Connections

A never-Trump conservative recoils at the state of his country

By Evan Dawson,

Megan Mack, Julie Williams

Published January 27, 2026 at 5:25 PM EST

A smiling man with short hair sits in front of a wall of windows. He is wearing a blue blazer over a white button-down shirt. — Matt Lewis

“It does seem like something different is at play here, and part of it is how blatant the lies are.”

That’s the assessment from LA Times columnist Matt Lewis, a conservative who has been shocked to see how many of his fellow Republicans are sticking with President Trump.

Lewis joins us to discuss what a consistent conservative ethic might mean in the Trump era and beyond.

Our guest:

Matt Lewis, columnist for the LA Times

Connections

Evan Dawson

Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.

See stories by Evan Dawson

Megan Mack

Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.

See stories by Megan Mack

Julie Williams

Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson." She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.

See stories by Julie Williams