From Bad to Norse – How the Vikings would have dealt with a tyrant like Trump

The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Podmasters

News, Government, Politics, Society & Culture

4.6 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 22 August 2025

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Some say Donald Trump’s ancestry ties him to Norse kings and even Rurik, founder of Russia’s first dynasty. In recent weeks, Russian state media have pushed the idea that Trump’s “Viking blood” explains his ruthless streak. But would the real Vikings have raised a flagon in his honour, or run him out of the fjord? Today on The Bunker, Chris Jones is joined by medieval historian Dr. Keith Ruiter, who specialises in the Viking age, to find out how the vikings would have dealt with a leader like Trump. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to https://indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bunkerpod.bsky.social Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact ads@podmasters.co.uk to find out more Written and presented by Chris Jones. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editors: Robin Leeburn. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This edition of The Bunker is sponsored by Naked Wines. I'm Seth Tevall.
0:04.8	And I'm Zoe Grunewold.
0:06.4	And here at the bunker, we don't believe in guesswork. We go to the experts for the best insights into news and politics. And why should wine be any different?
0:15.1	That's why we're pleased to recommend Naked Wines. I enjoy their Bariccas Gallaudoro Reserva from Portugal. Well, I'm trying their small and
0:23.9	small Savignon Blanc from New Zealand. Seth, tell me, what's your wine knowledge like? Very specialised,
0:30.6	so pretty good on things Portuguese, but non-existent on those other things. How about you, Zay?
0:35.5	I drink most anything, but I have to say I'm really enjoying the savenient blanc. It's citrusy, it's got notes of gooseberry. I could just drink the whole bottle. What makes naked wines so convenient is that they deliver top quality wines right to your jaw from world-class winemakers from across the globe, whether it's a French rosé, a New Zealand reisling, or even the Lebanese
0:54.8	syria, naked can help you find your next bottle to fall in love with.
0:59.0	And this premium doesn't have to come at a punishing price. By working directly with the
1:04.0	winemakers, they can pass on the benefit and offer bottles up to 33% less than typical retail
1:09.7	prices. Head to Nakedwines.co.com.uk forward slash the bunker to get six top-rated wines for
1:16.7	just £39.99. That's £6.67 a bottle. I repeat, that's six bottles of wine for just £39.99,
1:26.0	with delivery included. That's nakedwines.com.uk,
1:30.5	forward slash the bunker, to grab six bottles for just $ dose of news without the nonsense five days a week.
1:50.2	I'm Chris Jones.
1:51.4	Sometime during his first term, it was claimed by some that Donald Trump could have descended from Viking rulers.
1:58.8	His mother's maiden name is MacLeod, a clan created by loud son of Olaf the
2:03.5	Black, who was a king of the Isle of Man in the early medieval period and thought to be of Norse lineage.
2:09.5	And then there's Rourik, a mighty Viking ruler, thought to have created the first major Russian dynasty
2:15.4	in around 860 CE.
2:18.1	He's also believed by some, including Russian state media, to have a lineage to Donald Trump.
2:24.0	It's because of those supposed ties that some have linked Trump's ruthless behavior to his
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Podmasters, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Podmasters and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.