
Refuse Fascism
The Refuse Fascism podcast is an independent and all-volunteer show that produces weekly episodes that expose, analyze, and oppose the very real danger and threat of fascism coming to power in the United States.
Hosted by Sam Goldman, produced by volunteers with Refuse Fascism.
Latest episodes

Mar 11, 2024 • 1h 10min
Rick Perlstein: The Infernal Triangle + Christian Nationalist Project 2025
Sam talks with historian Rick Perlstein, author of multiple books about the US conservative movement including Nixonland, about his latest work on the contemporary era and the nexus between the fascists, the media, and the Democratic Party; what he calls "the infernal triangle." Subscribe to his newsletter at prospect.org and follow him on Twitter at @rickperlstein.
Then, Sam talks to journalist Jennifer Cohn about the full Christian Nationalist theocratic program. Follow her on Twitter at @jennycohn1 and read her writings at crownewsletter.substack.com and buckscountybeacon.com.
Mentioned in this episode:
Democracy Now: “American Fascism”: Historian Rick Perlstein on Trump’s Grip on the GOP & Chances of a Second Jan. 6
Shocking Online Manifesto Reveals Project 2025’s Link To A Coordinated ‘Christian Nationalism Project’ by Jennifer CohnThe Far-Right Playbook for American Authoritarianism Project 2025 by Global Project Against Hate and Extremism
Five Four Pod on Trump v Anderson (SCOTUS CO ballot case)
Find out more about Refuse Fascism and get involved at RefuseFascism.org. We're still on Twitter (@RefuseFascism) and other social platforms including Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky. Plus, Sam is on TikTok, check out @samgoldmanrf.
You can also send your comments to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Record a voice message for the show here. Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support:
· paypal.me/refusefascism
· donate.refusefascism.org
· patreon.com/refusefascism
· Venmo: Refuse-Fascism
· Cashapp: $RefuseFascism
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown
Related Episodes:
The Cataclysm of a Second Trump TermThe Institutions Still Won't Save Us Civil War Historians: Trump Is Disqualified + Report from Eagle Pass, TXThe Evangelical Prophets Anointing TrumpProject 2025: Roadmap for Fascist Consolidation

Mar 3, 2024 • 58min
The Cataclysm of a Second Trump Term
Sam comments on SCOTUS hearing Trump's presidential immunity claim and Trump and Biden visits to the Texas-Mexico border.
Then, she talks with Dr. Clarence Lusane to discuss the catastrophe for humanity of a second Trump presidency & lessons from the international rise of fascism.
Dr. Lusane is a professor and Director of the International Affairs program at Howard University. He is an independent expert to the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance. His latest book is Twenty Dollars and Change: Harriet Tubman and the Ongoing Fight for Racial Justice and Democracy. Read more from him here.
Plus: journalist Amanda Moore (@noturtlesoup17), who was banned from the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) joins us to provide insight on the neo-Nazis and other far-right figures she witnessed waltz unimpeded into CPAC. You can follow her work here.
Mentioned In the Episode:
The Catastrophe of a Second Trump Presidency by Clarence LusaneI Was Banned From CPAC, but the Extremists Weren’t by Amanda Moore
Find out more about Refuse Fascism and get involved at RefuseFascism.org. We're still on Twitter (@RefuseFascism) and other social platforms including Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky. Plus, Sam is on TikTok, check out @samgoldmanrf.
You can also send your comments to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Record a voice message for the show here. Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support:
· paypal.me/refusefascism
· donate.refusefascism.org
· patreon.com/refusefascism
· Venmo: Refuse-Fascism
· Cashapp: $RefuseFascism
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown
Related Episodes:
Fascist Fringe and Fascist Mainstream
The Institutions Still Won't Save Us
Civil War Historians: Trump is Disqualified + Report From Eagle Pass Texas
The White Power Movement in 2024
The Nightmare Immigrants Face At The Texas Border

Feb 26, 2024 • 58min
Combatting Disinformation
Sam talks with Dr. Lee McIntyre, philosopher and author of numerous books including How to Talk to A Science Denier and his latest, On Disinformation:
"Drawing on his twenty years of experience as a scholar of science denial, McIntyre explains how autocrats wield disinformation to manipulate a populace and deny obvious realities, why the best way to combat disinformation is to disrupt its spread, and most importantly, how we can win the war on truth."
Follow his work at leemcintyrebooks.com and @leecmcintyre and get involved with The Mental Immunity Project.
Mentioned in this episode:
Alabama justice who ruled embryos are people says American law should be rooted in the Bible by Mike Hixenbaugh
Alabama's targeting of IVF is the Christian right's attempt to control motherhood by Amanda Marcotte
Alabama’s IVF Ruling Is Christian Theology Masquerading as Law by Elie Mystal
Alabama’s embryos ruling is a terrifying preview of another Trump presidency by Sarah Posner
Find out more about Refuse Fascism and get involved at RefuseFascism.org. We're still on Twitter (@RefuseFascism) and other social platforms including Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky. Plus, Sam is on TikTok, check out @samgoldmanrf.
You can also send your comments to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Record a voice message for the show here. Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support:
· paypal.me/refusefascism
· donate.refusefascism.org
· patreon.com/refusefascism
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown
Related Episodes:
The Evangelical Prophets Anointing Trump
Teach Truth Not Lies with Dr. Marvin Dunn
Trump Indicted + Media Complicity in the Rise of Fascism
The Nazification of American Education

Feb 19, 2024 • 48min
The Fascist Fringe + Fascist Mainstream
Sam speaks to developments in Trump's trials, the "pendulum swing" of political power, Gaza and the 2024 election, and more. Then, she talks with Jared Holt, Senior Research Analyst with the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. His writing can be found in various outlets including: The Washington Post, The Daily Beast, Columbia Journalism Review, HuffPost and GEN Magazine and his Substack is postthroughit.substack.com. Read his recent piece Election 2024: A rematch for the fate of US democracy
Mentioned in this episode:From “Man Bites Dog” and “Oh My God” to “Dog Bites Man” and “Oh Well” On the Trivialization and Normalization of Fascism and Other EvilsEarth to Media: Try to Get It—Nice, Ordinary People Can Be Fascists by Brynn TannehillProject 2025: How Trump Loyalists and Right-Wing Leaders Are Paving a Fast Road to Fascism
Trump and the GOP’s Fascist Rhetoric Has Broad Appeal: Poll by Tim Dickinson
Find out more about Refuse Fascism and get involved at RefuseFascism.org. We're still on Twitter (@RefuseFascism) and other social platforms including Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky. Plus, Sam is on TikTok, check out @samgoldmanrf.
You can also send your comments to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Record a voice message for the show here. Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support:
· paypal.me/refusefascism
· donate.refusefascism.org
· patreon.com/refusefascism
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe ShakedownRelated Episodes:The Fantasy of the Reasonable RepublicanProject 2025: Roadmap for Fascist ConsolidationThe White Power Movement in 2024The GOP: Fascist, Nothing Semi- About ItDanielle Moodie: How to Stand Up to Fascist Bullies

Feb 11, 2024 • 48min
The Institutions Still Won't Save Us
Sam talks with historian, activist and RefuseFascism.org editorial board member Paul Street about the coming year and his take on all the wild things happening as well as to come. Follow Paul's work on Substack at paulstreet.substack.com.
Find out more about Refuse Fascism and get involved at RefuseFascism.org. We're still on Twitter (@RefuseFascism) and other social platforms including Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky. Plus! Sam recently joined TikTok, check out @samgoldmanrf.
You can also send your comments to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Record a voice message for the show here. Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support:
· paypal.me/refusefascism
· donate.refusefascism.org
· patreon.com/refusefascism
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown

Feb 5, 2024 • 49min
Civil War Historians: Trump Is Disqualified + Report from Eagle Pass, Texas
Sam talks with Dr. Manisha Sinha, historian of the US Civil War and Reconstruction and one of 25 historians who signed onto the amicus brief supporting Colorado's decision to remove Donald Trump from the 2024 presidential ballot according to the 14th amendment (which bars insurrectionists from public office).
Read the brief here: https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/23/23-719/298895/20240126151819211_23-719%20Brief.pdf
Learn more about Dr. Sinha's work at manishasinha.com and read her book, The Rise and Fall of the Second American Republic: Reconstruction, 1860-1920. Follow her on Twitter at @ProfMSinha.
Then, we share a bit of a report from Coco Das, who has gone to Eagle Pass, Texas (epicenter of the conflict at the border between Abbott-controlled National Guard troops and federally controlled Border Patrol) as part of an effort to investigate the situation and bring the message "we don't have an immigration problem, we have an imperialism problem!" The full interview with Coco from The RNL Show can be viewed here. Coco is a member of the Refuse Fascism editorial board, however this trip was not on behalf of Refuse Fascism. Follow Coco on Twitter at @coco_das.
Mentioned in the episode:
Texas Is Spoiling for a Civil War by Elie Mystal
Find out more about Refuse Fascism and get involved at RefuseFascism.org. We're still on Twitter (@RefuseFascism) and other social platforms including Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky. Plus! Sam recently joined TikTok, check out @samgoldmanrf.
You can also send your comments to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Record a voice message for the show here. Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support:
· paypal.me/refusefascism
· donate.refusefascism.org
· patreon.com/refusefascism
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown
Related Episodes:
The White Power Movement in 2024
The Year Ahead and the New Fascism Syllabus
The Nightmare Immigrants Face At The Texas Border
Ian Millhiser on Trump’s Trials + Paul Street on Jan 6 Anniversary

