Since his book Between the World and Me was published in 2015—and perhaps even before—Ta-Nehisi Coates has been considered one of the most influential commentators on race in America.

A national correspondent for the Atlantic, Coates’s provocative writings often create headlines and instigate debate. In the latest episode of The Jamie Weinstein Show, Coates discusses his worldview, Donald Trump, his thoughts on America’s racial history, the letter he wrote President Obama, the lessons he learned over his career, his influences, and much, much more.

Show Roadmap

· Why Coates thinks Trump is a racist and whether he thinks Trump would be happy if African Americans were worse off after his presidency
· On the motivations of conservatives who opposed President Obama
· Coates on whether individuals can do very much to fight the white supremacy he sees embedded in American society
· On whether stories of black success in America, from President Obama to Jay Z, challenge his worldview in any way
· On America’s founding and American exceptionalism
· What does Coates think should happen to Civil War statues – and statues of America’s founders
· On police shootings
· On how white liberals view Coates
· Coates reveals the letter he wrote to President Obama after he left the White House
· On Andrew Sullivan, Matt Drudge and Louis Farrakhan
· Get off Twitter – and other career advice for aspiring journalists
· On the historical leaders Coates admires, the books that influenced him, and the journalists he regularly reads