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Little Dicktator Energy

I've Had It

Thu Sep 04 2025

Summary

Episode Summary: “Little Dicktator Energy”

Podcast: I’ve Had It
Hosts: Jennifer Welch and Angie “Pumps” Sullivan
Guest: Ruth Ben-Ghiat (Professor of History, expert on authoritarianism)
Date: September 4, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Jennifer Welch and Angie “Pumps” Sullivan record from New York City and dive deep into the things they've “had it” with, from the absurdities of American politics and technology to cultural and psychological trends. For the latter half, they’re joined by Professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat, noted authoritarianism scholar, for a rich, incisive conversation on the warning signs of authoritarianism in America, moral collapse, and how citizens can resist creeping dictatorship.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Opening: Being Out of the Studio (00:04–01:21)

The hosts express awkwardness and vulnerability recording in a rented NYC studio.
Angie feels “stupid in front of other people” and calls herself “the ringleader rubber stamping it,” referencing the show’s silly start (00:13).
Jennifer jokes about the “patriots, gatriots, black triads, brown triads” and calls it “America’s top DEI podcast” as a tongue-in-cheek nod to their diverse, irreverent following (00:53).

Guns Have More Rights Than Children (01:21–02:03)

Angie’s “I’ve had it”: The overwhelming rights of guns in America over women and children.

“I have had it with the fact that guns have so many rights in America. They have more rights than women and they have more rights than children's lives.” – Angie (01:23)
Frustration over political inaction and the prioritization of NRA funding.
The normalization and desensitization of gun violence, especially school shootings (02:03).

Thoughts and Prayers: A Riff on Inaction (02:03–03:13)

Jennifer rails against “thoughts and prayers” as a substitute for action:

“You have two choices... You can either let the cardiologist come in here... or you can pray and let God sort it out. The majority would choose science.” – Jennifer (02:35)
Points out hypocrisy in accepting science for medical emergencies but not societal emergencies like gun violence.

America’s Authoritarian Shift and Rampant Propaganda (03:13–05:32)

Discussion veers into Trump’s normalization of authoritarian play, the rise in gun violence, and lack of empathy from political leaders.
Jennifer refers to Trump with a string of nicknames: “Kanks, Kankles, McTaco Tits” (03:58).

Tech Frustrations: USB to US-C and Planned Obsolescence (05:32–07:28)

Both hosts “had it” with how quickly USB ports have become obsolete, replaced by US-C (or “whatever you call it”).
Angie: “You buy a new phone, you have to get a new charger. And it went from the USB to... I think that's what it is.” (06:15)
Frustration over lacking universal standards in the US and perceived Apple-driven tech churn.

Trump’s Cabinet Pageantry and Delusional Leadership (07:35–14:00)

Jennifer calls out Trump’s “dementia,” referencing his rambling, directionless public appearances (07:35–08:00).
They discuss his need for “show and tell” and sycophantic displays like the three-hour, fully-televised cabinet meeting:

"They went from one person to the next... telling him he was attractive, telling him that he deserved a Nobel Peace Prize." – Jennifer (08:22)
RFK Jr.’s evolution: once an environmentalist, now a denier of wind energy and environmental science; a sign of moral and psychological collapse among political figures in Trump's orbit.
The hosts question why Trump’s inner circle humiliates itself, proposing the “real” power lies with his handlers (e.g. Stephen Miller, Peter Thiel, Elon Musk).

The Psychology and Sociology of MAGA “Moral Collapse” (14:00–24:10)

Jennifer and Angie discuss the transformation of political figures (Marco Rubio, J.D. Vance, etc.) from established conservatives to authoritarian acolytes.
The emotional stunting, unevolved mentality, and sociopathic traits in this political group.
Angie: “There's a lot of mental illness. Like, there's a collection of mental illness.” (17:43)
Conversation swerves to the rise of misogyny and homophobia as defining policies.
Jennifer points out the cultural shift paralleling Nazi Germany, referencing the insidious normalization of cruelty.

