The Lincoln Project

This weekend, the capture of Nicolás Maduro didn’t close a chapter in Venezuela — it ripped one open. History tells us exactly where this movie goes: swagger first, strategy never. Venezuela isn’t just another “bad guy taken off the board”; it’s an oil-soaked, politically fractured, economically shattered country where outside powers think force can substitute for understanding. That’s how Iraq started. That’s how Vietnam metastasized. And now, under Donald Trump, America is once again flirting with the delusion that you can arrest a dictator, flip a switch, pump the oil, and call it victory. You can’t. You get insurgencies, regional blowback, endless commitments, and a war that exists not because it protects Americans — but because oil, ego, and imperial muscle memory demand it. Welcome to the next forever war, this time in our own hemisphere, where the lessons of the past are ignored, the bill always comes due, and the exit strategy is once again a shrug.
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Rick Wilson is on X at @TheRickWilson, on Bluesky at @TheRickWilson.bsky.social, and you can check out Rick's Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. You can check out more of LP's work at www.lincolnproject.us and on X at @ProjectLincoln. 

Giving you an extra special bonus episode of The Lincoln Project podcast, Rick Wilson is joined by special guest Chris Whipple of Vanity Fair, the reporter who just detonated Trumpworld with his explosive reporting on Susie Wiles. Whipple doesn’t just recap the headlines—he reveals new secrets, pulls back the curtain on how power actually operates inside Trump’s inner circle, and explains why Wiles may be the most important—and least understood—figure in modern MAGA politics. As more breaking news unfolds, Rick and Whipple connect the dots between loyalty, control, fear, and the machinery driving Trump’s 2025 operation. If you want to understand who really runs Trumpworld—and why this story keeps getting darker—this is the episode you can’t miss.
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You can find Chris Whipple on X @ccwhip, and on his website https://chriswhipple.com/. 

VANITY FAIR PIECE PART 1: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/trump-susie-wiles-interview-exclusive-part-1
VANITY FAIR PIECE PART 2: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/trump-susie-wiles-interview-exclusive-part-2

Rick Wilson is on X at @TheRickWilson, on Bluesky at @TheRickWilson.bsky.social, and you can check out Rick's Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. You can check out more of LP's work at www.lincolnproject.us and on X at @ProjectLincoln. 

As the holiday season hits full throttle and millions of Americans flood airports during record-breaking Christmas travel week, this episode takes a clear-eyed look at what real holiday cheer means in a year dominated by nonstop headlines. From winter storms snarling flights and causing massive travel delays to violence interrupting festive gatherings and global tensions refusing to pause for Christmas, this week's news cycle offered little comfort—or quiet. Breaking down the biggest stories -- from Susie Wiles' Vanity Fair expose to Trump's deranged, coke-fueled speech while he gripped the podium to the close-up photos of Trump's admin -- it's been a week...and Rick will guide you through it all. 

Rick Wilson cuts through the noise with sharp humor and grounded perspective, breaking down the biggest stories of the week while reminding us that optimism doesn’t require denial. This is holiday cheer with a backbone—fact-based, reality-tested, and stubbornly alive in the middle of headline fatigue, end-of-year chaos, and a world that refuses to slow down just because it’s Christmas.
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Rick Wilson is on X at @TheRickWilson, on Bluesky at @TheRickWilson.bsky.social, and you can check out Rick's Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. You can check out more of LP's work at www.lincolnproject.us and on X at @ProjectLincoln. 

#HolidaySeason #ChristmasCheer #YearEndNews #TopHeadlines #HolidayTravel #WinterStorms #BreakingNews #PoliticalPodcast #RickWilson #LincolnProject

Rick Wilson is joined by Scott Galloway—NYU professor, bestselling author, and unapologetic truth-teller—to talk about lonely young men, collapsing purpose, and a culture pretending the crisis isn’t real. Drawing from Scott’s newest book, ‘Notes on Being a Man,’ they cut through culture-war bullsh*t to explain how isolation, economic pressure, and algorithm-fed rage are pushing men toward the worst possible answers. This isn’t grievance politics—it’s a blunt conversation about reality, responsibility, different strengths, and what happens when society ignores the meteor until impact.
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You can find Scott Galloway @profgalloway.com on Bluesky and @profgalloway on Instagram. His new book, ‘Notes on Being a Man,’ is available now, wherever fine books are sold. 

