Rick Wilson is a political strategist, author, and co-founder of The Lincoln Project. After decades working in Republican politics, he became a prominent conservative critic of Donald Trump. In this episode, Rick and Robinson discuss the Republican Party Rick believes Trump has destroyed, America’s changing position in the world, and the struggle to defeat Trumpism. More particularly, they talk about the GOP’s competing factions, Trump’s relationships with Benjamin Netanyahu and Vladimir Putin, and American policy toward Iran and Venezuela. They also discuss divisions among Democrats, Bernie Sanders and the progressive left, Abdul El-Sayed and James Talarico, the influence of podcasts and social media, and the prospects for the 2026 and 2028 elections. Rick’s books include Running Against the Devil (Forum Books, 2020).
Rick’s Website: https://www.therickwilson.com/
Running Against the Devil: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/623822/running-against-the-devil-by-rick-wilson/
OUTLINE
00:00 Introduction
00:47 The Best Reasons for Voting Trump
02:16 The Republican Party Is Broken into Three Pieces
09:16 Why Rick Left the Republican Party
13:58 The United States' Fall from Grace
24:27 How Netanyahu Plays Trump
28:21 Deconstructing Trump's Takeover of Venezuela
31:43 Why Democrats Can’t Get Their Act Together
35:35 Why Progressives Struggle to Win the Presidency
39:46 El-Sayed Has 'The Gift'
42:40 Podcasts and Elections
45:06 Nick Fuentes and the Groypers
51:58 Will Trump Be President Forever?
53:33 Talarico and the Republicans' Loss
56:38 Why Trump Could Cost Republicans 2028
Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where he is also a JD candidate in the Law School.