Raging Moderates with Scott Galloway and Jessica Tarlov

Episode: A Year of Trump 2.0; A Decade of the War on Truth (ft. Heather Cox Richardson)
Date: January 21, 2026
Guest: Heather Cox Richardson (Historian, Author, Letters from an American)
Main Theme: How history will view the first year of Trump’s second term, the war on truth, erosion of democratic norms, and the shifting global order.

Episode Overview

This episode features political strategist Jessica Tarlov in conversation with historian Heather Cox Richardson. Through a centrist lens, the pair dissect Trump’s ongoing impact on American democracy and global politics, explore the governmental and societal erosion of truth, and grapple with what makes this period historically distinct and alarming. They also touch on the uses of fascist rhetoric in official government communications, ICE’s expansion, the manipulation of nostalgia, and how ordinary citizens and politicians are resisting or facilitating these seismic changes.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Banter, Expertise & The Importance of Facts

• [01:19 – 03:33]
  • Jessica Tarlov describes her thorough prep process, emphasizing centrist debate strategies and the importance of being armed with facts rather than emotion.
  • Quote:
    • "It's important to talk to people you disagree with and to be armed with a database set of points... you can make it as strongly as possible and as unemotionally as possible."
      — Jessica Tarlov [02:29]
  • Heather Cox Richardson emphasizes the Enlightenment ideals of empirical reality and argues that rejecting facts in favor of “vibes” drives current dysfunction.
  • Quote:
    • "You and I are both engaged in the human enterprise of recovering... the good ideals of the Enlightenment, the idea that if you are actually operating in reality, you can make good decisions."
      — Heather Cox Richardson [03:33]

2. Trump 2.0: Disrupting the Postwar Order, War on Truth

• [04:56 – 08:36]
  • Recognition that Trump’s lasting legacy may be the systematic attack on objective reality and the unraveling of post-WWII alliances.
  • Richardson refutes tariffs as the year's central plot but sees Trump "tearing up the post World War II global order," allowing the world to move on without the U.S., and enabling adversaries like Russia and China.
  • Quote:
    • "The United States of America under Donald Trump has walked away from the global stage or is actively trying to destroy that stage. That is the story of this moment."
      — Heather Cox Richardson [07:54]

3. Erosion of Democratic Norms & Extra-Constitutional Leadership

• [10:17 – 14:20]
  • Trump’s administration is described as operating "extra-constitutionally"—not just challenging laws, but behaving as though the Constitution doesn't exist.
  • Department of Government Efficiency’s use of “impoundment” and disregard for congressional mandates called a “flashing red light” for democratic collapse.
  • Quote:
    • "He and the people around him were acting as if there weren't a Constitution... flashing red lights screaming, uh oh, we're in trouble."
      — Heather Cox Richardson [10:44]
  • Despite this, ordinary Americans are increasingly stepping up in protest, though many elected officials remain disengaged.

4. Resistance, Electoral Prospects, and Political Chess

• [14:20 – 19:13]
  • Resistance is gaining focus (e.g., overreach of ICE, immigration quotas), but achieving real change remains a "conundrum" needing more pressure on elected officials.
  • Discussion of ongoing suppression, gerrymandering, and the lack of “free and fair” elections for some time.
  • Quote:
    • "We're gonna have elections... your question about free and fair is a more complicated one. We haven't had free and fair elections in this country for a long time."
      — Heather Cox Richardson [18:39]

5. The Rise of Explicitly Fascist Rhetoric and ICE as a Political Tool

• [19:13 – 27:56]
  • ICE imagery and rhetoric mirror white supremacist and Nazi motifs. This signals openly to far-right actors, moving from “dog whistle” to “bullhorn.”
  • ICE’s growing militarization and extralegal status serve less to enforce immigration than to cow American citizens and enforce state power—hallmarks of fascism.
  • Quote:
    • "ICE is not about immigration any longer. It's about making sure American citizens do not stand up to the power of the state, and that is fascism."
      — Heather Cox Richardson [22:27]
  • Fears grow over secrecy, lack of medical care, and parallels to early reporting on Nazi concentration camps.

