
Who Is Government? Storytime with Michael Lewis
Explicit content warning
04/03/25 • 85 min
4 Listeners
As the Trump administration targets the federal workforce, we're joined by Michael Lewis, editor of and contributor to The New York Times bestselling collection "WHO IS GOVERNMENT?: The Untold Story of Public Service.” Together, they explore the vital yet uncelebrated work of civil servants, discuss why negative perceptions of them persist, and consider what we may lose amid DOGE’s chainsawing. Plus, learn what your relationship with your mother says about your relationship with government.
Follow The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart on social media for more:
> YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@weeklyshowpodcast
> Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weeklyshowpodcast
> TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@weeklyshowpodcast
> X: https://x.com/weeklyshowpod
> BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/theweeklyshowpodcast.com
Host/Executive Producer – Jon Stewart
Executive Producer – James Dixon
Executive Producer – Chris McShane
Executive Producer – Caity Gray
Lead Producer – Lauren Walker
Producer – Brittany Mehmedovic
Video Editor & Engineer – Rob Vitolo
Audio Editor & Engineer – Nicole Boyce
Researcher & Associate Producer – Gillian Spear
Music by Hansdle Hsu
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
As the Trump administration targets the federal workforce, we're joined by Michael Lewis, editor of and contributor to The New York Times bestselling collection "WHO IS GOVERNMENT?: The Untold Story of Public Service.” Together, they explore the vital yet uncelebrated work of civil servants, discuss why negative perceptions of them persist, and consider what we may lose amid DOGE’s chainsawing. Plus, learn what your relationship with your mother says about your relationship with government.
Follow The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart on social media for more:
> YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@weeklyshowpodcast
> Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weeklyshowpodcast
> TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@weeklyshowpodcast
> X: https://x.com/weeklyshowpod
> BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/theweeklyshowpodcast.com
Host/Executive Producer – Jon Stewart
Executive Producer – James Dixon
Executive Producer – Chris McShane
Executive Producer – Caity Gray
Lead Producer – Lauren Walker
Producer – Brittany Mehmedovic
Video Editor & Engineer – Rob Vitolo
Audio Editor & Engineer – Nicole Boyce
Researcher & Associate Producer – Gillian Spear
Music by Hansdle Hsu
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Previous Episode

Why We Can’t Have Nice Things with Ezra Klein
As Democrats struggle to define the future they want to create, we're joined by Ezra Klein, host of The New York Times podcast "The Ezra Klein Show" and co-author of "Abundance," to examine why turning progressive visions into reality has become so difficult. We explore how good intentions have created obstacles, how empowering officials can streamline government, and what could be achieved without bureaucratic constraints.
Follow The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart on social media for more:
> YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@weeklyshowpodcast
> Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weeklyshowpodcast
> TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@weeklyshowpodcast
> X: https://x.com/weeklyshowpod
> BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/theweeklyshowpodcast.com
Host/Executive Producer – Jon Stewart
Executive Producer – James Dixon
Executive Producer – Chris McShane
Executive Producer – Caity Gray
Lead Producer – Lauren Walker
Producer – Brittany Mehmedovic
Video Editor & Engineer – Rob Vitolo
Audio Editor & Engineer – Nicole Boyce
Researcher & Associate Producer – Gillian Spear
Music by Hansdle Hsu
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Next Episode

Tariff-ying Times with Pete Buttigieg
As the economy reels from Trump's sweeping tariffs, Jon is joined by former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to examine the fallout. Together, they explore what Trump's levies mean for everyday Americans, discuss how to bridge the divide between politicians and the people they serve, and consider how a new generation of leadership might rebuild in the years ahead.
Follow The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart on social media for more:
> YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@weeklyshowpodcast
> Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weeklyshowpodcast
> TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@weeklyshowpodcast
> X: https://x.com/weeklyshowpod
> BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/theweeklyshowpodcast.com
Host/Executive Producer – Jon Stewart
Executive Producer – James Dixon
Executive Producer – Chris McShane
Executive Producer – Caity Gray
Lead Producer – Lauren Walker
Producer – Brittany Mehmedovic
Video Editor & Engineer – Rob Vitolo
Audio Editor & Engineer – Nicole Boyce
Researcher & Associate Producer – Gillian Spear
Music by Hansdle Hsu
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Featured in these lists



Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/the-weekly-show-with-jon-stewart-182799/who-is-government-storytime-with-michael-lewis-88602500"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to who is government? storytime with michael lewis on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy