Conversations with Bill Kristol

By Bill Kristol

What's Conversations with Bill Kristol about?

Conversations with Bill Kristol features in-depth, thought-provoking discussions with leading figures in American public life.

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Conversations with Bill Kristol episodes:

04.18.2024
Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Trump’s First Term—and a Second?
What was it like serving in the Trump administration—and what might a second Trump term look like? To discuss these questions, we are joined by Mark Esper, Secretary of Defense from 2019-2020. In this Conversation, Esper considers Ukraine, China, and...
04.03.2024
David Axelrod on Biden v. Trump 2024
Where do things stand in the 2024 race? What campaign strategies might increase Joe Biden’s chances? How might the economy, the border, wars in Europe and the Middle East, Trump's trials, and third-party campaigns affect the race? To discuss these...
03.15.2024
Joe Klein: Can the Democrats Get their Act Together?
What do Joe Biden's successes, failures, and poll numbers reveal about the state of the Democratic Party today? In an era of polarization, can a spirit of moderation and bipartisanship be rediscovered? To discuss these questions, we are joined by...
03.08.2024
Timothy Snyder on Ukraine, Russia, America—and What’s at Stake
Two years into the war, where do things stand in Ukraine? What are Vladimir Putin’s war aims and how is attempting to undermine American commitment and resolve? To discuss these questions, we are joined by Timothy Snyder, a Yale...
02.15.2024
Doug Sosnik on the State of the Race: Trump, Biden, and 2024
Where does the 2024 presidential race stand? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the candidates, and how might such an unpopular rematch play out? What could happen if it's not Biden and Trump? To discuss these questions, we are...
02.02.2024
Whit Ayres on 2024: How Weak is Trump? What about Biden?
Summing up the state of the 2024 race as we head toward the South Carolina primaries, veteran Republican pollster Whit Ayres says if the election were held today “Trump would win … in the Electoral College.” Yet despite Trump’s quasi-incumbency,...
01.19.2024
Aaron Friedberg on the China Challenge—and a World in Disarray
What are the latest developments in the US-China relationship? What can we learn from recent elections in Taiwan? How does the CCP view the wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East? To discuss these questions, we are joined again...
01.05.2024
Peter Berkowitz on Israel at War: A Nation United and Divided
Three months after October 7 and amidst the ongoing war in Gaza, what is the national mood in Israel? How are the partisan divisions which gripped Israel in recent years playing out in wartime? How will this war change Israel?...
12.14.2023
Ruth Wisse on Anti-Semitism—and Why it Matters
What is anti-Semitism? Why is Israel under attack on college campuses? In this Conversation, released originally in 2014, Bill Kristol spoke with Ruth Wisse, a distinguished professor of Yiddish Literature who taught at Harvard for many years and is one...
11.28.2023
Jonathan Karl: What Would a Second Trump Term Look Like?
Has Donald Trump changed since he first ran for president in 2015? How is he conducting his campaign now? What might a second Trump term look like? To discuss these questions, we are joined by Jonathan Karl, Chief Washington Correspondent...
11.17.2023
Ray Takeyh on 10/7, Hamas, and Iran
To what extent was the Iranian regime involved in Hamas’s attack on Israel? What role are other Iranian proxies such as Hezbollah playing in the conflict—and where do things stand with Iran’s quest for a nuclear weapon? To discuss these...
10.31.2023
Eric Edelman on the New World Disorder
Since Hamas launched its brutal attack on Israel on October 7, the Middle East is the site of a new war, which could escalate in ways that are unpredictable and dangerous. In Europe, the Ukraine War grinds on—with an outcome...
10.11.2023
Jason Furman on the Economy: Where Are We Now—and Where Might We Be Going?
What is the state of the economy today? To discuss, we are joined, again, by Harvard economist Jason Furman, who was deputy director of the National Economic Council during the Financial Crisis and then served as Chairman of the Council...
09.29.2023
Fred Kagan on Ukraine: Where Things Stand
Where do things stand in Ukraine? What are the battlefield results of the Ukrainian counteroffensive so far, and what military and political outcomes might follow? Why should the US and allies continue to support Ukraine? To discuss these questions we...
09.14.2023
James Carville on Biden, Trump, the Democrats, and 2024
t’s 14 months before the presidential election. With a Trump v. Biden matchup on the horizon, veteran Democratic strategist James Carville begins with a bracing assessment: “If this election was this November…Biden would be a betting underdog.” In this Conversation,...
09.07.2023
Stephen Rosen on the China Challenge
How has American strategic analysis and policy planning toward China developed over the last few years? What parallels can we draw between the early Cold War and America’s geopolitical situation today? How has the war in Ukraine affected US-China competition?...
08.25.2023
Whit Ayres on the State of the Race: Is It Still Trump's Party?
Where do things stand in the Republican primary field after the first debate? How strong is Trump? How have the other candidates done so far? How might the Trump trials affect the race as we head into primary season? ...
08.04.2023
Ryan Goodman on the Trump Trial: What Might Happen?
How significant is the indictment of Donald Trump in the Jan 6 case? How might the case play out in court, and in our politics? According to Ryan Goodman, a professor of law at New York University, former special counsel in...
07.26.2023
Google’s Royal Hansen on AI: Where Are We? Where Are We Going?
With the recent rollout of ChatGPT and the development of other generative artificial intelligence, the future of AI—and its potential implications for national defense, economics, and society—has become a topic of urgent inquiry. To discuss where things stand with AI, we...
07.13.2023
Whit Ayres: Is Trump Inevitable? Do Any of the Other Republicans Have a Chance?
Where do things stand in the Republican primary field? Is Trump inevitable, or could DeSantis or another candidate prevail? What do voters, donors, and party officials think of the prospects of a Trump v. Biden rematch as we head toward...
06.27.2023
Doug Sosnik: The Realignment of American Politics—and its Implications
How did American politics become so polarized—and what are the key fault lines today? In an evenly-divided electorate, what are the implications for the political parties as we look ahead to 2024 and beyond? Is there a way out of...
06.15.2023
Ryan Goodman: Does Donald Trump Really Face Legal—and Political—Jeopardy?
What is the substance of the federal indictment against Donald Trump for mishandling classified documents? How could the case play out in the legal system, and in our politics? Are future indictments likely? Could these matters alter the political landscape...
05.31.2023
Leah Boustan on Immigration: Then and Now
How should we think about immigration in American life today? How well do today’s immigrants do—economically and culturally—compared to the immigrants of previous eras? To discuss these questions, we are joined by Princeton economist Leah Boustan. Drawing on rigorous analysis...
05.17.2023
A.B. Stoddard on 2024: Trump, DeSantis, Biden…and Chaos?
What did we learn about Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign from last week’s CNN town hall? How should we assess Ron DeSantis’s prospective candidacy so far? What are Joe Biden’s strengths and weaknesses as we head into the 2024 race? To...
05.02.2023
Frederick Kagan on the War in Ukraine: Where things Stand, and Where they Might be Going
Where do things stand in Ukraine as the war enters its fifteenth month? What must Ukraine accomplish on the battlefield in its long-anticipated counteroffensive? What can the US and allies do to support Ukraine now? To discuss these questions we...
04.20.2023
Dan Balz on Trump, Biden, the Media, and 2024
What are the prospects for Biden, Trump, DeSantis, and other potential candidates as we head to 2024? How will the media respond to the challenges of covering presidential politics in the current era? To discuss these questions, we are joined...
04.04.2023
Robert Kagan on American Foreign Policy Between World War I and World War II—and Beyond
The period between World War I and World War II has long been a reference point in foreign policy debates, yet much about the period remains in dispute. Why did the United States turn away from internationalism after the First...
03.22.2023
Jason Furman on the Threat of Inflation, Prospects for the Economy, and Turmoil in the Banking Sector
How serious a threat to the economy is the current turmoil in the banking sector? What are the prospects for a soft landing—or more turbulence ahead? How should we think about the challenge of combating inflation? To discuss these questions,...
03.03.2023
Aaron Friedberg on China, the War in Ukraine, and the Geopolitical Stakes
How has China responded to Russia’s War in Ukraine, and what lessons could the CCP draw from the course of the war? How has the war and other recent developments affected US-China relations—and how should the US and allies advance...
02.15.2023
Anne Applebaum on Ukraine: One Year Into the War
One year into the war, where do things stand in Ukraine? What have we learned about the character of Ukraine, Putin’s war aims, the fault lines in European politics, and America's resolve? Why should the West continue to support Ukraine?...
02.02.2023
Neil Rogachevsky on Israel’s Declaration of Independence
What were the major political and diplomatic issues that Israel’s founders faced in 1948? How did they inform the writing of Israel’s Declaration of Independence? What can Israel’s Declaration teach us about natural and historic rights, the relationship of religion...
01.24.2023
Francis Fukuyama on the War in Ukraine, Authoritarianism, and Liberal Democracy
Eleven months into the war, where do things stand in Ukraine? What does the West need to do to help Ukraine win? What lessons can we draw from the war about the ambitions of authoritarians, the resolve of liberal democracies...
01.10.2023
James Carville: Biden, Trump, Our Parties, and 2024
Where do things stand two years into Biden's presidency? Should he seek reelection? What other prospective Democratic candidates might emerge in the months ahead? What are the odds Trump will be the Republican nominee, and what might a Republican primary...
12.20.2022
Harvey Mansfield on Locke, Aristotle, and the Spirit of Liberalism
What is liberalism? How did political thinkers like Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, and Montesquieu pave the way for modern liberal societies? To discuss these questions, we are joined again by Harvard government professor Harvey Mansfield. Mansfield explains the choice of a...
12.09.2022
Royal Hansen: Cybersecurity and National Security in the Digital Age
What is cybersecurity? How has cybersecurity become integrally connected to our national security? What has the War in Ukraine taught us about the vulnerabilities we face? What kinds of cyber threats should we be prepared to meet in the future?To...
11.29.2022
Whit Ayres: The Republican Party, Donald Trump, and the Road to 2024
What did the midterm elections reveal about Donald Trump’s strength in the Republican Party? What are the central tensions in the GOP as we head into 2023—and what are Trump's chances to win the nomination in 2024? Might Republican elected...
11.11.2022
Ronald Brownstein: After the 2022 Midterms, What’s Next?
What happened in the midterms? What can explain why the 2022 midterm elections defied expectations and countered the trends of recent history? Will Trump be challenged successfully for the Republican nomination? Will Biden run again? To discuss these and other questions,...
10.26.2022
Frederick Kagan on Ukraine: Where Things Stand—and the Stakes for the Future
Eight months into the war, where do things stand in Ukraine? According to Fred Kagan, director of the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute, Ukraine’s stunning battlefield achievements have dramatically altered the dynamic of the war. As he...
10.14.2022
Ray Takeyh on Iran: Are We Witnessing a Revolution?
Iran today is in some kind of revolutionary stage…. All social classes are united behind the idea that they want the extinction of the regime, and all social classes seem to be united on the proposition that reform is not...
09.29.2022
William Baude: On the Supreme Court after Dobbs
After the historic Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, what should we look for as the Supreme Court begins a new term? How will the Court handle controversial subjects such as affirmative action and religious freedom? How should we understand...
09.09.2022
William Galston: The Politics of Abortion after Dobbs, the 2022 Midterms, and Beyond
How has the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade affected the course of the 2022 midterm elections? How has it affected the standing of the two political parties? To discuss these questions, we are joined by Brookings Institution...
09.01.2022
Tom Tugendhat on Ukraine, NATO, and Strengthening the Alliance of Free States
Where do things stand in Ukraine six months into the war? How have the United States, Britain, and NATO contributed to the war effort to this point? What more could we do in the months ahead? What broader lessons should...
08.27.2022
Ed Glaeser: The Case for Cities
Why do great cities rise and fall? Why have cities been pivotal to the dynamism and growth of America's economy? What are the threats cities face today—and what can we learn from history about how best to help our cities...
08.05.2022
Whit Ayres: On the Republican Party, Donald Trump, the Midterms and 2024
What have we learned about Donald Trump’s influence on Republican elected officials, candidates, and voters through the primary season? What are the central tensions in the party as we head toward the midterms and 2024? To discuss these questions, we...
07.27.2022
A.B. Stoddard on Biden, Trump, and the Parties: How Crazy Could It Get in 2023 and 2024?
Is Donald Trump still the center of gravity in the Republican Party? Will Joe Biden run for reelection? What might our politics look like in 2023 as the races for the 2024 presidential primaries kick into gear? To discuss these...
07.13.2022
Joe Trippi: The Democrats and the 2022 Midterms
In the spring of 2019, when most analysts thought Joe Biden had little chance of winning the party’s nomination, Democratic strategist Joe Trippi predicted that Biden would be the nominee. Now, as analysts predict a Republican wave election in the...
06.23.2022
Eric Edelman on Ukraine, NATO, and Confronting Our Strategic Challenges
What is the state of the war in Ukraine? What is the Ukrainian theory of victory? What are Vladimir Putin’s current aims? What are the strategic and political challenges facing the US and NATO allies? To discuss these questions, we...
06.08.2022
Stan Veuger on Inflation, the Economic Outlook, and Public Policies we Need
We see inflation in our daily lives from prices at the pump, groceries, and services—and as a major focus in our politics. How have the war in Ukraine, the response to Covid in China, and other domestic and international developments...
05.18.2022
Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns: the Biden Administration, the Parties, 2022 and 2024
Nearly a year and a half into his presidency, how is Joe Biden doing? What are the key tensions within the Democratic Party? How strong is Donald Trump’s grip on the Republican Party? To discuss these questions, we are joined...
05.12.2022
Michael Luttig: January 6 and the Ongoing Threat to American Democracy
In a recent article, Judge J. Michael Luttig warns that the last presidential election was a dry run for the next. As he explains, since 2020, our political leaders have yet to do what is necessary to protect against future...

What's Conversations with Bill Kristol about?

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Conversations with Bill Kristol episodes:

Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Trump’s First Term—and a Second?

David Axelrod on Biden v. Trump 2024

Joe Klein: Can the Democrats Get their Act Together?

Timothy Snyder on Ukraine, Russia, America—and What’s at Stake

Doug Sosnik on the State of the Race: Trump, Biden, and 2024

Whit Ayres on 2024: How Weak is Trump? What about Biden?

Aaron Friedberg on the China Challenge—and a World in Disarray

Peter Berkowitz on Israel at War: A Nation United and Divided

Ruth Wisse on Anti-Semitism—and Why it Matters

Jonathan Karl: What Would a Second Trump Term Look Like?

Ray Takeyh on 10/7, Hamas, and Iran

Eric Edelman on the New World Disorder

Jason Furman on the Economy: Where Are We Now—and Where Might We Be Going?

Fred Kagan on Ukraine: Where Things Stand

James Carville on Biden, Trump, the Democrats, and 2024

Stephen Rosen on the China Challenge

Whit Ayres on the State of the Race: Is It Still Trump's Party?

Ryan Goodman on the Trump Trial: What Might Happen?

Google’s Royal Hansen on AI: Where Are We? Where Are We Going?

Whit Ayres: Is Trump Inevitable? Do Any of the Other Republicans Have a Chance?

Doug Sosnik: The Realignment of American Politics—and its Implications

Ryan Goodman: Does Donald Trump Really Face Legal—and Political—Jeopardy?

Leah Boustan on Immigration: Then and Now

A.B. Stoddard on 2024: Trump, DeSantis, Biden…and Chaos?

Frederick Kagan on the War in Ukraine: Where things Stand, and Where they Might be Going

Dan Balz on Trump, Biden, the Media, and 2024

Robert Kagan on American Foreign Policy Between World War I and World War II—and Beyond

Jason Furman on the Threat of Inflation, Prospects for the Economy, and Turmoil in the Banking Sector

Aaron Friedberg on China, the War in Ukraine, and the Geopolitical Stakes

Anne Applebaum on Ukraine: One Year Into the War

Neil Rogachevsky on Israel’s Declaration of Independence

Francis Fukuyama on the War in Ukraine, Authoritarianism, and Liberal Democracy

James Carville: Biden, Trump, Our Parties, and 2024

Harvey Mansfield on Locke, Aristotle, and the Spirit of Liberalism

Royal Hansen: Cybersecurity and National Security in the Digital Age

Whit Ayres: The Republican Party, Donald Trump, and the Road to 2024

Ronald Brownstein: After the 2022 Midterms, What’s Next?

Frederick Kagan on Ukraine: Where Things Stand—and the Stakes for the Future

Ray Takeyh on Iran: Are We Witnessing a Revolution?

William Baude: On the Supreme Court after Dobbs

William Galston: The Politics of Abortion after Dobbs, the 2022 Midterms, and Beyond

Tom Tugendhat on Ukraine, NATO, and Strengthening the Alliance of Free States

Ed Glaeser: The Case for Cities

Whit Ayres: On the Republican Party, Donald Trump, the Midterms and 2024

A.B. Stoddard on Biden, Trump, and the Parties: How Crazy Could It Get in 2023 and 2024?

Joe Trippi: The Democrats and the 2022 Midterms

Eric Edelman on Ukraine, NATO, and Confronting Our Strategic Challenges

Stan Veuger on Inflation, the Economic Outlook, and Public Policies we Need

Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns: the Biden Administration, the Parties, 2022 and 2024

Michael Luttig: January 6 and the Ongoing Threat to American Democracy

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