In our final bonus episode, we look at the first year of Trump's second term. Not by presenting a chronological narrative, but by looking at it as a whole and seeing if it fits with certain labels. For all the populist rhetoric, is Donald Trump just another pro-business Republican? Or is he the leader of an ideologically-driven national conservative revolution? Is Trump's movement the arrival of American fascism, or a fascist precursor? Or are we all trapped in the circus of a mad king?

2:20 - Just Another Republican

10:23 - The National Conservative Revolution

25:55 - Fascism (or Thugs Redux)

43:58 - Pre-Fascism

53:26 - Circus of the Mad King

1:02:17 - Curtains

Nikki Haley finally got her wish: a one-on-one match-up with Donald Trump. And she was crushed so overwhelmingly that it makes a lot more sense why so many prominent Republicans stayed out of the race. We then examine Trump's 2024 campaign, focusing in particular on his emphasis on political retribution, a tendency which could be seen throughout the conservative movement. Finally, we turn to the general election, and show how Trump's deeply divisive message only succeeded because of astonishing political malpractice by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

1:50 - Iowa

9:30 - Solo Act

15:59 - They're Not Sending Their Best

22:47 - Your Retribution

33:32 - King of the Fuck-Ups

42:18 - Not Going Back

51:53 - Trump Got Lucky

Ron DeSantis began 2023 poised to crush Donald Trump. But a combination of bad luck and an inept campaign destroyed his early lead, opening the door for a clown car of other candidates to try to take his place in second. This culminated in an explosive series of debates, where an increasingly nasty feud between Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy left Haley with the momentum to finally unite the opposition to Trump, especially after an unprecedented intervention by the donor class. But while DeSantis, Ramaswamy, Haley, and the other candidates squabbled amongst themselves, Donald Trump solidified an overwhelming polling lead.

1:09 - 2016 II: Electric Boogaloo

10:03 - Ron DeFuckUp

15:59 - The Clown Car

26:16 - Show Time

32:16 - The New Ringleader