Ruth Ben-Ghiat is Professor of History at New York University. She writes about fascism, authoritarianism, and propaganda. She is the recipient of Guggenheim and other fellowships; an advisor to Protect Democracy; an MSNBC opinion columnist and television commentator; and publishes Lucid, a newsletter on threats to democracy. Her latest book, Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present, looks at how illiberal leaders use propaganda, corruption, violence, and machismo - and how they can be defeated.

Has Donald Trump been weakened by recent elections, scandals, and his own chaos and incompetence? Is he less of a threat to democracy today than he was in January? What might he do next as his approval continues to plummet and his desperation increases? How effective has the resistance movement been? And how concerned should we be about Pete Hegseth and Trump's grip on the military? Ruth shares her thoughts on these questions and more.

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Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud