Sieff on the experiences of some migrant families. Plus, immigration policy expert Ali Noorani explains what it would take to reunite families.

Thursday, February 4, 2021