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

In the first bonus episode of TrumpLand, we begin the story of the 2024 Republican presidential primary with the aftermath of the 2020 election. After Donald Trump left office, leaving behind a wrecked party and shaken country, the conservative movement had to figure out a new path forward. The parental rights movement, Christian Nationalists, and National Conservatives attempted to harness the backlash to the Black Lives Matter Movement and pandemic restrictions into a new conservative revolution, but with mixed results. Trump stormed back onto the scene in the 2022 midterms, but his endorsed candidates underperformed, leading many Republicans to call on the party to reject him in 2024. And as a bruised but defiant Trump launched his 2024 campaign, many pointed to a promising conservative alternative: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

0:00 - Intro

3:23 - The Next Revolution

9:02 - National Conservatism and the Culture Wars

17:14 - The Midterms

28:08 - Disarray

32:19 - DeFuture

After securing the Republican presidential nomination, Donald Trump faced Hillary Clinton in the 2016 general election. And he spent the entire campaign apparently destroying what little chance he had at victory through gaffes, missteps, and controversies, culminating with the infamous Access Hollywood tape. But, it turned out, none of that mattered. After analyzing Trump's victory, we give a broad overview of the Trump presidency, and end with a review of the series as a whole, focusing on what we should take away from the events of 2016 and how they can help us understand our world today.

0:00 - Intro

1:52 - The Democrats

5:33 - I'm With Her

14:05 - The Results

23:36 - The "Resistance"

29:17 - 2017-2018: Welcome to TrumpLand

42:24 -2019-2020: Meltdown

52:49 - Review: Why Trump? What Now?

After the Florida primary, as Trump's delegate lead grew larger and larger, and as his remaining opponents Ted Cruz and John Kasich refused to work together, it became increasingly obvious that Trump was going to win the nomination. In response, Republicans had to figure out what to do: would they cling to the dwindling hopes of stopping Trump, abandon their party to oppose him even if he was nominated, or set aside their qualms and support Trump for president?

0:00 - Intro

1:40 - Wisconsin: Never-Trump Regroups, Things Get Personal

9:08 - April: The Northeast Speaks

18:50 - Indiana: Bathroom Bills Redux vs. The Carrier Plant

28:39 - Joiners

40:41 - Spoilers and Stoppers

As Donald Trump came closer and closer to the nomination, his rallies grew more and more violent and his rhetoric more and more aggressive. In response, people began asking a frightening question: is Trump a fascist? This episode is about this question, examining the 2016 Trump campaign through the lens of historic fascist movements.

0:00 - Intro

2:33 - The Alt-Right and Trump's Announcement (June, 2015)

8:27 - The Rhetoric and the Rallies (July-October, 2015)

15:08 - The Scapegoats and the Protesters (November-December, 2015)

22:08 - Violence and the Chicago Rally (January-March, 2015)

31:10 - If It Happened Here...

35:47 - ...But Here's Why It Didn't

44:32 - Why The Question Matters

After the dramatic nailbiters of Iowa and New Hampshire, Donald Trump reminded everyone that he was, in fact, the frontrunner. From mid-February to mid-March, he racked up a stunning series of victories against his divided opposition. In response, the candidates, donors, and power brokers of the Republican party attempted to unite against him. Meanwhile, John Kasich has a good time.

0:00 - Intro

1:27 - South Carolina: Donald Trump vs. George W. Bush and the Pope

11:05 - Nevada: Oh Right, Trump's the Frontrunner

15:09 - Little Marco and Big Chris

21:48 - Super Tuesday

28:27 - Never Trump vs. Only Cruz

37:55 - Florida: Winner Take All