6. Media’s Role in the War on Truth

• [27:56 – 32:09]
  • Media failure in adequately covering the real stakes of democracy and economic policy changes more than public apathy, drove the “threat to democracy” argument’s lack of effectiveness.
  • Historical model: successful politicians connect bread-and-butter economic interests to the protection of democracy itself.
  • Quote:
    • "It's not democracy versus eggs. It's eggs are gonna be expensive unless you protect democracy."
      — Heather Cox Richardson [31:21]

7. Trump as “Chaos Monkey” at Davos & the New World Disorder

• [35:15 – 41:30]
  • Trump’s presence at Davos (now absent any talk of equity, climate, or even Ukraine) signals a shift of global focus and power toward China.
  • His “chaos monkey” style keeps global and U.S. media focused on his antics, distracting from critical issues (Ukraine, Epstein files).
  • The international community is scared, and the erosion of U.S. alliances has tangible consequences for allies and democracy worldwide.
  • Quote:
    • "By making all the attention come on to him, Trump has taken attention away from Vladimir Putin and his assault on Ukraine."
      — Heather Cox Richardson [39:15]
    • "We are tearing down 300 years of... trying to build a world in which people have a say in their government... at the hands of this one man is just... profoundly sad."
      — Heather Cox Richardson [41:14]

8. The Dangers of Dismissing Authoritarian Rhetoric as ‘Just Trolling’

• [44:29 – 47:21]
  • Americans’ tendency to find comfort in “he’s just joking” is dangerous—Trump’s outlandish suggestions and escalation of violence need to be taken seriously.
  • Republicans' passive response and lack of engagement are facilitating the unraveling of democratic institutions, while the damage is accelerating.
  • Quote:
    • "You have to take him seriously at this point. You have to believe that he's testing out these ideas."
      — Heather Cox Richardson [44:29]

9. The Epstein Files & Republican Panic

• [47:21 – 53:34]
  • Discussion of the intentional slow-walking and partial release of the Epstein files, and how the administration’s panic is more telling than the specifics of the content.
  • House Republicans more concerned about their own exposure (metadata from Jan. 6) than actual rule-of-law or presidential conduct.
  • Quote:
    • "Often you don't have the elephant, you have the space around the elephant... this administration is completely panicked over the idea of the release of any more of those files."
      — Heather Cox Richardson [48:16]
  • The disease is not just Trump, but within American democracy and especially the modern Republican party.

10. The Allure of 2016 Nostalgia

• [55:44 – 64:40]
  • Renewed trend of nostalgia for 2016 reflects a longing for stability and cultural levity—before politics saturated all aspects of daily life.
  • Richardson notes this is common historically—periods of creative, artistic, and cultural flourishing are often born from eras of instability.
  • Quote:
    • "Nostalgia is normal. But let's move forward... How it's gonna pass, we don't have any idea. But on the other side, we get to do a better job this time than we did in the past."
      — Heather Cox Richardson [63:55]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Heather Cox Richardson:

  • "The world's greatest superpower dying by suicide." [08:22]
  • "He and the people around him were acting as if there weren't a Constitution... flashing red lights screaming, uh oh, we're in trouble." [10:44]
  • "ICE is not about immigration any longer. It's about making sure American citizens do not stand up to the power of the state, and that is fascism." [22:27]
  • "It's not democracy versus eggs. It's eggs are gonna be expensive unless you protect democracy." [31:21]
  • "We are tearing down 300 years of... trying to build a world in which people have a say in their government... at the hands of this one man is just... profoundly sad." [41:14]

• Jessica Tarlov:

  • "So many people with these kinds of evil aspirations found their vessel in Trump... he was this blank-ish canvas that bad actors could write all over." [41:30]
  • "2016 has some purity to it, I think, still, for people where they could say, I didn't wake up every day going like, oh, my God, what did he do now?" [62:26]

Important Segments & Timestamps

• Statistics and expertise in debate: [01:19 – 03:33]
• Post-WWII order/Davos/tariffs: [04:56 – 08:36], [35:15 – 41:30]
• Constitutional norms & governmental chaos: [10:17 – 14:20]
• ICE militarization & fascism: [19:13 – 22:27]
• Failure of media & link between democracy and daily life: [27:56 – 32:09]
• The 2016 nostalgia trend: [55:44 – 64:40]

Overall Tone

The conversation balances urgency and a professorial calm—a mix of historical perspective, personal concern, and pragmatic analysis. Richardson’s gravitas pairs with Tarlov’s frankness and occasional gallows humor. Both maintain clarity and a commitment to good-faith debate and reality-based analysis.

Summary Takeaway

A sobering yet constructive centrist examination of how America’s democratic institutions are being tested, the dangers of disregarding authoritarian warning signs, and the perennial resilience of civil society. The episode closes with an affirmation that periods of darkness birth new creativity and that the task ahead is to rebuild—not to retreat into nostalgia, but to build a stronger democracy informed by but not shackled to the past.

"Cheers to a better job than we've done in the past."
— Jessica Tarlov [64:40]