The Lincoln Project

Host Reed Galen is joined by Lauren Harper & Liam Kerr, the Co-Founders of WelcomePAC, a Democratic-aligned PAC that applies insurgent tactics to support pro-democracy & center-left candidates in swing districts. They discuss the origin and work of WelcomePAC, why it's so important for the Democratic party to continue to widen their tent, and the arsenal of tactics Democrats need to use to...

Host Reed Galen is joined by the award-winning journalist, Kyle Spencer, to discuss how today’s ultraconservative youth movement came to be, how American youth are targeted and recruited to be a part of the ultraconservative movement, and what to expect from this movement throughout this generation and beyond. Plus, how can Democrats improve their messaging, widen their tent, and emerge victorious...

Host Reed Galen is joined by Paul Cobaugh (Vice President of Narrative Strategies) to discuss the value (and danger) of effective narratives and how they can be used to exert influence…whether that’s on the battlefield or in the political landscape. Plus, how the GOP went from political party to extremist movement, how this new identity will influence elections in 2022 and 2024, and what is the th...

Host Reed Galen is joined by Michael Cohen, the former personal attorney to Donald Trump, to discuss what will come of the January 6th Committee’s investigation/subpoena of Donald Trump, whether or not Donald Trump will run for president in 2024, and why democracy is a privilege and must always be protected. Plus, if autocracy is allowed to spread and take hold without opposition, how could the li...

Host Reed Galen is joined once again by Bob Brandon, the President & CEO of the Fair Elections Center, a national, nonpartisan voting rights and election reform organization whose mission is to use litigation and advocacy to remove barriers to registration and voting. They discuss their outlook of the 2022 midterms now that election day is less than three weeks away, voter intimidation and how...

Host Reed Galen is joined by former Metropolitan Police Department Officer Michael Fanone. They discuss Fanone’s path to service, his harrowing personal account of January 6, 2021, the aftermath of January 6th and his post-insurrection public appearances, and whether or not the case built by the House Select Committee on January 6th has been effective in proving its case to the American people. Pl...

In the ninth and possibly final hearing, the committee focused on emphasizing Donald Trump's involvement in the events surrounding the January 6th attack. Also, the hearing featured new evidence regarding the Secret Service and new video footage from the day of the insurrection. Plus, the committee unanimously passes a motion to officially subpoena former President Donald Trump for relevant docume...

Host Reed Galen gives his immediate reaction and analysis to the ninth and possibly final public hearing from the House Select Committee on January 6th. He discusses the new evidence and revelations regarding the Secret Service, commends the bravery and leadership of Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate House Majority Leader Chuck Schumer as witnessed through new never-before-seen video footage from th...

Host Reed Galen is joined by Peter Baker (Chief White House Correspondent for The New York Times ) and Susan Glasser (Staff Writer for The New Yorker ) co-authors of New York Times Bestseller, The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021. They discuss how Donald Trump immediately branded his presidency as one of division, why those around Trump and the GOP continued to go along with (and even...

Host Reed Galen is joined by Lincoln Project Senior Advisors Trygve Olson and Jeff Timmer to discuss where our nation stands 28 days out from the 2022 midterms. Plus, the GOP is returning to a tried and true strategy that doubles as their original sin, pro-democracy voters may not be included in the latest polling, and a general sense of insanity seems to be exponentially increasing as election da...

Host Reed Galen is joined by retired United States Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman who was the former Director for European Affairs for the United States National Security Council. They discuss the current state of the war in Ukraine, the exponentially increasing desperation from Vladimir Putin and his country’s instability, and why Tucker Carlson and the far-right media apparatus contin...

Host Reed Galen is joined by Lincoln Project Senior Advisor Jeff Timmer to discuss the recent trend of more and more GOP leaders publicly giving their support for Democratic candidates in the upcoming midterm elections, two permission structures (one for the pro-democracy coalition and one for Trump/ultra-maga followers), and how even if Democrats win in 2022 and 2024 it will not be the end of our...

This episode was originally released on January 4, 2022. In this encore presentation, host Reed Galen is joined by Author and Staff Writer at The Atlantic, Barton Gellman and Lincoln Project Senior Advisor Joe Trippi to further explore the ideas laid out by Gellman in his article for The Atlantic, “Trump’s Next Coup has Already Begun: January 6 was practice. Donald Trump’s GOP is much better posit...

Host Reed Galen is joined by Lincoln Project Senior Advisor Joe Trippi to discuss the growing dangers of political violence being normalized, why economic inequality leads to political apathy, and how the 2022 midterms are going to be anything but normal. Plus, well wishes of safety for those impacted by Hurricane Ian and a thank you to everyone that will be helping with relief/recovery efforts in...

Host Reed Galen answers questions asked by the members of the Lincoln Project community about the Ron DeSantis/Martha’s Vineyard stunt, Lindsey Graham’s head-scratching national abortion ban, the 2022 midterm elections, and what to expect from the January 6th Committee between now and election day. Plus, how does the pro-democracy coalition combat Steve Bannon’s latest Lenin-inspired election stra...

Host Reed Galen is joined by Former Lt. Governor of Maryland and Former Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Michael Steele. They discuss how the current day GOP has devolved into leaving behind so many Americans, the dangers that come from not being able to accurately predict Trumpism/ultra-MAGA in polls, and how Trumpism (under the guise of patriotism) strips away the tenets of what it...

Host Reed Galen is joined by Andy Campbell, Senior Editor at HuffPost and an expert on American extremism. They discuss how the Proud Boys, which started as a blundering fraternity-like club, grew into the far-right extremist organization that played a significant role in the January 6th attack. Plus, how does bothsidesism in the media continue to fuel the growth of the Proud Boys as an organizati...

Host Reed Galen is joined by fellow Lincoln Project Co-Founder Rick Wilson and Lincoln Project Senior Advisors Stuart Stevens and Joe Trippi for the conclusion to their conversation of how the political landscape is unfolding less than 2 months out from election day. The panel discusses how it’s in the nation’s best interest for Democrats to value pro-democracy coalition over ideological purity, t...

Host Reed Galen is joined by fellow Lincoln Project Co-Founder Rick Wilson and Lincoln Project Senior Advisors Stuart Stevens and Joe Trippi for a two-part conversation of how the political landscape is unfolding less than 2 months out from election day. In “Part 1”, the panel discusses why the GOP/MAGA “crazies” have been the Democrats best weapon of late, how the GOP cannot be allowed to backtra...

Host Reed Galen is joined by Mark Leibovich, author and Staff writer for The Atlantic, to discuss how Trump’s Washington was a result of inaction from those who “knew better”, why the media continues to hire people to toe the Trump line, and what will happen on election day if the GOP continues to take political losses. If you’d like to connect with The Lincoln Project, send an email to podcast@li...

Host Reed Galen is joined by Author and Daily Beast Columnist Wajahat Ali to discuss the importance of President Joe Biden’s recent primetime speech in Philadelphia, why so many media outlets have been critical of the speech for all the wrong reasons, and the incestuous nature of the Washington media/political establishment. Plus, how does the nature of the modern day GOP inform the biblical story...

Host Reed Galen is joined by Legendary Silicon Valley Marketer to discuss how Silicon Valley came to be the tech epicenter that it is, what led Silicon Valley to go to Washington, and the importance of history and how it can inform our future. Plus, what are the responsibilities of the tech sector to our nation as a whole?   If you’d like to connect with The Lincoln Project, send an email to podca...

Host Reed Galen is joined by Anne Applebaum (Staff Writer for The Atlantic and Pulitzer-prize winning historian) to discuss the latest in Ukraine now that it’s been six months since the Russian invasion began, the development of the authoritarian movement in the United States, and why Trump’s supporters continue to support him throughout the documents investigation. Plus, how does one govern again...

Host Reed Galen is joined by Maya May (Comedian and Host of LPTV’s “We're Speaking” and “The Game We’re In”) to answer questions asked by YOU, the members of the Lincoln Project community. Listeners ask about the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago, the upcoming fall hearings from the House Select Committee on January 6th, the political futures of Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, and why Ron DeSantis is such a...

This episode was originally released on March 4, 2022. In this encore presentation, host Reed Galen is joined by John Avlon (Author and Senior Political Analyst/Anchor at CNN) to discuss how Abraham Lincoln’s character informed his commitment to an unconditional surrender from the Confederacy, how even though Lincoln was surrounded by reactionaries and radicals…he maintained the notion that there...