The Mona Charen Show

Latest Episodes:

Trump's Tariffs Trashed the Economy. Why Won't We Say That? (w/ Matt Bennett) May 09, 2026

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Mona Charen spoke with Matt Bennett of Third Way for a diagnosis of where the Democratic Party actually stands: a brand stuck at 28% approval, an immigration message that still hasn't landed, the Hasan Piker debate, a Supreme Court that just made gerrymandering easier, and a tariff-driven economic crisis that Democrats inexplicably won't run on.

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ON SALE NOW: Bulwark Live is coming to San Diego on May 20 and Los Angeles on May 21. Just announced! We’re adding some chatty friends to the lineups for both shows. Grab your seats now to join Sarah, Tim and Sam for an evening of politics among friends and keep an eye on https://TheBulwark.com/Events for more announcements.

Trump's War on the Enlightenment (w/ Steven Pinker) | Mona Charen Show May 04, 2026

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Steven Pinker joins Mona Charen to discuss why the world is improving in ways most people don’t recognize—and why so many still believe everything is falling apart. They explore the case for Enlightenment values like reason, science, and liberal democracy, the growing backlash from both the left and MAGA world, and how media and human psychology fuel constant pessimism.

Head to https://Quince.com/MONA for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too.

Orbán Rigged the Game—and Still Lost! (w/ Dalibor Rohac) Apr 27, 2026

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AEI’s Dalibor Rohac analyzes Hungary’s stunning rebuke of Orbán and implications for other democratic nations.

A Beautiful Victory in Hungary Apr 20, 2026

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Mona brings the Beg to Differ panel back for a reunion. They address Orban, Iran, Democrats, and Trump as Jesus—among much else.

A 250-Foot Monument to Trump's Ego (w/ Philip Kennicott) Apr 13, 2026

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Washington Post architecture critic Philip Kennicott discusses Trump’s physical desecration of Washington DC.

Read more from Philip Kennicott: https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/2026/04/07/artemis-moon-trump-iran-war/

Confronting Anti-Semitism, Left and Right (w/ David Frum) Apr 06, 2026

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David Frum analyzes the roots of both left and right-wing anti-Semitism and what it means for a liberal democracy.

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RFK's War on Vaccines Is a Political Loser Mar 30, 2026

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Jonathan Cohn joins Mona to discuss the growing public health crisis under RFK Jr.’s leadership at HHS. From vaccine rollbacks to misinformation about autism and common medications, they walk through how policy decisions are already affecting real people—and why diseases like measles are making a comeback.

They also look at the politics: internal pushback inside the Trump orbit, warning signs from polling, and whether any of this can be stopped before the damage spreads further.

DOGE Dumbed Down the Nation (w/ Jessica Riedl) Mar 23, 2026

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Brookings scholar Jessica Riedl analyzes the DOGE debacle and the failure of Americans to make grown up choices about spending and taxes.

Candace Owens Is Tearing MAGA Apart (w/ Will Sommer) Mar 16, 2026

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Will Sommer takes us on a tour of the groypers and other right wing influencers.

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Why Primaries Reward The Most Extreme Candidates (w/ Nick Troiano) Mar 09, 2026

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Mona Charen talks with Unite America’s Nick Troiano about the structural problem driving America’s political polarization: the primary system.

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