Victor Davis Hanson: Why Newsom and Harris Are Pretending Biden Was Great

Podcast: Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words
Date: November 1, 2025
Host: Victor Davis Hanson (VDH) | The Daily Signal
Co-host: Sammy Wink

Episode Overview

This episode tackles the recent behavior of Democratic leaders Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris, who have begun praising President Joe Biden’s record following his forced withdrawal from the 2024 election. Victor Davis Hanson analyzes the historical roots and current dynamics of the Democratic Party, the influence of classical thought on America's founding, ongoing shifts in U.S. and global politics, and why current political messaging is at odds with reality. Critical to the discussion: how internal party projections and disinformation shape electoral and cultural outcomes.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Democratic Party Dynamics & Gerrymandering

• Democratic Denial and Projection:
  • Democrats accuse Republicans of gerrymandering while ignoring their own history, particularly in states like California, Massachusetts, and Illinois.
  • VDH: “We've been gerrymandered to death...the new map...looks like a stork's beak...” [04:26]
• Naming Controversy:
  • Some Republicans insist on calling it the “Democrat Party” instead of “Democratic Party” to highlight perceived hypocrisy.
  • VDH: “You can really see a MAGA person because they'll never use the word Democratic Party. They'll always use the word Democrat Party.” [09:47]
• Projectionism in Politics:
  • Democrats project their own faults (gerrymandering, backroom deals) onto Republicans.
  • VDH: “If you were going to be honest, you would call them the projectionist party. Because whatever they feel guilty about, they project it.” [11:51]

The Changing Democratic Base: Identity Politics and Media

• Democratic Coalition:
  • VDH identifies key Democratic constituencies as “angry women, radical pro-Hamas activists, DEI racialists, anti-Americanism, antifa sympathizers.”
  • VDH: “You got a lot of that base. You got 20 or 30% of the party right there, and that's who's running them.” [15:55]
• Feminization of the Party:
  • Democratic Party leadership is depicted as increasingly driven by a "gynocracy"; policies and cultural attitudes reflect this shift. Reference to Helen Andrews’ article "The Great Feminization.”
  • VDH: “There’s...a feminization of the Democratic Party. She can say that because she's a woman. If a man said that, he would be ostracized.” [18:09]
• Weaponized Judiciaries:
  • Discussion of judicial activism by Democratic-appointed judges, delay tactics, and the need for judicial reform (fast-tracking appeals, penalties for “weaponized” rulings).
  • VDH: “It's a delaying tactic...It's so corrupt. We need to stop that.” [19:38]

Media and Apostasy: Bari Weiss Example

• Bari Weiss's Shift:
  • Former NYT columnist Bari Weiss exemplifies how dissenters from leftist orthodoxy are quickly ostracized for departing from party lines—highlighting underlying intolerance in progressive circles.
  • VDH: “As soon as you buck the Democratic Party, then their inner racism comes out and their inner homophobia comes out.” [13:19]

Collapse of Classical Education and University Radicalism

• Destruction of Classical Studies:
  • The transformation of university classics departments, driven by postmodern/French theory and race-based frameworks, undermines the foundation of Western education.
  • VDH: “The chairman of the Classics Department, Stanford, said he wanted to destroy it and they wanted to not require Greek.” [26:30]
  • Notable quote on the skewed emphasis on race:
    “About 175 pages, there's at least 200 references to...white, black, blackness...Every single time, white is disparaged and black is euphemistic.” [28:31]
• French Postmodern Influence:
  • The move from campus protester to institutional controller; French post-structuralism (Foucault, Derrida) provided justification for relativism, anti-factualism, and identity politics.
  • VDH on the French crisis post-WWII: “It's no accident that in the universities, people said, there are no facts. These are just constructs.” [39:43]

Classical Roots of the American Constitution

• Influence of Greece and Rome:
  • The Founders were steeped in classical learning, designing American governance as a “constitutional res publica” based on Roman checks and balances, unlike Athenian direct democracy.
  • VDH: “We’re more Roman than Greek. We saw what the Greeks do when there’s no guardrails...they created this intricate system that the president can veto a law...” [45:58]
• Christianity and Virtue:
  • American system required not only classical structure but a moral populace, the latter influenced by Christian thought.
  • VDH: “They believed that you could not have self-government unless the citizen was virtuous. That comes from Aristotle and Cicero.” [47:55]
• Uniqueness of American System:
  • Parliamentary systems elsewhere lack U.S.-style checks, separation of powers, and federalism—which, for Hanson, account for American exceptionalism and durability in diversity.
  • VDH: “There’s no other system in the world...We're the only large multiracial democracy that's worked because of this constitutional system.” [56:02]

Why Newsom and Harris Are Praising Biden

• Post-Biden Democratic Messaging:
  • After orchestrating a “coup” to push Biden out, party leadership now retroactively claims Biden’s record was successful to paper over internal fractures and justify their actions.
  • VDH: “We didn't remove him because he was bad. We just thought that he needed a break. So now they're going back and saying the record was actually pretty good...We had a coup, basically. We ran the government. It was wonderful.” [62:48]
• Trump vs. Biden Comparison:
  • Hanson details policy reversals under Trump (2025 term): border control, oil production, foreign policy successes (Israel, Middle East, inflation, economy)—contrasted with Biden’s failures.
  • VDH: “Trump is already filling [the Strategic Petroleum Reserve]... If you look at trade revenue, you have one of these rare months...where we had more money coming into the treasury than going out.” [63:19–65:43]
• Democratic Strategy:
  • Clinging to Biden’s record is the only way to avoid admitting to the radical shift in policy and governance during his term, instead falsely crediting Biden as a ‘great’ president.
  • VDH: “What I'm saying is that was a presidency in which for the first time since the New Deal, the socialist left had an opening. They ran a moderate candidate who was losing because he was senile.” [68:52]

Global Ripple Effects & Latin America

• Argentina’s Javier Milei & Global Nationalism:
  • The rise of anti-left populists globally is linked, in part, to Trump-era example and signals a transnational backlash against leftist governance.
  • VDH: “So he's had enormous influence because he's common sense and it's working. And that's what the Democratic Party... they were just gnashing their teeth...” [71:13]
• Trump’s Latin America Policy:
  • Trump Administration uses naval power to pressure narco-regimes in Venezuela and Colombia, echoing earlier U.S. interventions but with avowed avoidance of ground wars.
  • VDH: “So I think what he's doing is he's starting empirically...His advisors said they gave a free pass to narcoism and they're importing vast amounts of fentanyl...” [79:02]

The Problem of Candidate Quality & Political Nihilism

• Why Bad Candidates Win:
  • Changes in urban demography, primary systems, voter turnout, and fractured opposition parties yield subpar mayoral choices (e.g., Mondami vs Cuomo in NYC).
  • VDH: “You're going to get a communist...And the weird thing about it, he knows now he's going to win...it's just so anti-Muslim. They hate Muslim. He's just nuts and he's warning the country...” [81:55–89:45]
• Voter Nihilism:
  • A sense of hopelessness and resentment among the electorate—“I just want to get back at the rich...It's a nihilist vote.” [92:02]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Party Labeling:
  • “You can really see a MAGA person because they'll never use the word Democratic Party. They'll always use the word Democrat Party.” (Victor Davis Hanson, 09:47)
• On Progressive Intolerance:
  • “As soon as you buck the Democratic Party, then their inner racism comes out and their inner homophobia comes out.” (VDH, 13:19)
• On American Government:
  • “We’re more Roman than Greek. We saw what the Greeks do when there’s no guardrails...So they created...a Senate and tribunal, assemblies...It was impossible for somebody to aggregate all that power. And that was the lesson of the Roman republic.” (VDH, 45:58)
• On Why Dems Now Praise Biden:
  • “We didn’t remove him because he was bad...We had a coup, basically, we ran the government. It was wonderful.” (VDH, 62:48)
• On Urban Voting Patterns:
  • “It's fewer conservatives...so they're splitting the anti-Socialist vote...so you're going to get a Communist.” (VDH, 86:00)
• On the Nature of Modern Progressive Politics:
  • “They act left wing and utopian and tolerant to suppress this inner uneasiness with the other.” (VDH, 13:51)
• On Global Populist Trends:
  • “He’s had enormous influence because he’s common sense and it's working…they’re gnashing their teeth.” (VDH, 73:29)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [04:26] – In-depth discussion of gerrymandering and rhetorical games in naming parties
• [13:19] – Bari Weiss, apostasy, and identity politics in the Democratic Party
• [18:09] – “The feminization” of the Democratic Party, gynocracy, and internal shifts
• [29:27] – History of university radicalism, French postmodern influence, and classical studies
• [45:14] – Founding Fathers & classical influence on American government
• [62:48] – Why Dems are now praising Biden, Trump/Biden comparison
• [71:13] – Latin America, populist wave, Milei, and Trump’s influence
• [79:02] – US policy towards Venezuela/Colombia, drug interdiction
• [81:55–89:45] – Urban candidate selection, nihilism, and the NYC mayoral race

Summary Takeaways

• Dems’ sudden praise for Biden is political cover; they orchestrated his removal but need to protect the party’s image.
• The Democratic coalition is increasingly dominated by activists and "projectionist" politics—accusing others of faults they themselves possess.
• America’s unique constitutional order is under pressure from progressive delegitimation and legal activism, while its roots in classical learning are endangered by radical academic trends.
• Populist and nationalist leaders are rising globally, often following the example of Trump-era policy, as backlash to leftist globalism.
• Urban politics is breaking down, leaving voters with poor options due to demographic shifts and fractured party infrastructures.
• Underlying much of this is a public mood of populist anger, identity conflict, and nihilistic voting patterns.

For further context, listeners are encouraged to explore Victor Davis Hanson’s written work and podcast archives at victorhanson.com and follow his commentary on social media.