American carnage: Keith Duggan at the Ryder Cup

Is it fair to link boorish fan behaviour to Trump's ascendancy?

Listen | 39:26
Rory McIlroy of Europe lines up a putt on the 12th hole as fans walk past with cardboard cutouts during the Sunday singles matches of the 2025 Ryder Cup at Black Course at Bethpage State Park Golf Course on September 28, 2025 in Farmingdale, New York. Photograph: David Cannon/Getty Images.
Rory McIlroy of Europe lines up a putt on the 12th hole as fans walk past with cardboard cutouts during the Sunday singles matches of the 2025 Ryder Cup at Black Course at Bethpage State Park Golf Course on September 28, 2025 in Farmingdale, New York. Photograph: David Cannon/Getty Images.

Fresh from the hostile grass arena of Bethpage, where many supporters of the US Ryder Cup team spent the weekend abusing their European opponents, Washington correspondent Keith Duggan returns to the podcast to discuss the latest:

  • Some commentators have linked the boorish behaviour of US golf fans to the ascendancy of Trumpism. Is that justified?
  • What lies behind the low but steady level of popular support for Trump?
  • With the dust settling on Charlie Kirk’s killing and the febrile aftermath, what meaning will those events hold in the future of the MAGA movement?
  • The US government shutdown - why it is happening and its implications.

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