This is a different kind of episode than is typical; there's no book, no central text, not even a single, central event that guides the conversation. Instead, we begin with a few recent news items—speculation about Trump 2028, Speaker Mike Johnson's refusal to swear in a Democratic congresswoman, the stunning abdication of Congress as the shutdown continues, and, incredibly, a secretive billionaire and Mellon heir donates over a hundred million dollars to pay the military, among others—and then lay out our profound worries about Trump ruling by decree, and the coming of MAGA-style Caeserism. How and when might that occur? We discuss troubling signals the Trump administration is sending about upcoming elections, and especially the 2026 midterms; the ticking time bomb that is the Insurrection Act; how the right thinks about executive power (then and now), and more. Sources: Peter Rothpletz, " Trump's Third Term? " Zeteo/First Draft , Oct 24, 2025 Dana Milbank, " How Reactionary is MAGA? Try the First Century B.C. ," Washington Post , Sept 7, 2022 Steve Bannon interview with The Economist , Oct 23, 2025 ( YouTube ) Shawn Hubler & Laurel Rosenhall, " Justice Department Will Monitor Elections in California and New Jersey ," New York Times , Oct 24, 2025 Steve Contorno & Ashley Killough, " Frustrated Arizonans Have Waited More Than a Month for Their New Congresswoman to be Seated ," CNN , Oct 25, 2025 Yoni Applebaum, " America's Fragile Constitution ," The Atlantic , Oct 2015 Abraham Lincoln, " Speech to the Young Men’s Lyceum of Springfield ," Jan 27, 1838 Bob Bauer & Jack Goldsmith, " Here’s What Trump Could Unleash by Invoking the Insurrection Act ," New York Times , Oct 18, 2025 Damon Linker, " The Surest Path to Dictatorship: A Quick Plug for a Short Primer about the Insurrection Act ," Notes from the Middleground , Oct 18, 2025 " Discussing Caesarism, " New Founding Podcast, Oct 21, 2022. Harvey Mansfield, Taming the Prince: The Ambivalence of Modern Executive Power (1989) James Burnham, Congress and the American Tradition (1959) Garry Wills, Bomb Power: The Modern Presidency and the National Security State (2010) ...and don't forget to subscribe to Know Your Enemy on Patreon for access to all of our bonus episodes!
