Global Instability, and Trump’s Ten Steps to Authoritarianism episode artwork

EPISODE · Jan 15, 2026 · 42 MIN

Global Instability, and Trump’s Ten Steps to Authoritarianism

from The Contrarian Pod · host The Contrarian and Jennifer Rubin

The Trump regime removed Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro, but the country’s power structure mostly remains, its oil infrastructure is decimated, and drug trafficking continues. Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, talked to Jen about what could happen next in Venezuela, Iran, Greenland, and Taiwan.And, on Monday, Senator Jeff Merkley [31:05] from Oregon released a new report analyzing Trump’s authoritarian playbook for the United States. In it, he highlights ten steps that are already in motion. He also discussed the horrific killing of Renee Good in Minnesota and how Congress can move to take back some of the power Trump has consolidated.The Contrarian is owned by nobody. Your paid subscription helps us bring you the brightest voices in politics & culture and fight every day against the Trump chaos machine. Join us on Substack. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.contrariannews.org/subscribe

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jan 15, 2026

Embed this episode

NOW PLAYING

Global Instability, and Trump’s Ten Steps to Authoritarianism

0:00 42:15

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of The Contrarian Pod?

This episode is 42 minutes long.

When was this The Contrarian Pod episode published?

This episode was published on January 15, 2026.

Can I download this The Contrarian Pod episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!