America Is in Rupture under Trump | Anne Applebaum & Preet Bharara

Feb 5, 2026 | What do the ICE operations in Minneapolis reveal about a broader shift in the exercise of state power? Pulitzer Prize–winning historian, The Atlantic staff writer, and "Autocracy in America" podcast host Anne Applebaum joins Preet Bharara on Stay Tuned with Preet to discuss why Minneapolis has galvanized people in a way few events have in the Trump era, and why our closest allies now say the word for this moment is “rupture.”

The conversation begins with a discussion about the Trump administration's complete disregard for the rule of law and its implications for America. Next, they discuss the ICE crackdown in Minnesota and the administration's lies after the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. The conversation also turns to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent speech at Davos, where he warned that the world was witnessing not a transition but a “rupture”—and Applebaum shares why she agrees with that view and what "rupture" really means.

America Is in Rupture under Trump | Anne Applebaum & Preet Bharara

Feb 5, 2026 | What do the ICE operations in Minneapolis reveal about a broader shift in the exercise of state power? Pulitzer Prize–winning historian, The Atlantic staff writer, and "Autocracy in America" podcast host Anne Applebaum joins Preet Bharara on Stay Tuned with Preet to discuss why Minneapolis has galvanized people in a way few events have in the Trump era, and why our closest allies now say the word for this moment is “rupture.”

The conversation begins with a discussion about the Trump administration's complete disregard for the rule of law and its implications for America. Next, they discuss the ICE crackdown in Minnesota and the administration's lies after the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. The conversation also turns to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent speech at Davos, where he warned that the world was witnessing not a transition but a “rupture”—and Applebaum shares why she agrees with that view and what "rupture" really means.

Anne Applebaum Says Europe Is Starting to Hedge against the US

America might not be our ally anymore.

Trump Has ‘No Strategy’ on Greenland | Anne Applebaum

Jan 20, 2026 | “We're beyond strategy, where we now have to talk about one man's obsession and maybe madness.”

Donald Trump’s threats to Greenland reflect “one man’s obsession” rather than any coherent foreign-policy strategy, and risk distracting from Russia’s intensifying war in Ukraine, says Pulitzer Prize winning American journalist and historian Anne Applebaum.

Why Europe No Longer Trusts the US w/ Anne Applebaum

Jan 7, 2026 | Anne Applebaum joins the show to break down the escalating unpredictability of U.S. foreign policy amid provocative moves involving Venezuela and Greenland. Applebaum discusses how actions such as the abduction of Nicolás Maduro and Trump’s revived interest in claiming Greenland reflect a chaotic, power-driven approach lacking strategic grounding, raising deep concern among European allies. She delves into how these developments fit within the broader MAGA worldview, marked by spheres-of-influence thinking and a disregard for democratic norms. The conversation explores Europe’s increasing frustration and the potential fallout for U.S.-Europe relations, NATO unity, and the global perception of America as a rational actor. Applebaum also reflects on the deeper motivations behind Trump’s moves—ranging from distraction and personal gain to ideological alignment with autocratic regimes.

Bonus Episode: How Is Trump Planning to ‘Run’ Venezuela? (With Anne Applebaum) | The David Frum Show

Jan 3, 2026 | David Frum is joined by The Atlantic’s Anne Applebaum to react to the news of the American raid and capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, in a special episode of The David Frum Show.

Anne Applebaum: Donald Trump Has Reinvented Reality

Jan 1, 2026 | This year we had Anne Applebaum in the studio to discuss the ideas in her book Autocracy Inc. During the conversation, Anne went into great depth about the MAGA movement's dismantling of democracy while in power, and how it has moved to question the very basis of fact.

I cannot write here what I really think of Trump. or of Trump's far-right cronies. — © Mark Alexander

The US Needs a Democracy Movement

Oct 13, 2025 | Anne Applebaum is an award-winning historian and journalist who studies democracy and dictatorship. Her latest book, Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World, explores how autocracies are working together to undermine democracy across the globe. Fortunately, Applebaum also considers how democracies can maintain their power against the siege of authoritarianism. Today, why is democracy worth fighting for and how can it be protected in the U.S. Plus: why Poland is a guide for how to reverse years of democratic backsliding.

