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Welcome to Talking Fed's One-on-one, deep-dive discussions with national figures about the most fascinating and consequential issues defining our culture and shaping our lives.

I'm your host, Harry Littman.

Today I'm thrilled to be joined by one of the most prominent persons in the fight to expose Trumpism for the lawless authoritarian enterprise that it is.

Rick Wilson, veteran political strategist, co-founder of the Lincoln Project, one of the first in the country to recognize the gathering storm on the

right, and for nearly 10 years, an indefatigable warrior for democracy and opponent of Trump

and Trumpism. A quick note before we begin. Due to a technical glitch, we lost the first few

minutes of this conversation, which was

recorded before a live audience in San Diego as part of our Talking San Diego franchise, where we speak

one-on-one with national figures. We pick up, just as Rick is describing the moment, when he realized that Trump's toxic

persona wasn't a liability, but in fact an asset to a certain faction of the Republican base.

What follows is a riveting account of how the GOP opened the door to a reactionary, often racist, and conspiratorial worldview,

and how that worldview fused with Trump to fundamentally reshape American politics.

It's embracing an important conversation informed by Rick's years in the trenches and his

clear-eyed view of what it will take to keep the Republic afloat in the face of what's coming.

...