Rick Wilson is on X at @TheRickWilson, on Bluesky at @TheRickWilson.bsky.social, and you can check out Rick's Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. You can check out more of LP's work at www.lincolnproject.us and on X at @ProjectLincoln. 

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In this blistering episode, Rick Wilson breaks down why MAGA absolutely sees the future coming — and is reacting like a herd of political dinosaurs staring straight at the meteor and insisting it’s a hoax. With Trump's historically unpopular presidency (at a 36% approval rating), the desperate need for "affordability" (hitting the MAGA base the hardest), the movement shrinking, and GOP leaders screaming into the void, MAGA is pretending the shaking ground and the bright light in the sky are just “deep state weather balloons.” Rick lays out how the economic reality, unmistakable corruption, shifting demographics, and sheer exhaustion among voters are accelerating MAGA’s extinction — and why their refusal to adapt only speeds up the impact. This is a sharp, snark-filled autopsy of a movement so trapped in denial that they’re actively choosing meteor impact over evolution. Buckle up: the asteroid is coming, and Rick brought the popcorn.
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Rick Wilson is on X at @TheRickWilson, on Bluesky at @TheRickWilson.bsky.social, and you can check out Rick's Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. You can check out more of LP's work at www.lincolnproject.us and on X at @ProjectLincoln.

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Strap in: Rick Wilson is joined by Carol Leonnig and Aaron Davis, who just detonated the political world with their blockbuster book Injustice. It’s the ultimate tell-all on DOJ dysfunction, politically motivated indictments, the Trump-era push to weaponize federal law enforcement, and the internal rebellion of career DOJ officials trying to stop an authoritarian slide. Rick, Carol, and Aaron break down everything from the classified documents scandal to the war on independent prosecutors, the assault on election integrity, and the rise of unchecked executive power. If you care about the future of American democracy, the rule of law, and the escalating 2025 political crisis, this episode brings the receipts—loudly.
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You can find Carol Leonnig @CarolLeonnig on X, and Aaron Davis @byaaroncdavis on X. Their bestselling book ‘INJUSTICE: How Politics and Fear Vanquished America’s Justice Department’ is out now, wherever fine books are sold. 

Rick Wilson is on X at @TheRickWilson, on Bluesky at @TheRickWilson.bsky.social, and you can check out Rick's Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. You can check out more of LP's work at www.lincolnproject.us and on X at @ProjectLincoln. 

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In this explosive episode of The Elephant in the Room, Rick Wilson breaks down the stunning new reporting that Jared Kushner and real estate billionaire Steve Witkoff held a secret meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier this week (as of 12/4/25). Rick analyzes why two American power brokers advising Russia’s authoritarian leader is raising alarms across the national security, intelligence, and foreign policy communities, and why experts are calling the covert conversation a potential act of treason, foreign interference, and backchannel diplomacy gone rogue. From Kushner’s long-documented ties to Russian oligarchs, to Witkoff’s sudden emergence as a Kremlin-friendly intermediary, Rick lays out what investigators are already probing, what the White House is terrified you’ll learn next, and how this clandestine meeting could reshape the landscape of U.S.–Russia relations, election interference, and the ongoing debate over whether Trump’s inner circle ever truly stopped colluding with Moscow. As Rick puts it: When Americans fly to Moscow to “advise” Putin, it’s not diplomacy—it’s danger. Buckle up for the episode blowing the lid off the Witkoff-Kushner-Putin scandal.
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Rick Wilson is on X at @TheRickWilson, on Bluesky at @TheRickWilson.bsky.social, and you can check out Rick's Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. You can check out more of LP's work at www.lincolnproject.us

