The Lincoln Project

Trump is flirting with invoking the Insurrection Act, and when he says he “can do something,” he usually means he's GOING to do it. This week, Stephen Miller encouraged the fantasy of Trump’s so-called “plenary authority” to deploy the National Guard in Chicago and Portland. At the same time, Kristi Noem floated an ICE expansion to “restore order.” Rick Wilson breaks down how Trump’s martial law threats, Miller’s authoritarian fetish, and MAGA’s open calls for arrests are all part of the same anti-democracy fever dream that's becoming more and more of a reality.  • • • • 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.bollandbranch.com/lincoln to receive up to 20% off and free shipping. Exclusions apply.

He said she was “not his type.” The jury said he was lying. In this can’t-miss episode, Rick Wilson talks with E. Jean Carroll about her jaw-dropping victory in the Trump defamation and sexual assault civil case. They discuss the courtroom madness, the appeals court ruling that upheld her $83.3 million judgment, and the surreal moment she realized Trump’s mouth had finally cost him real money. Her new book, Not My Type: One Woman vs. a President, is equal parts courtroom thriller, survivor’s manifesto, and roast of America’s worst date. • • • • You can find E. Jean Carroll @ejeancarroll on X, and pick up her new book “Not My Type: One Woman vs. a President,” 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. #ad Go to www.bollandbranch.com/lincoln to receive up to 20% off and free shipping. Exclusions apply.

In Trump’s America, the enemy isn’t abroad—it’s you. His latest military speech made it clear: he sees the U.S. Army as his domestic police force, his red hat shock troops, his tool for shutting down dissent. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court keeps handing him authoritarian cheat codes, the government shutdown grinds on, tariffs crush farmers, and Democrats keep pretending they’ll “find their message” someday. • • • • 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.

Welcome back to America’s Groundhog Day: where Reconstruction never really ended, Jim Crow 2.0 is trending, and Trump authoritarianism feels like a bad sequel. Antonia Hylton (MSNBC) walks us through how the post-Reconstruction era is colliding with today’s civil rights crisis. Then Charlie Sykes breaks down how the Trump crackdown on the media, the DOJ's weaponization, and a supine Supreme Court that keeps empowering the executive branch make Nixon look like a community theater tyrant. Spoiler: the First Amendment is now “pending review” under Trump’s authoritarian playbook. And while America teeters on a government shutdown, Democrats are delusional enough to think “bipartisanship” is a strategy instead of a suicide pact — even as tariffs smash farmers’ margins and rural America feels the squeeze of policy and propaganda alike. • • • • You can find Antonia Hylton @ahylton26 on social media, or on her website antoniahylton.com. You can also pickup her incredible book “Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum,” wherever fine books are sold. You can find Charlie Sykes on X @SykesCharlie, and on his Substack “To the Contrary” at www.charliesykes.substack.com 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.

Ukraine is hitting back harder than ever, as its military pushes Russia out of key regions and puts Moscow’s most significant targets in range—all while Russian gas prices skyrocket to a staggering $25 a gallon, deepening Putin’s crisis.  At the same time in the U.S., late-night TV is on fire: ABC’s controversial decision to reorder Jimmy Kimmel Live! sparked massive backlash, wiping $4 billion off Disney’s market cap before Kimmel triumphantly returned to air. From Ukraine’s fight for freedom to Disney’s Wall Street disaster and Kimmel’s comeback, this episode dives into the global headlines shaking both the Kremlin and Hollywood. • • • • • 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.

Elie Honig joins Rick Wilson to discuss When You Come at the King, exploring the intersection of presidential power and the law. Nixon's Watergate scandal, Reagan's Iran-Contra affair, and Clinton's Monica Lewinsky scandal all tested the limits of executive power in their own ways. However, Trump has altered the game when it comes to executive power and has zero shame about it. Trump's presidential immunity ruling was the most significant expansion of presidential power in the last 100 years. Wilson and Honig delve into how this shift has not only challenged legal norms but also deepened partisan divides, raising questions about the future of presidential accountability. • • • • • You can follow Elie Honig @eliehonig on X, and pick up his new book “When You Come at the King: Inside DOJ's Pursuit of the President, from Nixon to Trump” 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.

Donald Trump and his handpicked FCC chair, Brendan Carr, just made satire a crime. After punishing ABC and Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show getting pulled off-air, America is staring down the barrel of state-run media where free speech is no longer protected, jokes are illegal, and satire is treated as sedition. This episode dives into Trump’s FCC censorship crackdown, the chilling rise of state-controlled news, and what it means when a president can silence critics with the stroke of a pen. From the death of late-night comedy to the birth of authoritarian propaganda, Rick Wilson unpacks how Trump’s fragile ego and lust for power are reshaping American media into his own personal megaphone. • • • • • 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. Visit expressvpn.com/lincolnproject for an exclusive offer for our listeners. 

Texas is breaking at the seams—divided, bitter, and locked in a political cage match that’s left ordinary Texans stuck in the middle. For decades, the state has been painted bright red, but now the cracks are showing, and a fresh wave of underdog organizers and voters is daring to repaint the map purple. From the San Antonio Spurs to street culture, from BBQ pits to the Capitol floor, Texas' fresh politics is colliding with an old guard terrified of losing power—on fights over voting rights, gerrymandering, abortion bans, gun violence, border and immigration, book bans, school vouchers, property taxes, and the ERCOT power grid. In this episode, James Talarico joins Rick Wilson for a hard look at a changing Purple Texas—how Gen Z, Latino voters, suburban women, and independents are shifting the map; why MAGA extremism and corrupt politicians (like Ken Paxton) keep stoking culture wars; and how fresh leadership can take power back for the people and revive democracy in the Lone Star State. • • • • • You can find James Talarico @jamestalarico on social media, and keep up with his campaign at jamestalarico.com. 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. Visit expressvpn.com/lincolnproject to find out how you can get up to 4 months free of charge. #ad

America is bleeding out from within. In just the past few years, the U.S. has been rocked by political violence, extremist attacks, and assassinations that have pushed democracy to the brink. From right-wing radicals to left-wing extremists, the rhetoric of hate has turned deadly, fueling a surge in domestic terrorism and political assassinations. The killing of Charlie Kirk in Utah and the shocking assassination of Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband are the latest wake-up calls, and no side has clean hands. Hate has become a political strategy, amplified by social media algorithms, AI echo chambers, and corrupt politicians who profit from division and literal blood money. While the powerful get richer, ordinary Americans are left living in a democracy under threat—where both sides have stopped listening—and it has to stop. • • • • • 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. Get 15% off plus free shipping on your first set of sheets at BollandBranch.com/LINCOLN. #ad

Donald Trump’s New York story isn’t just about gold-plated towers—it’s about shady deals, mob ties, bankruptcies, and the grift that built his so-called empire. In this episode, host Rick Wilson sits down with Jonathan Mahler of The New York Times Magazine to dig into Trump’s corruption in New York real estate, his mob connections, and how those dirty deals shaped the man who would later seize the presidency. Together, they expose the Trump Tower backstory, the bankruptcy bailouts, and the pattern of fraud and scandal that defined Trump long before MAGA. This deep-dive connects the dots between Trump’s shady New York origins and the current chaos of his political empire, revealing how the same real estate scams, mafia ties, and financial fraud that fueled his rise are still driving his downfall today. • • • • • You can purchase Jonathan Mahler’s newest book ‘THE GODS OF NEW YORK: Egotists, Idealists, Opportunists, and the Birth of the Modern City: 1986-1990’ wherever fine books are sold, and you can follow him on X @jonathanmahler. 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. Get 15% off plus free shipping on your first set of sheets at BollandBranch.com/LINCOLN. #ad