James Pogue: What Ukraine Reveals About MAGA

Vanity Fair reporter James Pogue dives into the dissident right, his personal experiences with MAGA, and how Ukraine policy is unfolding.

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What does the dramatic collapse of talks between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump and JD Vance reveal about Trump's foreign policy, Vance's ideology, and the future trajectory of MAGA? Just asking questions.

James Pogue, who has written extensively about the American "New Right" and who predicted in 2022 that Vance would be "hugely influential in our politics in the coming years," joined the show to dissect the doomed televised negotiations between Zelenskyy and Trump, offer his insight about Vance's aggressive interjection, and discuss why he thinks the rise of the online "dissident right" is poised to either fall apart or lead America into a "a dark night of totalitarianism."

What we covered:

How did negotiations between Trump and Zelenskyy break down, and what does it reveal about the GOP’s divide over Ukraine and Russia? Investigative journalist James Pogue (Vanity Fair) joins us for a deep dive into the MAGA movement’s foreign policy, the ideological shake-up within the Republican Party, and the risks of constitutional crisis in the U.S.

🔹 Why did Trump and Zelensky’s worldviews clash?

🔹 How is the New Right reshaping U.S. foreign policy?

🔹 What role does online discourse play in GOP decision-making?

🔹 Is America headed toward greater political instability?

🔹 Could a constitutional crisis be on the horizon?

Chapters

Photo: Jim LoScalzo - Pool via CNP/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom; CNP/AdMedia/SIPA/Newscom