In this scorching episode, Rick Wilson and former DOJ titan Andrew Weissmann expose how America’s so-called “law and order” system is being hijacked in real time. From the Supreme Court’s shockingly unified pushback on Trump’s tariff overreach to the DOJ’s clown-show prosecutions and selective-vendetta cases, they break down how abuse of power has become official government policy. With food aid on the chopping block, courts dodging accountability, and legal norms collapsing at warp speed, Rick and Andrew show just how fragile the rule of law is—and what happens when the Justice Department becomes a blunt-force political weapon.
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You can find Andrew Weissmann @AWeissmann_ on X, and check out his podcasts “Prosecuting Donald Trump” and “Main Justice” wherever you listen!

Rick Wilson is on X at @TheRickWilson, on Bluesky at @TheRickWilson.bsky.social, and you can check out Rick's Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. You can check out more of LP's work at www.lincolnproject.us and on X at @ProjectLincoln. 

Rick Wilson breaks down the political firestorm ignited by the viral military veterans ad, reminding Americans—and the armed forces—never to obey illegal orders. This ad (and Trump's subsequent meltdown) is Rick's Elephant in the Room this week. The veterans-PSA ad featuring Elissa Slotkin (Senator and former intelligence officer), Mark Kelly (Senator and former Navy pilot), Jason Crow (Representative and Army veteran), Chris Deluzio (Representative and Navy veteran), Chrissy Houlahan (Representative and Air Force veteran), and Maggie Goodlander (Representative and Air Force veteran) urged U.S. service members to refuse illegal orders. The message was standard constitutional duty; the fallout was anything but. Within hours, Donald Trump detonated across social media, calling the ad “treason,” attacking veterans, and confirming—accidentally—exactly why the video mattered. Rick walks through everything that unfolded afterward: the furious MAGA messaging spiral, the stunned reaction inside the Pentagon, the immediate backlash from veterans’ organizations nationwide, and the growing panic among House Republicans suddenly asked whether they’d support Trump’s demand for total obedience. Rick unpacks the escalating tension, the legal implications of Trump’s statements, and why this episode may mark a turning point in the 2026 national security and rule-of-law debate. Buckle up—this one touched every live wire in American politics.
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Rick Wilson is on X at @TheRickWilson, on Bluesky at @TheRickWilson.bsky.social, and you can check out Rick's Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. You can check out more of LP's work at www.lincolnproject.us and on X at @ProjectLincoln. 

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This week on The Lincoln Project Podcast, Rick Wilson sits down with investigative reporter Tara Palmeri (The Tara Palmeri Show, The Red Letter) for a brutal, no-BS breakdown of the new Jeffrey Epstein emails naming Donald Trump, what they reveal about his long-denied ties to the Epstein sex trafficking network, and why Republicans in Congress are suddenly cracking over the push to release the full Epstein files. Tara walks through how Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, Trump, billionaire bankers, modeling agencies, and elite power brokers all intersect, why survivors see these emails as a “smoking gun,” and how the DOJ, House GOP, and Trump White House tried to spin the scandal as a hoax. With sharp analysis, dark humor, and a relentless focus on the victims of sex trafficking, Rick and Tara unpack the corruption, the cover-ups, the banks, the lawyers, the media enablers, and what could happen next if ALL of the reasonably redacted Epstein documents, emails, and flight-log details finally come to light.
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You can find Tara Palmeri @tarapalmeri on X, on her podcast ‘The Tara Palmeri Show,’ and on her Substack, ‘The Red Letter,’ at www.tarapalmeri.com.

Rick Wilson is on X at @TheRickWilson, on Bluesky at @TheRickWilson.bsky.social, and you can check out Rick's Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. You can check out more of LP's work at www.lincolnproject.us and on X at @ProjectLincoln.