Podcast Summary: Victor Davis Hanson – Venezuela Is No Panama, and Trump Knows This

Podcast: Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words
Host: Victor Davis Hanson | The Daily Signal
Date: November 22, 2025

Overview:

This episode features historian and commentator Victor Davis Hanson (VDH) analyzing current political and cultural affairs with an emphasis on European politics, NATO, U.S. policy towards Venezuela, the lessons of historical decisions in WWII, and the ongoing crisis of wokeism in academia. With his characteristic historical perspective and blunt analysis, Hanson draws connections between past precedent and today’s political landscape, particularly regarding Donald Trump’s foreign policy and the U.S. role on the global stage.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Europe in Turmoil and Political Realignment

• Labor Party instability in the UK: Keir Starmer, UK’s PM, is facing calls to step down due to rising unpopularity (05:23).
  • Starmer seen as symbolic of a wider European left-wing collapse.
  • “Everything that he touched turned to dross. So he's not going to survive.” – VDH (05:33)
• Trend towards European conservatism—with populist and nationalist figures gaining influence in Hungary, Italy, and elsewhere.
  • Disarmament, open borders, and costly green energy policies have disillusioned the public.

Notable Quote:

“So the whole paradigm doesn't work. ... Talking to these Europeans this week, they don't get Donald Trump. ... what he does ... is like we hit them over, we came in and we said, you're sick, you got to take this castor oil ... then they're better off, but they hate the person who forced them to do that. And that's the Trump style.” – VDH (09:40)

• NATO and Russia: Putin’s war in Ukraine forced European militaries to rearm and re-evaluate reliance on the U.S.
  • Only a handful met defense spending obligations until Trump’s pressure.
  • “They wanted somebody to put a bell around his neck. And that was Trump and he did that.” – VDH (17:26)

Notable Quote:

“They may hate him because what he represents, but he's done a lot more for us than Obama or Biden.” – VDH (18:16)

2. Trump’s Approach to Venezuela vs. Historical U.S. Interventions

• Comparing precedents: Venezuela, Panama, Grenada, Libya
  • European media express concern about Trump "invading Venezuela". VDH contextualizes using U.S. military actions in Grenada (Reagan), Panama (George H.W. Bush), Libya (Reagan).
  • “Did Reagan have [congressional authorization] to go into Grenada? Did Bush have one in ‘89 when he took out... Noriega in Panama?” – VDH (27:19)
  • Trump is pressuring Maduro mainly to stem the drug trade and destabilize his regime without a full invasion.
• Differences between Venezuela and past interventions (31:04)
  • Venezuela is much larger, doesn’t present the same level of strategic U.S. interest (as Panama), and would require a vastly bigger operation.
  • MAGA base is wary of “forever wars”; any intervention would have to avoid ground invasion.
  • Trump’s goal: “He’s going to park this thing [aircraft carrier] out there ... blow up ships ... put the pressure [on Maduro] and cut off narco income.” (33:00)

Memorable Moment:

“I would rather be tortured than to listen to Barry Manilow for 24 hours. That's what they did [to Noriega]! And that was cruel ... cruel and unusual punishment.” – VDH, referencing U.S. psychological tactics in Panama (30:32)

Timestamps:

• US military actions compared: 27:15–31:04
• Venezuela policy insight: 31:04–34:15

3. European Perceptions, Media & American Influence

• European media bias: VDH recounts interviews with German, Czech, French, and British journalists who lack awareness of U.S. left-wing lawfare and other domestic controversies (20:25, 22:27).
  • “They have no facts. ... It's like Bill Maher had that actor on ... and he just, 'well I didn't know that.'” – VDH (23:06)
• European elite's detached understanding of America: They mostly encounter U.S. left-of-center perspectives via New York Times, NPR, etc., and have no exposure to “real America” (24:17).

4. Religious Persecution & Selective Outrage

• Jihadist attacks in Africa & global hypocrisy (34:15–41:41)
  • Brutal attacks against Christians (Congo hospital) and the strategy of kidnapping children for indoctrination (the “Janissary” model).
  • Selective media outrage: Muslim-on-Christian (or Jewish) violence is ignored, while even minor Western offenses receive disproportionate global condemnation.
• Quote:

“If this were Christians doing what Muslims were doing ... or if these were white people being butchered, then a lot of people would be much more concerned.” – VDH (39:53)

5. WWII: The U.S. Decision to Ally with Stalin

• In-depth discussion on the moral and practical calculus of U.S. alliance with the USSR during WWII (43:28–69:09).
  • Lend-Lease policy provided massive material support to the Soviets to keep Nazi Germany tied down on the Eastern Front, ultimately saving hundreds of thousands of American (and British) lives (46:17+, 55:10+).
  • Critiquing revisionist history: The alliance was cold-blooded realpolitik, not an idealistic or ideological alignment with communism.
  • Cites personal family anecdotes to illustrate American sacrifices and priorities—400,000 trucks given to Russia, leading to postwar deprivations at home (66:12).

Memorable Quotes:

“You empower [the USSR] and allow them to kill Germans, and we will deal with the next crisis after the war. And that's what we did.” – VDH (58:47)

“We destroyed Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Imperial Japan ... and we destroyed the Soviet Union. Took us a long time. And we freed all of Europe, west and east ... That was unheard of given the 70 million that died in World War II.” – VDH (69:15)

6. Wokeism and Academic Cowardice

• Jill Lepore’s regret and the cost of speaking out (73:40+)

  • Many academics failed to challenge injustice or excess (wokeism, MeToo), fearing for their careers.
  • VDH is blunt about what he sees as herd behavior and lack of intellectual courage.

• Personal cost: VDH recounts losing friends and professional relationships for questioning dominant leftist narratives (80:46).

  • “I can tell you ... I lost maybe 20 friends, my closest friends ... Some of my closest friends, two of my best friends don't talk to me ... for questioning MeToo, questioning woke, questioning the Fauci party line...” – VDH (81:10)

• Admiration for practical intelligence: Compares the character of farmers and tradesmen to the supposed intellectual elite in academia (82:18–83:51).

7. Contemporary Immigration Debate

• Commenters question the U.S.’s response to illegal immigration (87:00+)
  • Yale study estimated ~20 million illegal immigrants in 2019; possibly as high as 30 million post-Biden.
  • Outrage over scenes of illegal immigrants resisting apprehension and openly displaying Mexican flags.
  • Underlying frustration: perceived lack of assimilation and respect for American law and identity.

Notable Quote:

“You come into our country and you don't even respect us enough to do it legally. ... and you have the gumption to wear insignia or flags of the country under no circumstances that you will go back to.” – VDH (90:00)

Notable Quotes / Memorable Moments by Timestamp

• On the Trump style and European resentment:
  “It's like we hit them over, we came in and we said, you're sick, you got to take this castor oil. ... then they're better off, but they hate the person who forced them to do that.” – VDH (09:40)

• On Putin’s strategic outcome in Ukraine:
  "He strengthened NATO. Putin." – VDH (14:54)

• On U.S. psychological warfare in Panama:
  "I would rather be tortured than to listen to Barry Manilow for 24 hours. That's what they did. ... cruel and unusual punishment." – VDH (30:32)

• On why U.S. didn’t “ally” with Hitler instead of Stalin:
  “You empower them and allow them to kill Germans, and we will deal with the next crisis after the war. And that's what we did.” – VDH (58:47)

• On woke/MeToo mob mentality in academia:
  “You get on the wrong side of an academic mob and I can tell you, I've been there four or five times, it's not a very good feeling healing. They go after you.” – VDH (84:07)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Starmer & UK/European politics: 05:23–12:03
• NATO & Ukraine, Germany’s military: 12:03–20:21
• European media attitudes: 20:21–24:17
• Venezuela vs. Panama/Grenada: 27:15–34:15
• Attacks against Christians in Africa: 34:15–41:41
• U.S., WWII, Stalin vs. Hitler: 43:28–69:09
• Academic cowardice & COVID, MeToo, DEI: 73:40–84:07
• Viewer comments on immigration: 87:00–95:49

Conclusion

This episode features Victor Davis Hanson’s incisive, historically framed commentary on modern political realignments, the legacy and style of Donald Trump internationally, the complexity of U.S. interventions abroad (with a specific focus on Venezuela), and the perils of ideological conformity in academia. Hanson’s approach is to contrast contemporary concerns with deeply considered historical precedent—whether discussing NATO’s resuscitation, the real reasons behind allying with Stalin, or the urgent need for more courage in American higher education.

For listeners seeking broad historical context and blunt analysis of today's headlines, Hanson’s perspective offers both detail and memorable, at times provocative, insights.