The Lincoln Project

Rick Wilson sits down with former Congressman Adam Kinzinger, star of The Last Republican and founder of Country First, for a blistering look at what may be Donald Trump’s worst week yet. From the Supreme Court’s tariff showdown and GOP election losses to Trump’s tone-deaf Great Gatsby party at Mar-a-Lago, Kinzinger and Wilson rip into the chaos with trademark dark humor and political fire. They break down Trump’s economic disaster, his narcissism, and how he’s turned the Republican Party into a cult of fear—run by Tucker Carlson, Laura Loomer, and Nick Fuentes. Kinzinger explains why he thinks Trump won’t run in 2028, how neo-Nazis and conspiracy theorists hijacked the movement, and what it will take for Democrats to win in 2026 by focusing on affordability, corruption, and the economy instead of endless culture wars. With hits on Jack Smith’s investigation, AI chips to China, and the collapse of the conservative establishment, this episode is a sharp, darkly funny autopsy of a party—and a democracy—on the brink. • • • • • You can find Adam Kinzinger on X @AdamKinzinger, on his Substack at adamkinzinger.substack.com, & in the documentary ‘The Last Republican,’ streaming now. Also, check out his organization Country First, at country1st.com. Rick Wilson is on X at @TheRickWilson, on Bluesky at @TheRickWilson.bsky.social, and you can check out Rick's Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. You can check out more of LP's work at www.lincolnproject.us and on X at @ProjectLincoln.  Go to bollandbranch.com/lincoln and use code ‘LINCOLN’ for 25% off + free shipping. #ad

For Trump, empathy is like one of his contractors — it never gets paid. Rick explores how Trump’s austerity policies, SNAP cuts, and Medicare rollbacks crushed millions while he partied with billionaires. The 2025 Democratic election surge wasn’t luck — it was justice. • • • • • Rick Wilson is on X at @TheRickWilson, on Bluesky at @TheRickWilson.bsky.social, and you can check out Rick's Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. You can check out more of LP's work at www.lincolnproject.us and on X at @ProjectLincoln. 

The 2025 elections aren’t just mid-cycle noise — they’re the dress rehearsal for 2026. In a very special election episode, Rick Wilson walks you through the field with his trademark mix of snark and strategic clarity: from the knife-fight in New York, the gubernatorial brawl in New Jersey, and Virginia’s bellwether races, to the California Prop-50 slugfest and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court showdown that could tilt national law for a generation. Every one of these contests is a test run for what the GOP and MAGA movement plan to unleash next year — and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Inside the movement, the fractures are widening. Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, and Nick Fuentes are spinning off from Trump’s orbit, building rival cults of personality and turning MAGA into a circular firing squad. The “unified” right is now a live grenade rolling around its own tent. And out in the field? Keep your eyes open. Masked thugs and fake “poll watchers” are already showing up at polling places — a trial balloon for voter intimidation and a warning of what 2026 may look like if the guardrails come off. Finally, Rick reflects on the death of Dick Cheney, the last grand strategist of the Republican old guard — a man who built the machine that Trump’s chaos now threatens to burn to the ground. His passing isn’t just news; it’s the symbolic end of an era. It's a special day today, and whatever happens, the lessons we learn today will ready us for 2026. • • • • • Rick Wilson is on X at @TheRickWilson, on Bluesky at @TheRickWilson.bsky.social, and you can check out Rick's Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. You can check out more of LP's work at www.lincolnproject.us and on X at @ProjectLincoln

Rick Wilson sits down with Nate Soares — executive director of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute and co-author (with Eliezer Yudkowsky) of the New York Times bestseller IF ANYONE BUILDS IT, EVERYONE DIES — for a brutally funny, deeply unnerving tour of how humanity might code itself into extinction. Together, they shred the techno-utopian hype and lay bare the reality of Artificial General Intelligence: machines that learn faster than their makers, billionaires racing to build digital gods, and governments regulating it like it’s a new brand of toaster. Rick brings his trademark fire, skewering the Silicon Valley messiahs who think “alignment” is just a yoga pose, while Nate breaks down how emergent behavior, greed, and hubris could make “innovation” our final act. Buckle up — it’s the smartest, darkest conversation you’ll ever laugh through. • • • • • You can find Nate Soares @So8res on X, and check out ifanyonebuildsit.com for information on his new book.  Rick Wilson is on X at @TheRickWilson, on Bluesky at @TheRickWilson.bsky.social, and you can check out Rick's Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. You can check out more of LP's work at www.lincolnproject.us and on X at @ProjectLincoln.  To get simple, online access to personalized, affordable care for ED, Hair Loss, Weight Loss, and more, visit Hims.com/LincolnProject for your free online visit.

He’s covered revolutions, disasters, and political meltdowns. Now, former Fox News host turned News Nation anchor Leland Vittert covers something even bigger—himself. In his new book, he shares how understanding life on the spectrum helped him finally find peace in a world that never stops talking. Bullied mercilessly as a child and delayed in his learning, Leland mastered his ability to observe, listen, and unpack the real news story. Rick Wilson joins him for a candid, often funny, always human look at neurodiversity, purpose, and what happens when a journalist turns the camera inward. • • • • • You can follow Leland Vittert on X @LelandVittert and you can find Born Lucky: A Dedicated Father, A Grateful Son, and My Journey with Autism, wherever fine books are sold. Rick Wilson is on X at @TheRickWilson, on Bluesky at @TheRickWilson.bsky.social, and you can check out Rick's Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. You can check out more of LP's work at www.lincolnproject.us and on X at @ProjectLincoln. 

Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s memoir NOBODY’S GIRL: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice -- is more than a book — it’s a final act of truth-telling from a woman who refused to be silenced. In this episode, Rick Wilson honors her story by sitting down with co-author Amy Wallace and Virginia's brother, Sky Roberts, and his wife, Amanda, to examine how Virginia's courage blew the lid off of Epstein’s network of abuse, power, and complicity. Through her own words, Virginia's voice continues to demand accountability, advocate for survivors, and expose the rot behind the façade of wealth and privilege. Justice for victims only happens when someone refuses to stay silent, and that someone was Virginia. This special episode breaks down what Virginia's story teaches us about resilience, systemic failure, and the ongoing fight for a world where no one else becomes yet another survivor.  #RELEASETHEFILES • • • • • NOBODY’S GIRL: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice has officially hit bookstores everywhere. To support Virginia's family's efforts to continue to carry Virginia's torch and advocate for sex abuse survivors, please follow @virginias_voice on all social media platforms.  Rick Wilson is on X at @TheRickWilson, on Bluesky at @TheRickWilson.bsky.social, and you can check out Rick's Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. You can check out more of LP's work at www.lincolnproject.us and on X at @ProjectLincoln. 

The White House East Wing didn’t fall—it got vibed out of existence. Trump’s building a ballroom fit for his ego, bulldozing history for a disco ball. In this week’s Elephant in the Room, Rick drags the Trump ballroom demolition 2025 mess like it’s an HGTV fever dream gone fascist. We’re talking $300 million in private “donations,” government accountability in shambles, and a former president who treats democracy like a side hustle. It’s giving Marie Antoinette-core, dripping in gold, and built on pure delusion. Tune in for a darkly hilarious breakdown of how Trump’s corruption and power trip just turned America’s most iconic building into his personal event space—because of course he did. • • • • Follow Rick Wilson at @TheRickWilson on X and @therickwilson.bsky.social on Bluesky, and subscribe to his Substack at therickwilson.substack.com.  Join the fight with the Lincoln Project at www.lincolnproject.us and follow LP on X at @ProjectLincoln. If you'd like to help us continue our critical work, visit https://action.lincolnproject.us/helplp to make a difference.

Arizona’s Adelita Grijalva won her election fair and square, but Speaker Mike Johnson’s government shutdown has become a hostage crisis. Grijalva would have been the 218th vote to release the Epstein Files. Instead of being sworn in, Grijalva’s locked out while Johnson clings to power and uses the House swearing-in delay to feed his MAGA base. Rick Wilson tears into this clown show—how GOP power politics turned a duly elected congresswoman into a political pawn, how the shutdown in Congress hurts Arizona's families, and why Johnson’s behavior reeks of tiny "D" energy.  • • • • You can find Adelita Grijalva @AdelitaForAZ on X and @adelitaforcongress.bsky.social on Bluesky.  Follow Rick Wilson at @TheRickWilson on X and @therickwilson.bsky.social on Bluesky, and subscribe to his Substack at therickwilson.substack.com.  Join the fight with the Lincoln Project at www.lincolnproject.us and follow LP on X at @ProjectLincoln. If you'd like to help us continue our critical work, visit https://action.lincolnproject.us/helplp to make a difference.

Trump’s newest fiction comes with a price tag: $40 billion to Argentina. It’s not aid, it’s a favor — a payoff to Wall Street insiders and political loyalists who bankrolled his second term. While American farmers drown under tariffs and export bans, Trump’s cronies are cashing foreign checks. And right on cue, he approves a Qatari airbase in Idaho, conveniently following his Doha golf course deal. Rick Wilson calls it what it is: a presidential pay-to-play scheme on a global scale. But Trump’s authoritarian impulses don’t stop at the border. At home, armed agents act as his private militia, silencing dissent and intimidating journalists under vague “national security” orders. This isn’t leadership — it’s monarchy cosplay with taxpayer funding. Rick reminds listeners that this country was founded in rebellion against one man’s unchecked power. Two hundred and fifty years later, the warning still stands: We are a nation of No Kings. • • • • Follow Rick Wilson at @TheRickWilson on X and @therickwilson.bsky.social on Bluesky, and subscribe to his Substack at therickwilson.substack.com.  Join the fight with the Lincoln Project at www.lincolnproject.us and follow LP on X at @ProjectLincoln. If you'd like to help us continue our critical work, visit https://action.lincolnproject.us/helplp to make a difference. Go to www.quince.com/lincoln for 365-day returns + free shipping. #ad

Imagine the Roaring Twenties, but with cable news, Bitcoin, and orange hair. Andrew Ross Sorkin joins Rick to discuss his new book '1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History--and How It Shattered a Nation' (out 10/14/25), which shows the collision course between Wall Street excess and regulatory failure that sparked the Great Depression. Today, Trump’s tariff tantrums are gutting supply chains, midwestern farmers are losing land, inflation is gobbling up paychecks, and the rich are floating above it all. If the economic pressure cooker looks familiar, that’s because history is being regurgitated on fast forward — and MAGA’s version is dumber, uglier, and louder. • • • • You can find Andrew Ross Sorkin @andrewrsorkin on X, and pick up his new book “1929: The Inside Story of the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History,” wherever fine books are sold. Follow Rick Wilson at @TheRickWilson on X and @therickwilson.bsky.social on Bluesky, and subscribe to his Substack at therickwilson.substack.com.  Join the fight with the Lincoln Project at www.lincolnproject.us and follow LP on X at @ProjectLincoln. If you'd like to help us continue our critical work, visit https://action.lincolnproject.us/helplp to make a difference. Go to www.quince.com/lincoln for 365-day returns + free shipping.