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Trump: Modern Caesar or Nixon 2.0? Democracy's Ultimate Test

clock9 min

Is America witnessing a strongman breaking the system or a rule-bender working within it? Drawing from Tom Holland's historical parallels and Diana Mutz's research on status threat, this episode examines how the 2024 Supreme Court immunity ruling reshapes presidential power in ways Nixon never imagined.

Trump: Modern Caesar or Nixon 2.0? Democracy's Ultimate Test
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How This Personalized Podcast Was Made

This podcast was created using BeFreed’s AI, based on selected books, the creator’s learning goals, and their preferred tone.

Local demographic changes and U.S. presidential voting, 2012 to 2016
link
https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1909202116
Trump orders federal workers back to office, weakens job protections
link
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-orders-federal-workers-back-office-full-time-2025-01-21/
Elite rhetoric can undermine democratic norms
link
https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2024125118
Being Nixon: A Man Divided
link
https://www.goodreads.com/work/editions/44848456-being-nixon-a-man-divided
The Lawfare Podcast
link
https://shows.acast.com/lawfare/episodes/the-tyranny-of-the-minority-with-steven-levitsky-and-daniel-
The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017–2021
link
https://www.goodreads.com/book/isbn/9780593082966
The Imperial Presidency
link
https://www.goodreads.com/work/editions/292450-the-imperial-presidency
Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce
link
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/restoring-accountability-to-policy-influencing-positions-within-the-federal-workforce/
Caesar: Life of a Colossus
link
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/60432.Caesar
Trump v. United States
link
https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/23-939
Status threat, not economic hardship, explains the 2016 presidential vote
link
https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1718155115
The Double-Edged Sword of Grandiose Narcissism: Implications for Successful and Unsuccessful Leadership Among U.S. Presidents
link
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0956797613491970
Modern Wisdom with Chris Williamson
link
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/675-niall-ferguson-the-shocking-lessons-of/id1347973549?i=1000626525136
Cultural Backlash: Trump, Brexit, and Authoritarian Populism
link
https://www.hks.harvard.edu/publications/cultural-backlash-trump-brexit-and-authoritarian-populism
The spread of true and false news online
link
https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.aap9559
Supreme Court says presidents have ‘absolute’ immunity for clearly official acts but no immunity for unofficial acts
link
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/01/trump-presidential-immunity-supreme-court/
TED Talk
link
https://www.ted.com/speakers/robb_willer
Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America
link
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Nixonland/Rick-Perlstein/9780743243032
2024 United States presidential election
link
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_United_States_presidential_election
How Democracies Die
link
https://www.befreed.ai/book/how-democracies-die-by-steven-levitsky
Huberman Lab
link
https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/controlling-your-dopamine-for-motivation-focus-and-satisfaction
Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present
link
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/53597796-strongmen
TED Talk
link
https://www.ted.com/talks/carole_cadwalladr_facebook_s_role_in_brexit_and_the_threat_to_democracy
The Roman Revolution
link
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/167913.The_Roman_Revolution
The Rest Is History
link
https://therestishistory.com/is-trump-caesar-or-nixon/
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Input question

Is Trump becoming more like Caesar or Nixon, and what does it mean for democracy?

Podcast Style
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"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

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"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

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"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

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117

"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

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"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum
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108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC
platform
comments
254
likes
17

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore
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"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

@Pitiful
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