Hit Netflix show boss, Obama’s former UN ambassador take shots at Trump's 'wreckage of our institutions'

Debora Cahn, showrunner of the Netflix series The Diplomat, and former Obama United Nations ambassador Samantha Power attacked the Trump administration on Monday amid cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The two participated in a discussion about U.S. diplomacy and the show's latest season at the John F. Kennedy Forum at Harvard, alongside lead actress Keri Russell.

Throughout the event, they lamented the state of government since President Donald Trump took office again in 2025. Cahn described the situation in Washington as a funeral, noting she had never seen so many people in a state of complete existential despair over the wreckage that was falling around them. She suggested some attendees were even considering obtaining EU passports.

Midterm Elections Bring Hope

However, Cahn remarked that the upcoming midterm elections have provided more hope to people struggling in the wreckage of government institutions. She expressed concern about public exhaustion with political turmoil, stating: We no longer have the capacity for outrage. So, I worry we don't have the capacity to kind of mount any kind of resistance to the crumbling of our own democracy.

USAID Dismantling

Power, who served as USAID administrator from 2021-2025, took issue with the Trump administration's dismantling of the agency. She described the process as horrifying due to the compliance of employees who previously believed in the agency's mission.

Power emphasized the speed of the dismantling, calling it shock and awe that left many employees without a sense of agency. She contrasted this with the Biden administration, where she claimed dissent and debate were encouraged, even if unpleasant.

Lack of Dissent

Power lamented a lack of dissent within the president's team or from Congress, claiming it was a staple of the Biden administration. She warned that this absence of debate could lead to poor decision-making, such as invading a country on a false pretext and with no plan.

Power referenced Liz Sherwood-Randall, President Biden's former homeland security advisor, as an example of leaders who valued dissent. She stated that such debate, even when unpleasant, ultimately resulted in better decisions.

Fox News Digital reported that Power had come under scrutiny for meeting with left-wing organizations during her USAID tenure, including George Soros' Open Society Foundations and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. U.S. and Latin American officials have also accused USAID of pushing left-wing politics and candidates worldwide.