The Mona Charen Show

Latest Episodes:

How Badly Has Trump Botched the Iran War? (w/ Eric Edelman) Jul 19, 2026

Show notes

Mona Charen and Eric Edelman examine how Trump stumbled into the Iran war without a clear plan, alienated allies, strengthened Tehran's position, and left the United States looking weaker.

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code MONACHAREN at https://www.oneskin.co/MONACHAREN
#oneskinpod

Links mentioned in this episode:

Inside Israel’s Secret Operation to Cultivate Ahmadinejad
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/13/us/politics/israel-mahmoud-ahmadinejad-iran.html

US lacks scores of ambassadors in Africa
https://www.semafor.com/article/07/10/2026/us-lacks-scores-of-ambassadors-in-africa

Trump, Platner, and the Mistake America Keeps Making (w/ Will Saletan) Jul 09, 2026

Show notes

Democrats swore they'd never do what Republicans did with Trump. Then came Graham Platner. Mona Charen and Will Saletan on the fake oysterman, the vetting failure, and the death of shame—plus Trump's World Cup meddling and the loss Mona says America needed.

Make your summer wardrobe feel easier. Go to https://Quince.com/mona for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too.

A Belated Appreciation of John Adams Jul 05, 2026

Show notes

Mona Charen is joined by historian Lindsay Chervinsky—executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library—for the Bulwark Book Club, discussing her book Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic. They cover Adams's besieged first days in office, a cabinet secretly loyal to Alexander Hamilton, the mob of 10,000 outside the president's house, the Alien and Sedition Acts, Hamilton's plot to change the rules of the election of 1800—and how Adams invented the peaceful transfer of power by simply going home.

Buy the book: https://www.amazon.com/Making-Presidency-Precedents-Forged-Republic/dp/0197653847

This Reporter Calls Trump—And He Answers! (w/ Ed Luce) Jun 28, 2026

Show notes

Mona Charen and FT columnist Ed Luce dig into Giorgia Meloni's public dressing down of Trump, the UK's political chaos, and the fallout from Trump's Iran war—including the case that the U.S. is now paying Iran reparations and Israel is boxed into an impossible corner. Plus: Luce's surreal Sunday phone calls with Trump himself.

Upcoming: Mona will interview presidential historian Lindsay Chervinsky about her book, Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic.

Trump Bombed Iran—Then Gave It Everything It Wanted (w/ Andrew Fox) | Mona Charen Show Jun 21, 2026

Show notes

Mona Charen welcomes military analyst Andrew Fox for a conversation on Trump’s Iran ceasefire, whether America squandered its leverage against Tehran, the growing influence of Qatar and Turkey, Israel’s military and political mistakes, Hamas’s strategy in Gaza, and the battle over public opinion that could shape the future of the Middle East.

show notes:

Bulwark Book Club: Mona will interview presidential historian Lindsay Chervinsky about her book, “Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic.”

Book Club: “If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal” (w/ Mark Hertling) Jun 14, 2026

Show notes

On the inaugural Bulwark Book Club, Mark Hertling joins Mona Charen to discuss his new book—If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal—a journal he began during the Gulf War for his young sons in case he never returned home. Their conversation explores combat, leadership, moral injury, fatherhood, friendship, military culture, and what it means to live a life worthy of the sacrifices made by those who serve.

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code MONACHAREN at https://www.oneskin.co/MONACHAREN #oneskinpod

Buy Mark's book: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1966786727/?tag=bulwark08-20

Get a signed copy: https://www.ballastbooks.com/ballast-bookstore/if-i-dont-return

Trump's Tough-Guy Act Is Finally Falling Apart (w/ Will Saletan) Jun 07, 2026

Show notes

Mona Charon and Will Saletan on Texas's political earthquake: Paxton's shocking primary win, whether Democrat James Talarico can actually flip the state, the YOLO Republicans finally speaking up too late, and what Bill Cassidy's post-loss laugh tells you about everything.

Elevate your summer wardrobe: go to https://Quince.com/mona for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too.

Trump's Staggering Corruption Is Finally Catching Up to Him (w/ Jonathan Chait) May 31, 2026

Show notes

Jonathan Chait of The Atlantic joins Mona to discuss the incredible scope and scale of Trump’s corruption—from the $4 billion the Trump family has added to its net worth since January 2025, to the $1.776 billion “weaponization” slush fund, to the dozens of DOJ officials who quit rather than follow corrupt orders. They trace how a century of progressive-era reforms that kept American government relatively clean is being systematically dismantled, and why the mafia-style loyalty-and-punishment logic now governing federal law enforcement is more authoritarian than merely corrupt. Plus: are Senate Republicans finally showing a spine? And is the Democratic Party’s new obsession with monopolies as the root of all evil a winning strategy—or a trap?

Make laundry day the best day of the week! Get 20% off your entire order @LaundrySauce with code MONA at https://laundrysauce.com/MONA #laundrysaucepod

Read Jonathan’s article on the $1.8 billion slush fund: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/05/trump-anti-weaponization-fund-january-6/687215/

Read Mona’s article on Trump’s corruption: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/how-corrupt-is-trump-here-are-the-numbers-trades-chips-nvidia-pardons-settlement-fund

Danielle Crittenden on Losing Her Daughter May 24, 2026

Show notes

Mona Charen is joined by her dear friend Danielle Crittenden for a powerful and honest discussion about the journey that led Danielle to write a book titled Dispatches from Grief. Danielle’s daughter died suddenly in early 2024 at the age of 32. Mona and Danielle talk about the shock of the loss, the ongoing emotional and physical pain of grief, the power of religious rituals and how eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) has helped with Danielle’s healing.

Show notes:

Danielle’s book Dispatches From Grief: A Mother’s Journey Through The Unimaginable

We know so many of you love reading, so we are excited to share with you that we are starting a monthly book club with Mona Charen.

Mona’s first pick: retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling’s book, If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal.

Join the conversation! Drop your questions or comments about the book for Mona to explore with Gen. Hertling here. We’ll pin this post to the top of The Mona Charen Show page on the site.

Programming note: June 8 at 7pm EDT, Mona will interview retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling about his new book If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal live on Substack. Watch your inbox for details.

What Can 'A Man for All Seasons' Tell Us About Today? May 16, 2026

Show notes

A Man for All Seasons is one of cinema's great moral arguments—six Oscars, a cast of legends, and a story about conscience under autocracy that feels more relevant than ever. Mona Charen and Sonny Bunch dig into why this 1966 film became a touchstone for conservative intellectuals, what it says about people who preach virtue and then fold when it counts, and why Robert Bolt—a leftist—wrote the right's favorite movie. Plus: the rule of law, the seduction of power, and what it means to stand fast even when it costs you everything.

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code MONACHAREN at https://www.oneskin.co/MONACHAREN #oneskinpod

Watch 'A Man for All Seasons' free on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9BbfoBeXB4

Watch 'A Man for All Seasons' free on The Roku Channel: https://therokuchannel.roku.com/watch/414b53b36b4c5b01b5fae4c1d7eb8e9d?source=google

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected