Interviews

Podcasts/ Featured Interviews

All In With Chris Hayes
October 25, 2024

Ana Cabrera Reports
October 24, 2024

PBS News Hour
October 14, 2024

Trump ramps up his dangerous political rhetoric in final weeks of the 2024 campaign. Watch the segment and read the interview here.

Strict Scrutiny Podcast
August 26, 2024

Trump’s Mental State Suddenly Takes a Darker Turn: “I’ve Gotten Worse”
July 29, 2024

“The European Elections: Discontent with Democracy”
June 11, 2024

Mediaite.com
April 11th, 2024

Authoritarianism Expert Talks to Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway About Trump and ‘What’s Happened In America’

Listen here.

The Bulwark Podcast
April 4, 2024

The Politics of Everything Podcast
March 29, 2024

WDET| Is Donald Trump a Fascist?
February 23, 2024

Is Donald Trump a fascist?

The Lincoln Project:
Masochism and Ritual Humiliation
February 4, 2024

NPR: All Things Considered
January 4, 2024

Ruth Talks with Cult Expert Dr. Steven Hassan
December 11, 2023

KCRW: Press Play 
November 22, 2023

The Weekend Show with Anthony Davis
August 6, 2023

Malcolm Turnbull, Defending Democracy, 2023

Meet the New Autocrats and Their Playbooks

Who are the new autocrats and what’s their playbook?  We are now living in the era of the strongman – and every dictator has built on the accomplishments of his predecessors.

Listen to the podcast here.

WBUR, Here and Now with Deepa Fernandes
June 12th, 2023

The Deepening Radicalization of Donald J. Trump
May 24th, 2023

The former president’s positions and rhetoric have grown more confrontational and extreme as he seeks a second term.  Listen here.

The Lincoln Project
Donald Trump’s Victimhood Complex Podcast
March 29th, 2023

Discussion on how the entire GOP has become an autocratic entity (not just the MAGA extremists), why Trump’s propaganda has turned into policy, and how Donald Trump’s victimhood complex is just another play from the standard authoritarian playbook.

Stay Tuned with Preet Podcast
October 13, 2022

The Rise of Global Fascism

Fast Politics with Molly Jong-Fast
September 27, 2022

Balance of Power, Bloomberg Radio
September 26, 2022

On Giorgia Meloni and the future of Italian politics

Balance of Power: What To Expect From Italy's New Government

KCRW
Press Play With Madeline Brand Podcast
September 26th, 2022

Fascist Giorgia Meloni is likely to become Italy’s first female prime minister and the country’s first far-right leader since World War II.  And she could be out without 1 year.

PBS News Hour
July 18th, 2022

How some members of the Republican Party have normalized the use of violent rhetoric

Click here to watch the video podcast segment.

This is Critical with Virginia Heffernan Podcast
May 22th, 2022

Zelensky is the Antidote to Putin’s ‘Strongman’

Click here to listen to the podcast.

Renew Democracy Initiative
May 20th, 2022

Winter Is Here Podcast: Why Tyrants Should be Humiliated

Click here to listen to the podcast.

MSNBC – The Beat/ Ari Melber
May 18th, 2022

Busted: Tucker Carlson’s ‘Fascist’ Conspiracy Theory Cited By Shooting Suspect

MSNBC – The Rachel Maddow Show/ Ari Velshi
May 6, 2022

Ruth talks about what the lessons of history suggest will happen if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade and empowers conservatives to criminalize previously private matters.

MSNBC – The Rachel Maddow Show
April 16, 2022

DeSantis is making Florida into his own mini-autocracy

BBC Radio, April 11, 2022

Thinking Aloud podcast

Strongmen: Laurie Taylor explores the global rise of authoritarian leaders.

Thinking Aloud podcast, April 11, 2022

NPR – 1A Podcast, March 8, 2022

Why is authoritarianism surging worldwide?

Listen to the podcast here:

CNN Newsroom With Anna Cabrera
March 13, 2022

MSNBC – The Sunday Show
March 13, 2022

“Autocrats don’t negotiate, they do deals with other autocrats.”

Velshi, MSNBC
January 22, 2022

KCRW – Press Play with Madeline Brand – January 20, 2022

Putin signals he may soon invade Ukraine. How likely is it?

New Day With John Berman
October 11, 2021

Democracy in peril

SKY News – January 22, 2021

Trump’s Last Stand

MSNBC: The Choice – January 22, 2021

Going to Extremes

ABC News – The Breakdown
January 7, 2021

Extremism in America

WNYC, November 23, 2020

Podcast interview on A History Of Modern Authoritarians

David Pakman Show/ Free Speech TV, November 19, 2020

“How Authoritarian Strongmen Come to Power” interview

WBUR, November 12, 2020

Podcast interview on On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti

Vox.com, October 23, 2020

Is Trump a fascist? 8 experts weigh in.

Call him a kleptocrat, an oligarch, a xenophobe, a racist, even an authoritarian. But he doesn’t quite fit the definition of a fascist.

Read the full article here.

CNN International Interview – November 15, 2020

NPR On Point Podcast

“What The ’Strongmen’ Of History Reveal About Modern Politics “

NPR 1A Podcast

“What is Fascism? Is Trump a Fascist?”

“A Scholar of Fascism Sees a Lot That’s Familiar with Trump,”

The New Yorker, November 4, 2016

Read the full article here.

Strange Days with Fernand Amandi

Two of America’s most prescient scholars on autocracy & fascism, Ruth Ben-Ghiat + Sarah Kendzior, sound the alarm on a must-hear #StrangeDaysPodcast.

Click to image below to listen:

Strange Days With Fernand Amandi Podcast

Slate Trumpcast

A Historical Lens on Trump’s Authoritarianism