Pivotal Regional Powers Are Turning Away from America and toward China

Sep 7, 2025 | CNN’s Fareed Zakaria speaks with The Atlantic staff writer Anne Applebaum about China calling attention to its growing global strength, with a huge military parade and a summit between China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.

Anne Applebaum Predicted Trump’s ‘Absolute Power’ in Second Term | Reupload

Aug 13, 2025 | Anne Applebaum, staff writer for The Atlantic, has covered dictators for decades.

In an interview from before the 2024 election with Mediaite's Press Club, she told host Aidan McLaughlin that Donald Trump’s language mirrored rhetoric from Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini.

She described a disturbing trend in his authoritarian language -- and how it foreshadowed his consolidation of "absolute power" in a second term as president.

America Doesn't Care About What's Real Anymore | Anne Applebaum & Preet Bharara

Jul 10, 2025 | If Trumpism is a reaction to an earlier era of politics, what will be the reaction to the reaction? Preet is joined by Anne Applebaum, a staff writer at The Atlantic, to examine today’s broader political landscape. From the passage of the Republicans’ “Big Beautiful Bill,” to the administration’s controversial immigration policies, they explore what is straining our democratic institutions and what could help restore them.

Anne Applebaum: Why Do MAGA Republicans Hate Europe So Much?

Aug 14, 2025

Americans can no longer be trusted. — © Mark Alexander

Anne Applebaum: Everything the Founders Feared Is Happening | The Bulwark Podcast

Aug 7, 2025 | The United States, through USAID, not only supplied a big chunk of the world's humanitarian aid, it also provided almost all of the logistical support for other aid organizations to deliver relief as well. Now in Sudan, where the state has disintegrated and millions of people are trying to flee anarchy and civil war, virtually no Western organization is there to provide food and shelter. And no American is working on trying to end the conflict. Plus, Tim Cook joins the CEO suck-up to Trump, a top well-regarded FBI official who was trying to hold the line under Kash has been pushed out, and Putin may be trying to pause Ukraine's punishing air war on Russia—but he's not showing any sign that he wants peace. Anne Applebaum joins Tim Miller.

Anne Applebaum: 'The West Doesn't Understand the Extremism of Putinism' | DW News

Jul 28, 2025 | Internationally renowned historian, writer, and publicist Anne Applebaum told in an interview with DW why Trump is so patient with Putin and what Putin's ultimate goals are in Ukraine.

Anne Applebaum on Trump’s Interest in Russia

She believes that his interests are financial.

A Conversation with Anne Applebaum

Jul 8, 2025 | A recording from Anne Applebaum and Steve Schmidt's live video

The Liberal World Order Is OVER. Here’s Why | Aaron Bastani Meets Anne Applebaum

Sep 8, 2024 | Political scientists agree that we are now living in a multi-polar world. How we might have arrived at this new formation and whether the newly powerful actors on the global stage are inherently problematic, remain areas of much disagreement.

MAGA Is Telegraphing How They'll End Democracy (w/ Anne Applebaum) | The Michael Steele Podcast

Aug 15, 2024 | Michael Steele speaks with Pulitzer Prize-winning author and staff writer at The Atlantic, Anne Applebaum about her new book, "Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World.” The pair discuss the network of countries united by their common interest in maintaining absolute power, the reasons why people are attracted to autocratic regimes, the tactics used by modern autocrats, and the importance of civic engagement in preserving democracy.

Trump Wants to Remodel America: Historikerin Anne Applebaum zu Trumps Politik in den USA - Englisch

Mar 9, 2025 | The USA is “still a democracy”, but Trump and his team are trying to change the rules of the political system, says historian Anne Applebaum.

Die USA seien zwar "immer noch eine Demokratie", aber Trump und sein Team würden versuchen, die Regeln des politischen Systems zu ändern, sagt die Historikerin Anne Applebaum.

'Insulting and Rude': Anne Applebaum Reacts to Vance's 'Random Country' Remark

Mar 4, 2025 | Vice President Vance is facing criticism after declaring that an American economic deal in Ukraine was a “better security guarantee than 20,000 troops from some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years.”