What If He Wins? Trump The Cognitive Child King

Alexander Vindman offers his foreign policy take on what a second Trump presidency would mean for the United States and the good of the civilized world. Follow Alexander Vindman on X at @AVindman and read and subscribe to his Substack at alexandervindman.substack.com. Follow Rick Wilson at @TheRickWilson on X and subscribe to his Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. Join the fight with Lincoln Project at www.lincolnproject.us and follow us on X at @ProjectLincoln.

Chapter 12 chronicles the demise of our fictional magazine, Capital Monthly. The pressure from the White House, from advertisers and from Social Media algorithms kills the independent journalism that was documenting what life was like under Donald Trump's second term guided by Project 2025. As our host, Bill Press, of The Bill Press Pod says in the episode: “It’s not too late to change some minds. The election is a few days away and still most people have not voted. If you have a friend or family member that has not decided whether to vote, or whom to vote for, this is your chance to make a difference. If this series frightened you, made you even more fearful of a Trump second term, perhaps it can have the same effect on someone you know. Please share this series or even a single episode that might speak to that person's special interests. All twelve episodes are in your podcast app and available for sharing. Or you could direct them to go to 2025 pod.com. If we all do something, as Michelle Obama says, even small things like this, we can make a difference and save our Democracy from Donald Trump and Project 2025.” We’d like to thank all the artists who volunteered their time to make this series. Especially the talented sound designers Marilys Ernst and Jonathan Moser who worked on every episode. Trump's Project 2025: Up Close and Personal is written by David Pepper and produced by Pepper, Melissa Jo Peltier and Jay Feldman and is a production of Ovington Avenue Productions and The Bill Press Pod.

Donald J. Trump was lauded as a political genius for cosplaying as a minimum wage worker at a McDonald’s franchise while The New York Times published an audio interview of Gen. John F. Kelly describing Trump as a fascist and admirer of Hitler. Fox decided to bury the story in a heap of French fries prepared by the same wannabe dictator Kelly was trying to warn the American public about. Everyone clutched their pearls to dust after Kamala Harris called Trump a fascist. Stephen A. Smith verbally mopped the floor with Sean Hannity in an amusing and delightful extended rant.

It's the home stretch, and something we haven't touched on enough is Trump's love affair with Tariffs. In this episode Rick sits down with Edward Goldberg, an adjunct professor at NYU’s Center for Global Affairs and expert on political economy and trade. Together, they explore the dangers of Donald Trump's proposed tariffs and the broader risks of economic isolationism. Goldberg draws historical parallels, such as China’s decision to burn its fleet in 1433 and the Smoot-Hawley Tariff of 1929, to demonstrate the economic consequences of shutting down global trade. They also discuss the misconceptions around globalization, its connection to job loss, and the vital role of immigration and open trade in driving American innovation and prosperity. And to cap things off, Rick rants about the horror show at Madison Square Garden.

Well now, that was fun! Frank Rich, award-winning journalist, and Emmy and Golden Globe winning Executive Producer for shows including VEEP and Succession, joined Rick, Joe, and Stuart last night for a super-smart, riveting, and fun conversation. Catch up now!