The Lincoln Project

Host Reed Galen is joined by Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Author and Professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University. They discuss the role extremist groups play in a nation’s evolution to authoritarianism, how every Trump rally since 2015 has been a radicalization site, and how the history of strongmen can inform our nation’s current political moment. If you’d like to hear more from Ruth, check out Lucid (her Substack newsletter) and pick up Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present. If you’d like to ask a question or share a comment with The Lincoln Project, send an email to podcast@lincolnproject.us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Simon Rosenberg, the Veteran Political Analyst, Strategist and Commentator. They discuss why it's so important for Democrats to continue spotlighting the accomplishments of President Joe Biden, why the current brand of the GOP is such a tough sell to the American people, and why Republicans continue to threaten a government shutdown when they’ve never ended well. Plus, we’re witnessing the GOP being infected with a new strain of MAGA. To keep up with all things Simon Rosenberg, be sure to subscribe to his Substack newsletter, Hopium Chronicles. If you’d like to ask a question or share a comment with The Lincoln Project, send an email to podcast@lincolnproject.us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Madison Horn, a cybersecurity expert and former 2022 Democratic candidate for U.S Senate from Oklahoma. They discuss how her cybersecurity background has informed her politics, the dangerous power of misinformation/disinformation online, and why modern campaigns cannot treat rural voters like they commonly have in the past. If you’d like to connect with The Lincoln Project, send an email to podcast@lincolnproject.us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode was originally released on April 12, 2023. In this encore presentation, host Reed Galen is joined by journalist and New York Times bestselling author, Jeff Sharlet. Jeff shares scenes from his travels across the United States which exemplify the convergence of MAGA, religion, militias, and fascism. The aftermath of Ashli Babbitt’s death, the “jokes'' from a men’s rights hotel room, a church’s Game of Thrones inspired altar, etc…this is what makes up the condition our nation now faces. Plus, America is now in a new era…the Trumpocene. Be sure to pick up Jeff Sharlet's new book, The Undertow: Scenes From a Slow Civil War, wherever fine books are sold. If you’d like to connect with The Lincoln Project, send an email to podcast@lincolnproject.us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Imran Ahmed, the Founder and CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH). They discuss the landscape of online hate and how it has exponentially grown in the last decade, the role of social media in the dangerous rise of misinformation/disinformation, and why it is so important for the fabric of our society to hold social media companies accountable for their actions. Plus, the latest in CCDH’s lawsuit with Elon Musk and Twitter. For more on this, be sure to check out the work of Imran Ahmed and CCDH…especially the Deadly By Design Report mentioned in this episode and more information on CCDH’s Legal Defense Fund. If you’d like to connect with The Lincoln Project, send an email to podcast@lincolnproject.us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen shares his thoughts on last night’s Republican Presidential Primary Debate and Donald Trump’s “counter-programming” on Twitter with Tucker Carlson. Plus, what do the events of last night mean for the 2024 election, and how should the pro-democracy coalition respond? If you’d like to connect with The Lincoln Project, send an email to podcast@lincolnproject.us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by author and Senior Political Correspondent for Yahoo News. They discuss the rise of the American Evangelical movement, the types of people it attracts, and how it became so closely tied to Trumpism. To hear more from Jon Ward, be sure to check out his latest book (Testimony: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Failed a Generation), his podcast (The Long Game), and his Substack newsletter (Border-Stalkers). If you’d like to ask a question or share a comment with The Lincoln Project, send an email to podcast@lincolnproject.us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Lincoln Project Senior Advisor Stuart Stevens. They preview the upcoming Republican presidential primary debate slated for next week, examine the state of the GOP writ large (spoiler alert…it isn’t good), and discuss how Trumpism (and everyone that allows it to persist) is inarguably un-American. For more in-depth information be sure to check out the post-2012 RNC Autopsy, the Celinda Lake/Mac Heller Op-Ed, and the Trump Waco speech. Also, be sure to pre-order Stuart Stevens’ new book, The Conspiracy to End America. If you’d like to ask a question or share a comment with The Lincoln Project, send an email to podcast@lincolnproject.us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Ron Insana (Senior Analyst and Commentator at CNBC) to discuss the current state of the American economy, how remote-work and other post-pandemic variables have greatly affected the commercial real estate market, and how the economic policies of authoritarian states like China never seem to work. Plus, the wise words of Princess Leia. If you’d like to ask a question or share a comment with The Lincoln Project, send an email to podcast@lincolnproject.us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Reed Galen is joined by Judd Legum, Founder and Author of the Popular Information newsletter. They discuss how those inside the Washington ecosystem don’t seem to be adequately alarmed that Donald Trump could return to office, how Ron DeSantis is influencing the Republican field despite his atrocious campaign, and how the changing dynamics between Democrats, Republicans, and corporations will influence 2024. If you’d like to ask a question or share a comment with The Lincoln Project, send an email to podcast@lincolnproject.us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices