Episode Overview

Podcast: Conversations With Coleman
Episode: Victor Davis Hanson on Tucker, Trump, and the Fracturing Right
Date: November 10, 2025
Host: Coleman Hughes
Guest: Victor Davis Hanson

In this intellectually charged episode, Coleman Hughes sits down with Victor Davis Hanson, classicist, military historian, and senior fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution, for a sweeping, candid conversation. They explore Hanson's unique perspective as both an academic and a California farmer, dissect revisionist narratives about World War II, and analyze the state of the American right—from the evolution of "lawfare" to Tucker Carlson’s embrace of conspiratorial voices, to Trump’s impact on conservative politics and American society. The tone is direct, occasionally humorous, and always rooted in a desire for clarity over partisanship.

Victor Davis Hanson's Background: Scholar & Farmer

[02:01–09:16]

• Personal History:
  • Grew up on a 130-acre farm in California, established by his ancestors in 1870 ([06:53]).
  • Family valued both hard physical labor and higher education; mother was first female superior court judge in the region ([03:22]).
  • Hanson's upbringing gave him a "schizophrenic existence," balancing scholarly pursuits and the grounded, practical world of agriculture ([09:34]).
• Trajectory into Academia:
  • Undergraduate at UC Santa Cruz, then PhD at Stanford in classical languages.
  • Taught for over 20 years while maintaining the farm; eventually joined the Hoover Institution.
• Effect on Worldview:
  • “I developed a suspicion of intellectuals...that they were not connected with the physical world enough.” ([09:34])
  • Felt alien in both worlds, but learned to appreciate the rigor and knowledge required in both farming and scholarship.

Farming and Politics: The Perspective from the Ground

[09:16–13:08]

• On Rural California:
  • The landscape changed due to immigration and corporatized farming; traditional small farms replaced.
  • “Now it’s all been rented out to corporate farms....illegal immigration came in....they’re mostly undocumented.” ([07:02])
• Views on Government and Policy:
  • Living as a farmer contributed to Hanson's skepticism of intellectuals and government bureaucracy.
  • Noted a disconnect between academic perspectives and everyday challenges faced by rural Americans.

World War II Revisionism and Debunking Internet Myths

[13:08–25:40]

• The Revisionist Narrative (as summarized by Coleman):
  • Claims Churchill provoked World War II, Hitler merely had local grievances, and horrors of the war (including the Holocaust) were accidental outcomes ([14:22]).
• Hanson’s Rebuttal:
  • Outlines the deeply flawed logic and selective use of facts by revisionists like Daryl Cooper and enablers like Tucker Carlson ([15:20]).
  • Revises myths:
    • Churchill as Aggressor:
      “They say Churchill is a terrorist...They don’t realize Dresden was a military target…firebombing was introduced by the Germans.” ([15:20–21:00])
    • The Holocaust as Accident:
      “There’s actually something called ‘the hunger plan’...planned to the letter how many tons of wheat would go to Germany…” ([21:00])
      • Reich’s extermination policies toward Jews were intentional, not a byproduct of misjudgment.
    • Blaming Jewish Influence:
      “There was a subtext, Coleman...that Jews are getting us into this.” ([17:09])
  • Sees this as part of a growing online phenomenon of contrarian, click-driven villain defense.

Tucker Carlson: Platforming the Fringe

[25:40–36:29]

• Coleman:

  • Asks why Tucker Carlson has begun hosting revisionists and conspiracy theorists, giving them a platform without hard questioning ([25:40]).

• Hanson’s Theory:

  • Loss of guardrails after leaving Fox led to unchecked radicalism.
  • “There soon developed a pattern...when you introduce a pastor from Bethlehem...Tucker just took it as gospel.” ([26:04])
  • Tucker cross-examines moderate conservatives more harshly than extremists:
    “Why would you humiliate [Ted Cruz] on screen?...But then you wouldn’t use those same techniques with Fuentes?” ([29:45])

• Coleman’s Reflection:

  • “...on social media...it just will get eyeballs and clicks to just defend all of the actual villains in history...It’s worrisome for our information landscape.” ([32:10])

The Evolution of the Neocon “Scapegoat”

[36:29–41:13]

• Neoconservatives & the Iraq War:
  • Hanson rebuts the idea that neoconservatives forced the US into Iraq for Israel:
    “...the Prime Minister of Israel told us not to go into Iraq, that it was a stupid, stupid idea.” ([36:51])
  • Many “neocons” had purely American interests and histories; Israel’s actual position was misrepresented.
  • Discussion of the “Project for a New American Century”—emphasized pre-9/11 relative political inertia in support for Iraq ([38:39]).

Lawfare: Trump as Both Target and Agent

[43:11–65:30]

• Hanson on Supporting Trump:

  • Initially skeptical but became convinced of Trump’s appeal to working-class Americans after speaking with locals ([43:11]).
  • Remained one of the few National Review writers standing by Trump during the “Never Trump” movement.

• Lawfare Explained:

  • Coleman raises concerns about Trump’s vindictiveness and actions that appear to weaponize the legal system ([45:56]).

• Hanson’s Comparison:

  • “I separate rhetoric and intent from actuality....Donald Trump rages and screams, and then we look at what actually happens.” ([47:36])
  • Details legal retaliation against Trump’s lawyers post-2020; draws symmetry with how Trump now pursues enemies.
  • “For Donald Trump, I think you’re right, he wants retribution and revenge. But for him to reify that, it’s very different than the people who went after him.” ([52:19])
  • Describes asymmetry of justice: “There was an asymmetry with two different things going on. That really bothered me.” ([58:10])

• Selective Prosecution:

  • Discusses the dubious nature of legal cases against Trump (Stormy Daniels payment, Letitia James’s valuation claims), contrasting with past leniency for Democrats ([61:14–63:20]).
  • “Similarly ...Obama…greatest fine in history for campaign violations...Hillary over [money] for the Christopher Steele dossier…So yeah, that was it.” ([61:43])

Trump’s Legacy and the Future of U.S. Politics

[65:30–72:42]

• Coleman:

  • Asks if American politics and civil society can return to “normal” post-Trump.

• Hanson’s Analysis:

  • “He revolutionized the party...he had certain mannerisms...what intellectuals found off-putting, they found authentic.” ([66:13])
  • “Trump’s main legacy...he destroyed the Democratic Party as we knew it. He really did. And he made them take positions that are so unpopular and so extreme based on they had to be opposite of what he was for.” ([69:40])
  • Compares to historical phases—French Revolution analogy (“directory”, “counter-revolutionary phase”) ([70:55]).
  • Expresses personal cost: “I have a twin brother, hasn’t spoken to me in five years....as long as Trump is around...they won’t.” ([71:48])

• Worries for the Culture:

  • “...it would be nice...I have a twin brother...hasn’t spoken to me in five years...It’s a shame. Yeah. We all grew up in a Democratic family...But when Trump came along, it was, ‘How dare you do that?’” ([71:48])

Memorable Quotes

• “I developed a suspicion of intellectuals...that they were not connected with the physical world enough.”
  — Victor Davis Hanson ([09:34])

• “What you said is a very good description of the phenomenon of World War II revisionism. The question is, why...when the evidence is overwhelmingly antithetical...?”
  — Victor Davis Hanson ([15:20])

• “There soon developed a pattern...Tucker just took it as gospel that the Israelis had ethnically cleansed the Christians out of Bethlehem...”
  — Victor Davis Hanson ([26:04])

• “If you give them a platform and their views are out of the mainstream, you have an obligation as a journalist to cross examine them.”
  — Victor Davis Hanson ([29:24])

• “On social media...it just will get eyeballs and clicks to just defend ALL of the actual villains in history.”
  — Coleman Hughes ([32:10])

• “When you lose people close to you, your perspective changes...I've had life insurance for a year now, and it's given me a lot of peace of mind.”
  — Coleman Hughes (Product mention, skip in main content)

• “...he revolutionized the party. And that caused a lot—the Never Trumpers really went...people who had told us they were conservative their whole life suddenly said, ‘I renounce everything I’ve done because of him.’”
  — Victor Davis Hanson ([66:13])

• “I have a twin brother, hasn’t spoken to me in five years. I have an older brother who won’t speak to me...It’s a shame.”
  — Victor Davis Hanson ([71:48])

Key Sections & Timestamps

• Victor's Early Life and Influence of Farming — [02:01–09:16]
• Views on Intellectualism vs. Practical Experience — [09:16–13:08]
• Debunking World War II Revisionism — [13:08–25:40]
• Tucker Carlson and Platforming Conspiracy Theorists — [25:40–36:29]
• Neoconservatives and the Iraq War — [36:29–41:13]
• Trump, Lawfare, and Political Retribution — [43:11–65:30]
• Tribalism, Legacy, and the Fracturing of the Right — [65:30–72:42]
• Personal Costs of Polarization — [71:48]

Closing

Victor: “We went to a new platform...Victor Davis Hanson in his own words. You can find it at VictorHanson.com.” ([72:54])

This episode provides a deep, occasionally personal study of America's current political psyche—from cultural divides on the right, to the shifting standards of public discourse, to the fraying of personal relationships in a hyper-politicized era.