Historically, presidential libraries have been used as research hubs to house documents and artifacts from a president’s time in the White House. They’re also a living monument to a president’s legacy.

Less than a year into President Donald Trump’s second term, planning for his presidential library is underway, with $50 million already raised from undisclosed donors.

Co-host Colby Itkowitz speaks with national political investigative reporter Michael Kranish about how presidential libraries and museums are usually created and why Trump’s private fundraising foundation could allow history to be misrepresented at his future library.

Today’s show was produced by Thomas Lu and mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick. Thanks to Dan Eggen.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

In the spring, Edward Brandon Becham was caring for his dying wife. He was also among hundreds of thousands of federal workers weighing whether to abandon public service. Donald Trump had taken office vowing to slash the federal bureaucracy, then entrusted the task to billionaire Elon Musk and a newly created cost-cutting team called the Department of Government Efficiency. In a matter of months, Musk and his U.S. DOGE Service wiped out hundreds of thousands of jobs, billions of dollars in spending and the job security that once distinguished government work.

Of America’s 2.4 million federal workers, nearly 4 in 10 registered to vote had, like Becham, cast ballots for Trump, according to a Washington Post-Ipsos poll. But as the days passed, Becham was becoming convinced that the Trump administration’s treatment of government employees — large-scale firings, emails he saw as harassing and strict return-to-office mandates — was wrongheaded and cruel. If he was unable to resign, Brandon would be required to report to a federal building in Las Vegas more than 70 miles away. Round-trip, it would cost him three hours a day with his three children, for whom he would soon be the only parent and sole provider.

Becham felt as though he was witnessing two painful deaths: his wife’s, of course, but also that of his career. In his darkest moments, Brandon turned to his Bible — and next to it, his leather-bound diary.

This story follows Becham and his family for a week as he navigated his feelings about his wife, family, his career and Trump.

Hannah Natanson reported and narrated the piece. Bishop Sand composed music and produced audio.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

In the first year of his second term, President Donald Trump has focused his attention on foreign policy and made numerous trips abroad – with an eye toward the Nobel Peace Prize. But as he discusses peace deals with foreign leaders, his ratings domestically have fallen. Critics say that he isn’t doing enough to ease American’s economic concerns. So, this week, Trump returned his attention stateside and kicked off his affordability tour in Pennsylvania, while simultaneously branding “affordability” as a democratic “hoax.”

Today on the politics roundtable, we discuss why Trump’s tour signals the administration’s concerns about the politics of affordability, and how some Democrats could use this as a way to gain an edge during the 2026 midterms.

Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with Dan Merica, the co-anchor of our politics newsletter, The Early Brief, and White House Bureau Chief Matt Viser.

Today's episode was produced by Josh Carroll and Thomas Lu. It was mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Reena Flores. Thanks also to our Politics editors.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here. Watch this episode on YouTube here.