Authoritarianism and Personality Profiles (24:11–28:29)

They introduce Professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat, an authority on fascism and authoritarianism.
Quick plug for the hosts’ new book, Life is a Lazy Susan of Shit Sandwiches.
Ruth’s arrival signals a tonal shift: “It's going to be more academic, but I think the more you can arm yourself with what is going on, the better chance that we're going to have to get through this.” – Jennifer (28:29)

In-Depth Interview with Ruth Ben-Ghiat (28:56–78:18)

Authoritarian Red Flags in America (30:12–32:48)

Ruth’s Top 3 Worries:
1. Trump’s open admiration for dictators: “We've never had an American president who's so openly a fan of dictators.” – Ruth (30:23)
2. Erosion of user-trusted services: Social Security, disaster relief, COVID response—all sabotaged (31:30).
3. Politicization and militarization: Dangerous push to put troops on city streets.

The Disintegration of Trust (32:48–34:54)

“One of the things that keeps our society together... is trust and a common understanding of rules and respect for authority.” – Ruth (33:14)
Trump attempts to discredit democratic institutions: judiciary, educators, media, and even librarians.

The Dismantling of Democracy: Economic and Legal Consequences (34:54–38:32)

Jennifer asks about “fiscal conservatives” supporting Trump who attacks financial institutions and judiciary. Ruth responds:

“If you undermine confidence in our regulatory and financial institutions... that's going to harm the economy because people are sick. Look what happened during COVID.” – Ruth (36:24)

Authoritarian Spectacle & Autocratic Backfire (38:32–44:13)

Trump’s humiliation exercises resemble Putin’s oligarchs or African dictators, demanding public flattery.
“There is no end to their adulation, that they need, they need constant acclaim.” – Ruth (39:36)
The danger: Autocrats are surrounded by sycophants, leading to policy disasters (“autocratic backfire”), and turn against their loyalists if not constantly renewed.

The “Moral Collapse” and Making Worse People (44:13–45:58)

“The purpose of authoritarians is to make you into the worst version of yourself. If you're around them and you capitulate, you become the worst version of yourself. Because everyone has to come down to his level.” – Ruth (44:24)
Relates to military and political figures with integrity being removed or humiliated.

Misogyny, Homophobia, and the “Toxic Triad” (45:58–49:11)

Ruth’s research expands on the links between authoritarianism and gender:

“It's hyper masculinity... It's homophobia and misogyny. So you have to elevate the man, a certain kind of man—a lawless man... you put women down and you have policies that do that. And then you also are homophobic.” – Ruth (46:24)
Gender-washing: right-wing female leaders using their position for regressive policies (Giorgia Meloni, Hungary’s president).

Hypocrisy and Hidden Behaviors (49:11–51:37)

Discussion shifts to the prevalence of closeted behaviors among authoritarian ranks (e.g., Republican officials on Grindr).
Ruth draws parallels to Gaddafi, Mussolini: “They used state resources for sex trafficking and gratification, with both genders, while being publicly homophobic. The hypocrisy is part of the system.”

Homophobia as a Recurring Authoritarian Tool (52:31–55:04)

Homophobia is the “through line” of authoritarian movements.
Ruth on Giorgia Meloni: “She came from the neo fascist party that still believed in Mussolini. And homophobia, of course, was part of original fascism.”
The elevation of women to high office can mask (gender-wash) authoritarian goals.

Coping With Psychological Strain & Resistance (59:44–63:13)

Jennifer and Angie ask how listeners can resist fatalism.
Ruth insists on the power of everyday resistance, civic engagement, and hope.

“It’s very important not to give in to fatalism or cynicism... get people to register to vote, educate them... for our own moral integrity, we should feel we’ve done something.” – Ruth (60:19)

Can America Recover? Historical Parallels (63:13–66:41)

Ruth says there’s no exact parallel: “Trump is the only head of state who tried to overthrow the government and had an insurrection and... is back.” (63:13)
But points to Poland’s reversal of its right-wing government as a sign change is possible.
Key warning: Authoritarians have zero interest in public welfare—just personal gain.

The Power of the Personality Cult (66:41–69:38)

Jennifer: “What is it about the cult that they fall prey to?”
Ruth: “Donald Trump is actually one of the most brilliant propagandists in history... He’s been telling Americans that he loves them. He told them on January 6 that he loved them.” (67:36)
Emotional manipulation, false care, and manufactured authenticity are core tools.

America’s Missed Opportunities (70:08–71:39)

Failure to hold Trump accountable the first time is “one of the main places where we took a wrong turn.” (70:35)
Lack of political will contrasted with more decisive action in Brazil, South Korea.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On authoritarian spectacle:

“There is no end to their adulation that they need, they need constant acclaim.”
— Ruth Ben-Ghiat (39:36)
On the moral impact of surrendering to authoritarians:

“The purpose of authoritarians is to make you into the worst version of yourself... everyone has to come down to his level.”
— Ruth Ben-Ghiat (44:24)
On gender and fascism:

“It's the first book to integrate the gender stuff and say, this is how it works with propaganda. This is how it works with violence.”
— Ruth Ben-Ghiat (48:07)
On resistance and hope:

“It’s very important not to give in to fatalism or cynicism and think there’s nothing we can do... having hope is not just... fantasy. It’s proven in history that resistance movements... need a hope.”
— Ruth Ben-Ghiat (60:19)

Timestamps for Key Segments

[01:21–02:03] Guns as prioritized over children’s lives
[02:03–03:13] “Thoughts and prayers” and societal inaction
[05:32–07:28] USB obsolescence, Apple and tech frustrations
[07:35–14:00] Trump’s cabinet “pageantry,” dementia, power behind the throne
[17:29–24:10] Psychological shift and “moral collapse” of MAGA followers
[28:56–32:48] Ruth Ben-Ghiat on red flags in US authoritarians
[34:54–38:32] Economic and judicial consequences
[38:32–44:13] Authoritarian spectacle, sycophancy, and “autocratic backfire”
[45:58–55:04] Misogyny, homophobia, and gender-washing
[59:44–63:13] Coping strategies, hope, and resisting fatalism
[66:41–69:38] Personality cults and emotional manipulation
[70:35] Missed opportunity: failing to hold Trump accountable

Closing: Had It or Hit It? (71:39–79:09)

The team plays their signature “Had it or Hit it” game with Ruth, covering everything from speakerphone use in public to “Cankles” (Trump), cancel culture, and the future of the USA.
Ruth’s final affirmation:

“Hit it. Of course! ... Everything I’m doing now is out of my love for this country and feeling that each of us can do what we can to save it...” (76:17)

Tone and Takeaway

The episode is unfiltered, witty, and at times irreverently petty (in line with the hosts’ comedic style), but pivots to earnest, often somber analysis when discussing the rise of authoritarianism and political decline in America. Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s academic insights are wide-ranging, actionable, and grounded in both history and personal conviction, giving listeners a blend of relatability, urgency, and hope.

For listeners:

The episode is a sobering yet empowering look at the current American crisis, weaving personal storytelling with expert warnings.
It urges civic participation, emotional resilience, and vigilance against authoritarian creep.
The episode is also a call to community: “We should feel that we’ve done something and everyone has a way to do something... There’s too much at stake to just give up.” (62:08)

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Transcript

A (0:04)

So are we supposed to start the podcast?

B (0:08)

Ready? 1, 2, 3.

A (0:10)

Tell the listener what you just told me.

B (0:13)

I get so embarrassed when we're not in our studio with like, Kylie or Seth, because I feel like then it's not embarrassing because nobody sees it but us. But like, here with all these people out here.

A (0:24)

Listener. We're in New York City.

B (0:26)

Yeah.

A (0:26)

And we're at a podcast studio that we rent often when we come up here. And we're right before we came on pumps was like, I feel stupid doing the class.

B (0:35)

I just feel stupid in front of other people. When we have a third party in the podcast, I feel so stupid. Like, I just, I feel like it's very immature and childish.

A (0:45)

Right.

B (0:46)

And I'm doing it. So I'm the ringleader rubber stamping it. And we all know how mature I am emotionally, physically, the whole night.

A (0:53)

But, I mean, I think I still have to go with patriots, gatriots, they Black triads, Brown triads. Fuck off.

B (1:01)

I don't mind that.

A (1:01)

Okay. All right. Welcome to America's top DEI podcast. America's top mother daughter podcast.

B (1:08)

Fuck you. Although I do feel like the light in here, I feel like there's no light anywhere else. And then you walk in here and it's. You're under a microscope and I'm just like, fuck the gals getting all right pimps.

A (1:21)

What have you had it with?

B (1:22)

Okay, what I've had it with, and I hate to be serious, but I have had it with the fact that guns have so many rights in America. They have more rights than women and they have more rights than children's lives. I have had it with politicians that prioritize NRA funding versus lives of children. And I don't know when it's going to stop. It's not getting better. I've had it. In a normal world, I would feel like putting a lot of energy into this, but since we're hanging on by a thread with democracy, I feel like it's back burnered. And I just. Children should not have to die to go to school full stop. And I don't want to hear about everybody's gun rights.

A (2:03)

And, you know, it's. That's the thing with Trump's authoritarian play is these types of things, sadly, have become very normalized and the American public has become desensitized. And gun violence is something that we absolutely could do something about. It's something that we could do something about. School shootings, increase the semi automatic capacity that these guns can do. They, they made them more accessible, not Less accessible. And after Newtown, I thought, okay, we're really going to do something. We're talking about five and six year old kids. And some of them were all huddled in a closet, and within two to three seconds, you know, a dozen or more were dead in two to three seconds. But politicians and the American society at large has been indoctrinated and propagandized to believe that prophets matter more than people. And I have had it with the thoughts and and prayer crowd. I've had it because here's the thing about the thoughts and prayer crowd. You could go to each of them and they're in the hospital, they have a blood clot at their heart. And you could say, you have two choices, Susie Mae. You have two choices. You can either let the cardiologist come in here and put a stent in your heart and you're going to live, or your second choice is you can pray and let God sort it out. The majority of these people would choose science. The majority of these people would choose an option that would fix the problem. And so when it comes to the thoughts and prayer crowd, it's not just with guns. It's with so many things that they use their religion to excuse all of these horrible things that are happening in society. You know, it's God's will, it's this, it's that. And I just think these shootings are a travesty. They're a uniquely American problem. And I sadly, when you have this fascist regime that's in charge right now, and all you hear From Kanks, Kankles, McTaco, tits, all you hear Kanks say is, oh, my sons are really good shooters, right? He rambles on about somebody he knows that he believes is skilled at shooting guns. There's no empathy from this man. This is a completely different, deranged administration that is going to make America less safe, less economically stable. Our strength in world positioning is eroding by the moment because all he's interested in doing is waltzing into the oval and playing show and tell and having people humiliate themselves telling him that he's a good athlete, that he's a good decorator, he has big hands, he has large penis. It's just ridiculous. All right, shifting gears. I've had it with the face plant of the usb. Okay, so everybody had the usb. They put it on planes, they put it in hotel rooms. I had some installed in my house when I installed an outlet, and now they're obsolete. And I don't know if the usc, I think that's what replaced it? Is that what it's called?

A (13:56)

I do, too. And the, the, the superficial flattery and these charm offenses that, and even the people who. That have been handpicked to be in the press pool. Nobody asks him about the bruising on his hand. Nobody asked him. It seems like when you walk, you're dragging your right leg and you can't walk in a straight line. Nobody really asks him, why did you have US Military on their hands and knees rolling out the red carpet for Vladimir Putin? Why? Since you've met with Putin, he's bombing the shit out of Ukraine even further, Even bombing an American factory. He doesn't get these questions by design. And I think a lot of the stuff that he's doing is a propaganda play. But the thing about Kanks is I think they have him in such a bubble. I think he actually believes he's popular because when he does these, he says, I have a 90% approval rating. And then somebody will check him and say, well, actually, that's only with the Republican Party. You actually are in the low 30s. He starts freaking out. No, no, that's not it. Like, he believes it, which makes me think that he's a kept man. He is kept by very nefarious forces that tell him what he wants to hear. And I think that the placement of J.D. vance, Lil Smokey, I think that was intentional by these people. Because when you look at the moral face plant of Marco Rubio, J.D. vance, RFK Jr. Others, it's unbelievable. I mean, you know, when, when I think about the Secretary of Treasury, Scott Besson, a gay man, a gay man that's made billions of dollars. Right. And that it never occurs to them, like, oh, our base are these crazy Shiite Christians. These are the people that are going that hate gays, that want white supremacy, etc, and they somehow think they're exempt, just like the Latinos for Trump thought they were exempt. And so it, it, it's. Sadly, this is the thing that just gets me, Pops. Like, we're going to lose potentially our country for that guy. Yeah, for those people, like, like, it's so bad. It's so unbelievable what has happened to this country before Trump even came around. But the Priming the public for unregulated capitalism, priming the public to value profits over human beings, priming particularly religious people to equate wealth with God choosing you. You are currying favor with God if you're wealthy. And how primed they are and how organized they've been and how they've helped us get this up moment where I believe in this administration, you have a lot of DL, LGBTQ plus, no question, closet cases. I'm talking about little Smokey. I'm talking about Moses, Mike. I don't know about little Marco. I just think that guy, like, I don't know if that somebody has blackmail footage on him or he just decided, you know what? I want to be Secretary of State so bad, but it's. It's unbelievable how emotionally stunted these people are, how unevolved they are emotionally. And we're all going to go down and lose all the shit that we value for up people that refuse to go to therapy.

C (52:44)

There are two things. So she, Meloni. And my first specialty was Italy and I lived in Italy for years, studied Italian fascism. So I know all about her. She and this woman who was the first female president of Hungary who had to resign because she pardoned a pedophile. Hello? Yeah, Catalyn Novak. They are very good friends and they engage in gender washing. I didn't invent this wonderful term, gender washing. It's when you, you come to a place of great power as a woman and you say that you're breaking the glass ceiling and you're making things better for all women and instead you're doing things that actually take women's rights away and you're very repressive in gender issues. That's part of it. And then you're right, she's very homophobic. And in fact, homophobia is the through line of authoritarianism. That's. I want to repeat that. Homophobia. If you look through history, even now we have women in power, or there were certain, there were certain authoritarians who. Very beginning, even Gaddafi, he gave women a lot of rights at the very, very beginning. They're all homophobic, all of them. There isn't a single one. I mean, maybe there's one. Someone, one of your viewers will say, hey, I know somebody who isn't. But it is the through line. And so even somebody like Meloni, who is the first, it's a big deal to be the first female prime minister. Now she's a neo. She's a fascist. She was a hardcore fascist for most of her youth, like, as in making Mussolini salutes and really? Oh, yeah. She came from the neo fascist party that still believed in Mussolini. And homophobia, of course, was part of original fascism. Mussolini had a penal colony where he sent all known gay people onto an island. So this is how it is. But this gender washing, we have to watch out for this because it's actually been the right globally to elevate a lot of women and so we can think, oh, well, they're not, you know, they're not repressive, they're progressive because there's women at the head. But that just think about this gender washing business.

C (63:13)

There's no exact parallel because, you know, Trump is the only head of state who tried to overthrow the government and had an insurrection and then was not far from being punished is back. So there's that. There are certain things that make our situation more challenging. But you have the example of Poland. They had eight years of a far right government and abortion rights were practically gone. All reproductive rights, highly homophobic republic. And they turned it around. Now you could say they're better equipped because they had years, they had Nazi occupation and then they had years of communism. Now we had, I consider the Jim Crow south was like a kind of regional authoritarianism. Yes. But we have never had a national experience of dictatorship. We've never had tanks in the streets. And so people are perhaps not as prepared here. And that's why I've given, I don't know at this point, probably a thousand interviews in the last eight years or so to just do my part. So I think that one of my maxims is never give up on the American people and never underestimate the American people. There's a kind of individualism that I think and a love of freedom and love of liberty that can go different ways as we see. But I think that when people see if things devolve and there are more tanks on the streets and people will have what I'm calling a moral reckoning, I think people will wake up, many, many people will wake up when their Social Security checks stop coming. When a hurricane comes and the government is absent and Trump has now made the New Yorker did a whole long investigative journalism. I think he's made over. He's in the billions off of office so far. And that's the thing that people need to understand is that authoritarians have a totally different mindset about governance. They are zero percent interested in public welfare. They don't care about you. They really don't. And they care about enriching themselves from public office and amassing more and more power so they can feel safe. And so when Trump when he was campaigning, and I think about this every day, he went to Iowa for the caucus and it was freezing temperatures and he told people to come out and caucus for him, even if they were ill. And he said, if you vote and then you pass away, it will be worth it.