

The Mona Charen Show
The Bulwark
After a great five year run on Beg to Differ, Mona Charen brings you a new show dedicated to deepening your understanding of complex issues and trends facing society. Each week she'll engage an expert for a probing discussion that goes past the day's headlines.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 17, 2025 • 51min
The Internet's Attack on Reality (w/ Francis Fukuyama)
Francis Fukuyama discusses his theory that the internet, and not economic distress, the Democratic party’s problems, or other things have given rise to populism.
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Nov 10, 2025 • 56min
The New McCarthyism Comes from the Top (w/ Nico Perrino)
This week on the Mona Charen Show, Mona is joined by Nico Perrino, Executive Vice President of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), for a crucial conversation about the unprecedented assault on the First Amendment under the Trump 2.0 administration.
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Nov 3, 2025 • 49min
Is American Education Getting Dumber?
The Atlantic’s Idrees Kahloon discusses the worrying learning losses of the past decade and some signs of hope.
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Oct 27, 2025 • 37min
The Emperor’s Mood Swings Decide Everything (w/ Edward Luce) | The Mona Charen Show
Mona Charen and Financial Times columnist Ed Luce discuss how Trump’s second term has gone from chaos to control — from a fake war in Venezuela to a culture of fear in Washington. They talk about the money, the mobs, the East Wing demolition, and how power in America is now moving at “the speed of light.”
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Oct 20, 2025 • 50min
Congress Let Trump Off the Leash (w/ Kori Schake)
Mona Charen sits down with defense expert Kori Schake to unpack Donald Trump’s latest stunt with the military, the danger of turning U.S. troops into political props, and how Congress has let civilian control slip away. They also discuss Trump’s foreign-policy “own goals,” America’s fraying alliances, and why China and Putin are cheering him on.
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Oct 13, 2025 • 59min
The Dark Passions and How to Counter Them (w/ Bill Galston)
Bill Galston joins Mona to discuss his new book about the vulnerabilities of liberal democracies and how to relearn the importance of rhetoric.
Anger, Fear, Domination: Dark Passions and the Power of Political Speech: https://a.co/d/9OPWkKP

Oct 6, 2025 • 1h 4min
How Bad Is It and How Can We Recover?
Damon Linker on just how crazy awful things are, but with some optimism for climbing out of the abyss.

Sep 29, 2025 • 44min
How Trump is Using Kirk's 'Martyrdom' to Create a Fake Emergency
The Atlantic's Jonathan Chait discusses how MAGA is using Kirk's tragic death as a pretext for full-on authoritarian repression of dissent.
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Sep 22, 2025 • 56min
Just How Much Damage Can RFK Jr. Do?
The Bulwark's Jonathan Cohn discusses the harm RFK has already done, and what he's planning, which may be worse.
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Sep 15, 2025 • 54min
The Religious Impulse Behind Trumpism
Holly Berkley Fletcher explains the mindset of white evangelicals from a unique perspective—that of missionary kids. She was one. Her new book sheds light on a key MAGA constituency.


