Trump Suffers 'Significant' Blow over Mail-in Voting | Anne Applebaum

Sep 15, 2026 | “There’s early voting in many states, and it was set to cause real havoc.”

It is a “great relief” that the Supreme Court has blocked Donald Trump’s move to make postal voting much more difficult, says staff writer at the Atlantic Anne Applebaum.

Ruth Ben-Ghiat in Discussion with Anne Applebaum about Russia

August 1, 2026


THE NEW YORK TIMES:

Trump Backs Away From Deal to Let Ukraine Build Patriot Missiles: The president of Ukraine had warned that the country was running out of Patriot interceptors, the most reliable weapon it has to shoot down Russian ballistic missiles. »

Democracy Doesn't Collapse Overnight (It's Already Started) | Anne Applebaum

July 19, 2026 | Democracy feels like something we can take for granted, but few people are talking about how quickly it can unravel from the inside.

Around the world, authoritarianism is on the rise, not through invasions or coups, but through the slow erosion of institutions, elections, and truth itself. It's a pattern that has repeated across countries and decades, and one that's now playing out closer to home than many would like to admit.

Anne Applebaum is a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and staff writer at The Atlantic, and the author of Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism, Autocracy, Inc., and Gulag: A History of the Soviet Camps. [Among others.] She has spent her career studying how democracies fall apart, and what it takes to stop them. …

Putin’s War Finally Reaches Moscow: What Changes Now?

July 7, 2026 | In this extended interview, CBC’s Terence McKenna asks American journalist and Pulitzer-prize-winning historian Anne Applebaum about the shifting dynamics of the war in Ukraine and the implications for Russian President Vladimir Putin and European allies.

A Speech to Europe 2026 by Anne Applebaum

May 13, 2026 | For A Speech To Europe 2026, historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anne Applebaum will address whether Europe’s time has come and what characterises this historic moment in her lecture:

»The European Moment«. Applebaum is among the most prominent voices on the rise of authoritarianism and the fragility of liberal democracy, and she puts the challenge squarely to her audience:

»This is the hour of Europe — but do the Europeans even know it?«

Since 2019, A Speech to Europe, initiated by the ERSTE Foundation, has provided a fundamental reflection on the present and future of Europe. The venue is Vienna’s Judenplatz, which serves as a reminder that Europe can only be understood in the mirror of its history. The speech will be held in English. This event is free of charge and takes place outdoors at the Judenplatz Vienna.


A wonderful and very important speech. Erudite, hard-hitting, informative, interesting, and inspiring. Thank you, Anne Applebaum! — © Mark Alexander

Anne Applebaum: Trump’s Authoritarian Aesthetics

Apr 28, 2026 | The Atlantic's Anne Applebaum joins Charlie to discuss the fallout from the White House Correspondents' dinner, Victor Orbán's defeat, and why Trump wants to talk about his ballroom and his triumph arch rather than Iran.

Autocracy, Inc: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World | Anne Applebaum with Edward Luce

Feb 11, 2026 | Autocracy no longer wears a crown or marches an army. In Autocracy, Inc., Anne Applebaum uncovers a hidden world where dictators, oligarchs, and state-run companies form invisible networks stretching across continents. Money, media, and security move seamlessly between them, bound by a single purpose: undermining democracy. A story of power, ambition, and quiet danger, Applebaum in conversation with celebrated writer Edward Luce reveals how these modern empires operate—and what it will take for the free world to resist. | Presented by HPCL–Mittal Energy Limited

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.