Episode 280: Ruth Ben-Ghiat
Jun 1, 2026 · 1 hr 6 min · 6 segments
We dissect Trump's dictator psychology with New York University's Professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat, an expert in the history of fascism.
Jun 1, 2026 · 1 hr 6 min · 6 segments
We dissect Trump's dictator psychology with New York University's Professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat, an expert in the history of fascism.
Ruth Ben-GhiatGuest
Kyle KulinskiHost
Krystal BallHost
Today we're gonna be talking to Ruth Ben-Ghiat, and, uh, she is an authoritarianism expert.
She's brilliant, she's insightful, and I feel like nobody's better to break down where we're at right now with Trump and MAGA and the empire declining than her.
Yeah, and, uh, you know, rapidly approaching the midterms, wanna know her thoughts on how that's all gonna go.
Actually, Trump just came out and said, like, "I don't even care about the midterms," so tells you he's, he's not worried about the political fallout even though he's disastrously unpopular, which makes you wonder what they are planning.
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Today we're gonna be talking to Ruth Ben-Ghiat, and, uh, she is an authoritarianism expert.
She's brilliant, she's insightful, and I feel like nobody's better to break down where we're at right now with Trump and MAGA and the empire declining than her.
Yeah, and, uh, you know, rapidly approaching the midterms, wanna know her thoughts on how that's all gonna go.
Actually, Trump just came out and said, like, "I don't even care about the midterms," so tells you he's, he's not worried about the political fallout even though he's disastrously unpopular, which makes you wonder what they are planning.