Trumpcast

Virginia Heffernan talks to Benjamin Wittes, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and editor-in-chief of Lawfare Blog, about how Trump was able to fulfill a full term in office despite everything, and the concept of majoritarianism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virginia Heffernan talks to Christian Picciolini, a former neo-Nazi skinhead and musician who now works to disengage others from virulent bigotry and hate cults. He talks about his indoctrination into—and exodus from—the racist movement, neo-Nazi strategies of the 80s and 90s, the history of anti-racist skinheads in the U.S., and the psychology and needs of cult hoppers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virginia Heffernan talks to Carlos Lozada, Washington Post nonfiction book critic and author of What Were We Thinking: A Brief Intellectual History of the Trump Era. They discuss a few of the 150+ Trump books Lozada has read; books from Trump sycophants and intellectual supporters; and thoughts on the books by Omarosa, Michael Cohen, and James Comey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virginia Heffernan talks to Kathleen Kingsbury and Farah Stockman of the New York Times editorial board about the publication’s weekend op-ed package making a verdict against Trump; Stockman’s experiences embedded with the Trump-voting working class for four years and how Democrats fail to reach them; and the importance of seniority on the job. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virginia Heffernan talks to Trumpcast favorite, Fordham Law professor Jed Shugerman, about the big picture behind Amy Coney Barrett, ways we can disestablish the Senate, and the concept of originalism when interpreting the U.S. Constitution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virginia Heffernan talks to Sarah Jones, staff writer at New York Magazine’s Intelligencer, about the problem with putting Claudia Conway and other teenage girls on a pedestal, why Trump’s contracting of COVID doesn’t mean justice, and what she wants to see from Joe Biden. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virginia Heffernan talks to historian Nicole Hemmer about the Proud Boys—breaking down their hazing and hyper-masculinity, how to be initiated, conservative cults, and how Trump incites them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virginia Heffernan welcomes back Dahlia Lithwick, Slate staff writer and host of Amicus, about the loss of RBG, Rep. Adam Schiff’s call to the GOP’s conscience, not being “ladylike” in the face of disaster, and the strength of our system of checks and balances in the face of coup threats. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virginia Heffernan talks to producer Sally Herships and reporter Sarah Kleiner of The Heist, a new investigative podcast from the Center for Public Integrity covering a tax-centric political swindle and how power works in Trump’s presidency. Herships and Kleiner talk in-depth about the series, the benefits specific Republican donors have received, and what it’s like to try to track down Steve Mnuchin—or find out anything about him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virginia Heffernan talks to Tony Schwartz, the author infamous for penning Trump: The Art of the Deal, about his latest book, Dealing With the Devil: My Mother, Trump and Me, how Trump has impacted his life, how we grapple with our inner lawyers, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virginia Heffernan talks to Georgetown law professor Paul Butler, former trial attorney with the US Department of Justice and author of Chokehold: Policing Black Men, about the events in Kenosha and the Black Lives Matter movement, criminal justice, and what it means to celebrate black joy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this Trumpcast Plus preview, Virginia Heffernan talks to prolific author Kurt Andersen about Evil Geniuses, his latest New York Times bestseller. Only Slate Plus members get to listen to every Trumpcast episode in full. Sign up now to access every Trumpcast episode and support the show.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virginia Heffernan talks to Ben Rhodes, former Deputy National Security Advisor under President Barack Obama and host of the new podcast Missing America, about Trump on foreign policy over the last four years, the U.S. fixation on Iran, Vladimir Putin, and what’s next. This episode comes with a bonus segment at the end for Slate Plus members. Sign up now to listen, get every Trumpcast episode in full, and support the show.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virginia Heffernan talks to investigative journalist Jean Guerrero, author of Hatemonger, about Stephen Miller's childhood and education, nurturing fringe white supremacist ideals, his relationship with anti-immigration activist David Horowitz, and how he's managed to survive so long and hold his power in Trump's ever-changing administrative line-up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virginia Heffernan talks to Katherine Eban, contributing editor for Vanity Fair and author of Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom, about her recent piece on Jared Kushner’s botched COVID-19 response, and what happened when she followed a suspicious trail of his receipts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virginia Heffernan talks to law professor Ekow Yankah about the different secrets in white and Black families, the archetypal uncles surfacing the disturbing truths about white supremacy from either side of it, Herman Cain, having opinions on scientific facts and living in a state of conspiracy-mindedness. Only Slate Plus members get to listen to every Trumpcast episode in full. Sign up now to access every Trumpcast episode and support the show.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virginia Heffernan talks to Mary L. Trump, niece of Donald Trump and author of "Too Much and Never Enough," going further into family stories from the book and insights into the Trump family; Donald Trump's enablers and inability to laugh; his weird sexuality; and iceberg lettuce. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virginia Heffernan talks to Anne Applebaum, staff writer for the Atlantic and author of The Twilight of Democracy, about how collaborators and dissidents emerge during a regime like Trump’s — or East Germany’s, how anti-communists like herself moved away from the Republican party, and Laura Ingraham. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virginia Heffernan talks to writer Molly McKew, who covers Russian influence and info warfare, about the story of a Russian military intelligence unit offering Taliban-connected militants cash bounties to kill American service members in Afghanistan; denial of the story by the Trump administration; the concept of being at war Russia; and cancel culture.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this Trumpcast Plus preview, Virginia Heffernan talks to Mary Jordan, Pulitzer Prize-winning national correspondent for the Washington Post and author of The Art of Her Deal, about Melania Trump—getting to the mystery of who she was before she met Donald Trump, her education, the way she manufactures her image, where she fails as a FLOTUS, and the supportive role she plays in propping up her husband. Only Slate Plus members get to listen to every Trumpcast episode in full. Sign up now to access every Trumpcast episode and support the show.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices