The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert Historian Jon Meacham (Extended)
Jan 19, 2026
Jon Meacham, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and biographer, dives into the foresight of America's founding fathers regarding authoritarianism. He explains how the Constitution was designed with checks against ambitious leaders and underscores the vital role of 'We the People' in preserving democracy. Meacham discusses human nature's flaws and warns of a moral crisis threatening constitutional norms. He also highlights the historical significance of Jefferson’s ideals and Frederick Douglass's praise for the Constitution as a guide for liberty.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Founders Anticipated Ambitious Demagogues
- The Constitution anticipates ambitious leaders who might ride the crowd into power and builds checks to restrain them.
- Jon Meacham argues that civic virtue and informed voting are essential to those constitutional safeguards working.
Current Moment Is A Moral Crisis
- Meacham calls the current moment a moral crisis where private interest threatens constitutional order.
- He stresses that character of leaders matters because norms and rule of law depend on moral restraint.
Protect Norms By Choosing Character
- Preserve norms by obeying the spirit of constitutional documents, not just the letter of the law.
- Choose leaders with character who will follow norms and strengthen checks and balances.