Jan 29, 2024 • 1h 1min
The White Power Movement in 2024
It's been quite the week! Sam recaps some of the stories we're watching most closely: the Texas + other fascist controlled states v. federal government confrontation in the wake of a SCOTUS decision the fascists actually don't like (shockingly, Roberts and Coney Barrett agreed that the federal government has the authority to remove the murder wire that the state of Texas is strewing all over the border and in the Rio Grande), the latest on Trump's legal troubles (which, spoiler alert: do not portend a solution to our fascism troubles), and the ICJ ruling on the escalating genocide in Gaza.
Then, Sam talks with Kathleen Belew, historian and author of Bring the War Home: The White Power Movement and Paramilitary America about her work and her evaluation of that movement as it's developed in 2024. Follow her at kathleenbelew.com, Twitter: @kathleen_belew, and TikTok: kathleen.belew.
Mentioned in this episode:
Polarization & Extremism Research & Innovation Lab recommended by Kathleen Belew
Eagle Pass Republi-Fascist Neo-Nullificaton v. Federal State Authoity at the Southern Texas Border by Paul Street
Far-Right Extremists Are Organizing an Armed Convoy to the Texas Border by David Gilbert
Right-Wing Talk Of An ‘Invasion’ And ‘Civil War’ Risks Rise In Vigilantism, Experts Say by Chris Mathias
Protest Convoy Headed to Southern Border Is Calling Itself an ‘Army of God’ by Tess Owen
Research Letter: Rape-Related Pregnancies in the 14 US States With Total Abortion Bans
Enforcing the Law to Disqualify a Violent Insurrectionist Is Good, Actually by Michael Liroff
Recommended Reading/Watching:
“Trump Is the Nominee. Fascism Is on the Ballot.” Author Jeff Sharlet on New Hampshire & Beyond
American Fascism by Rick Perlstein (sign up for his newsletter!)
Find out more about Refuse Fascism and get involved at RefuseFascism.org. We're still on Twitter (@RefuseFascism) and other social platforms including Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky. Plus! Sam recently joined TikTok, check out @samgoldmanrf. The January 2024 survey will be closing soon, send your comments; https://bit.ly/rf-pod-survey.
You can also send your comments to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Record a voice message for the show here. Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support:
· paypal.me/refusefascism
· donate.refusefascism.org
· patreon.com/refusefascism
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown
Related Episodes:
The Year Ahead and The New Fascism Syllabus
The Nightmare Immigrants Face at the Texas Border
Fascists in the U.S. Military with Will Carless
Proud Boys and The New Era of American Fascism

Jan 21, 2024 • 59min
The Year Ahead and the New Fascism Syllabus
We want to hear from listeners! What are some of your most urgent questions keeping you up at night as 2024 begins? Let us know via this survey: https://bit.ly/rf-pod-survey
On this episode, we share Jessica Valenti’s testimony before Senate Democrats on the state of abortion rights ahead of the Roe v. Wade anniversary.
Sam provides commentary highlighting the Supreme Court's efforts to expand their power & destroy the "administrative state" (aka upend functioning federal government), Trump taking Iowa, the state-federal standoff in Texas, what fascism is, why we can’t turn away and more.
Then, Sam talks with Jennifer Evans and Brian Griffith, co-editors of The New Fascism Syllabus, a collection of writings on the history of fascist, authoritarian, and populist movements and governments during the 20th and 21st centuries.
Mentioned in this episode:
Abortion On Demand and Without Apology Placard
Why Right-Wing Activists Have Strong Opinions About the Supreme Court’s Big Fishing Regulations Case by Madiba Dennie
Trump Just Keeps Doing Appalling Things, and the Ranks of the Disengaged Are Growing by Michelle Goldberg
The Law Alone Cannot Curb Donald Trump’s Lawlessness by Dahlia Lithwick
Metaphors Journalists Live By written by Rick Perlstein
On the Erudite Idiocy of the Liberal-Centrist Intelligentsia by Paul Street
The Supreme Court Is About to Seize Way More Power From Democratic Presidents by Mark Joseph Stern
The GOP Doesn’t Want to Punish Trans People—It Wants to Eradicate Them by Brynn Tannehill
My Prepared Remarks to Senate Dems by Jessica Valenti
Related episodes:
Ruling Through The Courts When They Don’t Have The Votes With Dahlia Lithwick
The Nightmare Immigrants Face At The Texas Border with Faisal Al Juburi
2023: The Year In Review
Find out more about Refuse Fascism and get involved at RefuseFascism.org. We're still on Twitter (@RefuseFascism) and other social platforms including Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky. Plus! Sam recently joined TikTok, check out @samgoldmanrf.
Send your comments to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Record a voice message for the show here. Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support:
· paypal.me/refusefascism
· donate.refusefascism.org
· patreon.com/refusefascism
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown

Jan 14, 2024 • 47min
The Nightmare Immigrants Face At the Texas Border
Sam talks with Faisal Al-Juburi from RAICES Texas to get an update on what has changed (and what hasn't) for our siblings seeking refuge as of January 2024 at the deadly US border. Follow their work and get involved at https://www.raicestexas.org/.
We want to hear from listeners! What are some of your most urgent questions keeping you up at night as 2024 begins? Let us know via this survey: https://bit.ly/rf-pod-survey
Related listening:
Fascist “Operation Lone Star” + Trump Indictment
Mentioned in this episode:
Did an Abortion Ban Cost a Young Texas Woman Her Life?
Find out more about Refuse Fascism and get involved at RefuseFascism.org. We're still on Twitter (@RefuseFascism) and other social platforms including Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky. Plus! Sam recently joined TikTok, check out @samgoldmanrf.
Send your comments to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Record a voice message for the show here. Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support:
· paypal.me/refusefascism
· donate.refusefascism.org
· patreon.com/refusefascism
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown

Jan 7, 2024 • 55min
Ian Millhiser on Trump’s Trials + Paul Street on Jan 6 Anniversary
Paul Street, member of the RefuseFascism.org Editorial Board shares reflections on January 6, three years later. Read his reflections: On January 6 Three Years Later: The Trump Republi-Fascist Menace is Alive and Well. Subscribe to the Paul Street Report to read and hear more from Paul.
Then, Sam talks with Ian Millhiser, senior correspondent at Vox, about just some of the Trump trials, some attempts for accountability through the legal system and Trump's strategy to dodge it. He is the author of two books on the Supreme Court: Injustices: The Supreme Court's History of Comforting the Comfortable and Afflicting the Afflicted and The Agenda: How a Republican Supreme Court Is Reshaping America. Follow Ian on Threads at Ian.millhiser and read his articles on Vox here.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Deja Coup: Donald Trump and the Slow Civil War (Dahlia Lithwick interviews Jeff Sharlet on the latest episode of Amicus)
CBS News poll on Jan. 6 attack 3 years later: Though most still condemn, Republican disapproval continues to wane
A quarter of Americans believe FBI instigated Jan. 6, Post-UMD poll finds
Find out more about Refuse Fascism and get involved at RefuseFascism.org. We're still on Twitter (@RefuseFascism) and other social platforms including Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky. Plus! Sam recently joined TikTok, check out @samgoldmanrf.
Send your comments to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Record a voice message for the show here. Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support:
· paypal.me/refusefascism
· donate.refusefascism.org
· patreon.com/refusefascism
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown
(Just Some) Related Episodes on the attempted Trump Coup:
The Fantasy of the Reasonable Republican With Fred Wellman
Jeff Sharlet- The Undertow: Scenes From a Slow Civil War
The Continuing January 6 Coup
Proud Boys and The New Era of American Fascism
Bradley Onishi: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism and What Comes Next
Elie Honig: The January 6th Insurrection Isn’t Over
Ruth Ben-Ghiat: The GOP is Now the Party of Autocracy
Henry Giroux: Trump is not Trumpism and Trumpism is not Dead
Sunsara Taylor Hosts Roundtable Discussion With Rosie O’Donnell, Jason Stanley, and Andy Zee: "Trump & the Whole Fascist Cabal Must Go Now!"
Why Is Accountability Important?
What Just Happened?
"Trump Will Not Concede - Americans Need to be Vigilant"
The First Few Days After A Coup Are Critical