Podcasts

Trump Assassination Attempt, Kimmel’s WHCD Joke, Comey & Fauci Indictments, and the UK Visit

April 30, 2026 No Comments

Violent rhetoric from celebrities and Democrats helped create the climate reflected in President Donald Trump’s third would-be assassin’s manifesto, argues Victor Davis Hanson on today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words.” Hanson assesses Barack Obama’s response to the most recent assassination attempts, recounts attending the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2003, and condemns Jimmy Kimmel’s comments about Melania Trump while defending free-speech rights and consumer boycotts of Disney. Hanson and co-host Jack Fowler cover James Comey’s second indictment, this time over the “86 47” beach post, and Dr. David Morens’, described as a top Fauci adviser, run-in with the law over alleged concealment and destruction of COVID-origin records. The conversation also touches on Virginia redistricting, U.S.–UK relations during the King’s visit and Trump’s remarks on shared Anglo-American heritage, and ends with comments from viewers and Hanson’s personal health update.

UCLA Mob Tactics, Crime Culture, & the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Influence

April 28, 2026 No Comments

Victor Davis Hanson and Jack Fowler react to a disrupted UCLA Federalist Society event featuring DHS General Counsel James Percival, arguing elite law schools now reward activist intimidation and vulgarity while teaching critical legal theory. They connect this culture to rising tolerance for theft and political violence, citing Hasan Piker’s comments and a New Yorker writer’s shoplifting, and raise concerns about Democrats opposing limits on sex offenders working near childcare. Hanson warns that left-wing institutions and corporate donors amplify groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center, which he claims gins up threats to drive fundraising and blacklist opponents, especially after Charlottesville.

Southern Poverty Law Center Under Fire: Allegations of Funding Extremists, Plus Iran Strategy

April 25, 2026 1 Comment

New allegations against the Southern Poverty Law Center this week raise serious questions about how donor money may have been used behind the scenes. Like fire brigades in ancient Rome accused of lighting the fires they responded to, the Southern Poverty Law Center is accused of ginning up the same white supremacist violence they fundraised off of, outlines Victor Davis Hanson on today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words.” In this Saturday edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words,” Hanson outlines what he sees as Iran’s strategy of stalling through negotiations while applying limited pressure in hopes of weakening Donald Trump politically, arguing the regime is losing hundreds of millions daily but the U.S. must assess Iran’s remaining oil, outside supply lines, and mine threats. He then claims the Southern Poverty Law Center has become a wealthy, partisan organization and cites allegations that it solicited donations to fight extremism while secretly paying extremists to provoke incidents like Charlottesville to raise money. Hanson also comments on Virginia’s redistricting effort, California’s governance and outmigration, recent resignations and ethics scandals, and argues anti-Israel sentiment is increasingly unifying Democrats. The episode closes with a segment on Apollo’s role in Greek religion as a god of rationality, prophecy, healing, and the arts.

The Many Inauthentic Faces Democrats Try and Fail to Wear

April 24, 2026 2 Comments

Iran is losing resources but trying to survive by delaying negotiations while being resupplied via rail links to China and routes across the Caspian. Tightening the blockade and targeting infrastructure if Iran escalates would hasten collapse and could lead to eventual regime change, argues Victor Davis Hanson on today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words.” Also in this episode: Claims about how parts of the American left and prominent Democrats amplify Iranian propaganda and use “fascism” rhetoric while overlooking past Democratic double standards on war powers and Trump-era prosecutions and impeachments. The episode also discusses Tucker Carlson and other right-wing war critics, assesses California’s failures under Gavin Newsom, including high-speed rail, energy, fires, and water, and condemns a proposed “Nick Shirley Act” aimed at curbing investigative journalism.

John Brennan’s ‘Rendezvous’ With Accountability Couldn’t Come Sooner

April 23, 2026 2 Comments

The U.S. Department of Justice’s probe into the former CIA chief will hopefully lay bare John Brennan’s sins, which were years in the making. “We got to remember that this is a man that went before Congress under oath as head of the CIA, and had the CIA under his direction spying on U.S. senators. You should look at the tapes of Diane Feinstein, of all people, who was furious about it. Is the CIA tapping into our staffers’ computers? And he said, no, we wouldn’t do that. That was a complete abject lie,” says Victor Davis Hanson on today’s edition of Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words. The episode also touches on Hanson’s forthcoming book, The Counter Revolution; criticism of Democrats’ shift and rising antisemitism; Sen. Mark Kelly opposing a school-choice tax credit; Senate delays in the John Brennan probe; Trump’s comments about Cuba; and broader concerns about institutions, media, and political accountability.

Clarence Thomas Body Slams Progressivism

April 21, 2026 No Comments

Iran’s fractured leadership can’t be trusted and President Donald Trump’s sequencing—destroying air defenses and nuclear/military infrastructure, then negotiating while imposing a costly blockade—puts time against Tehran and enables U.S. dictation rather than an Obama-style deal, argues Victor Davis Hanson on today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words.” Hanson also discusses the upcoming Trump–Xi meeting, saying U.S. drone-centric power and the unraveling of China’s proxy leverage (Iran, Venezuela, Panama, Syria) strengthen Trump’s hand. He criticizes European posturing, highlights Tim Walz’s speech in Spain, and condemns the Left’s elevation of flawed “icons.” Hanson praises Clarence Thomas’s critique of progressivism as anti-Constitutional, attacks Newsom’s governance and narrative, and closes with health updates after lung surgery complications.

Iran in Shambles, Rubio Targets Regime Families, and the Return of the Impeachment Hoax

April 18, 2026 4 Comments

CNN and former Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes are of the opinion that President Donald Trump, who has chosen the sword over the pen, will get a far worse deal out of the mullahs in Iran than his predecessor, Barack Obama. What did Iran get out of its deal with Obama, you might ask? For 10 years, Iran was sanctions-free, making $500 million a day in petrochemical sales. Thanks to figures like Ben Rhodes, it was like a “bonanza for the Houthis, Hamas, the people in Syria and Iraq that are their proxies, and, of course, Hezbollah,” argues Victor Davis Hanson on today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words.” What did Iran get out of Trump in his first term? Crippling sanctions and a dead Revolutionary Guard leader. What did Iran get out of Trump in his second term? A dead ayatollah, decimated offensive capabilities, and a half-destroyed government begging America to come to the negotiating table.

“I Was On Their Shows” Victor Davis Hanson REVEALS Why Megyn/Tucker Betrayed Trump On Iran

April 17, 2026 No Comments

In this episode of The Western Spirit, Ariel Whitman speaks with Victor Davis Hanson, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, about the growing divide inside the American right.

The Genius Behind Trump’s Strait of Hormuz Blockade Plan

April 17, 2026 No Comments

President Donald Trump looked at the Iranian regime’s strategy to close the Strait of Hormuz and simply flipped it upside down. The difference between the United States and Iran is that one of us can live while the strait is closed, argues Victor Davis Hanson on today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words.” So basically now where we are is Iran is quickly going broke. It’s going to implode. The population is restive, and America’s in the driver’s seat.

Trump vs. the Pope, Iran’s Economic Squeeze, NATO’s Weakness, and Left-Wing Street Violence

April 17, 2026 2 Comments

While it was unwise for President Donald Trump to attack Pope Leo in such a public manner, the Pope himself should know better than to wade into partisan politics in a time of war, argues Victor Davis Hanson on today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words,” featuring co-host Jack Fowler. Jack and Victor also condemn the assault on TPUSA reporter Savannah Hernandez at a recent protest, urging legal consequences, and use it to argue the activist left claims moral exemption while enabling violence. Victor reviews analysis that a U.S. blockade could rapidly cripple Iran’s oil revenue, limit storage capacity, and deepen internal regime weakness, criticizing media pessimism and disputing claims that China will “win” via renewables. The episode also notes NATO allies’ declining readiness, UN backing of Iran for a key council role, and Al Sharpton’s call for black Americans to avoid celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.

Listen to "Catching Up With Dr. Victor Davis Hanson" on Spreaker.

Episode 59 of The Victor Davis Hanson Podcast

The madness at America’s open southern border, media legendizing, the left’s “Imaginarium,” Biden first national address –a truth-free zone, the international consequences of domestic unrest, and the gauging the likelihood of a Newsom recall in California – all that and more get the VDH treatment.