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The Mona Charen Show

The Bulwark
Donald Trump
Republican Party
Kamala Harris
Democratic Party
Joe Biden
Ukraine
Trump Administration
Supreme Court
Israel
Nikki Haley
Russia
Democracy
2020 Election
NATO
Venezuela
Polarization
Covid-19
Immigration
JD Vance
Trump

After a great five year run on Beg to Differ, Mona Charen brings you a new show dedicated to deepening your understanding of complex issues and trends facing society. Each week she'll engage an expert for a probing discussion that goes past the day's headlines.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes277Founded7 years ago
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NewsNews CommentaryPolitics

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Artwork for The Mona Charen Show

Latest Episodes

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 demo... more

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

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

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

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

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Recent Guests

Dalibor Rohac
Dalibor Rohac, expert on European politics for AEI
American Enterprise Institute
Episode: Orbán Rigged the Game—and Still Lost! (w/ Dalibor Rohac)
Damon Linker
Writer of Notes from the Middle Ground
Brookings Institution / Wall Street Journal (panelist)
Episode: A Beautiful Victory in Hungary
Bill Galston
Senior fellow, commentator
Brookings Institution
Episode: A Beautiful Victory in Hungary
Linda Chavez
Vice Chair of Renewed Democracy Initiative; host of Older Wiser
Renewed Democracy Initiative
Episode: A Beautiful Victory in Hungary
Philip Kennicott
Arts and architecture critic, The Washington Post
The Washington Post
Episode: A 250-Foot Monument to Trump's Ego (w/ Philip Kennicott)
Jessica Riedl
Budget analyst par excellence and political commentator
Brookings Institution
Episode: DOGE Dumbed Down the Nation (w/ Jessica Riedl)
Will Sommer
Bulwark colleague, writes the False Flag newsletter
Bulwark
Episode: Candace Owens Is Tearing MAGA Apart (w/ Will Sommer)
Nick Troiano
Executive Director and Founder of Unite America
Unite America
Episode: Why Primaries Reward The Most Extreme Candidates (w/ Nick Troiano)
Alexander Cooley
Claire Toe Professor of Political Science at Barnard College; Senior Non-Resident Fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Barnard College; Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Episode: Kleptocrat-in-Chief (w/ Alexander Cooley & Daniel Nexon)

Host

Mona Charen
Host notably recognized for engaging and thoughtful discussions on societal issues, emphasizing the need for nuanced conversations in a combative political landscape.

Reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars from 1.6k ratings
  • Horrible People

    I join the growing crowd of people asking some variation of “What happened to Mona? Did she hit her head?”

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    WrigleyFieldMarshal
    United States2 months ago
  • Interesting conversations with guests worth hearing from

    I enjoy listening but the production is not well done. Ads start when the host and guests are mid-sentence. I’ve never heard a podcast with such a strange/sloppy production issue. It makes the content harder to listen to, which is a shame! I hope they can fix this.

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    Hummingbird414
    United States7 months ago
  • Essential, Superb

    A home for the politically homeless.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    lizofthenorth
    United States7 months ago
  • Overall positive, but...

    Smart, intelligent and insightful exchanges, would easily give five stars except...there are regularly snafus with audio quality.

    8/25 update: WAY too many commercials! Unlistenable…

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    bittybump
    United States8 months ago
  • Mamdani episode

    Great insights from the discussion with S. Dhume on several interesting topics. In particular, the history of failures of socialism. Hoping more people will become aware of this.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    GP San Diego
    United States9 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners appreciate the thoughtful analysis and intelligent discussions with well-informed guests.
Criticism is often directed towards production quality with mentions of audio issues and commercial breaks interrupting content unexpectedly.
The host is often described as providing a civil and respectful atmosphere for exploring divisive topics, with listeners valuing the depth of the conversations.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#200
Argentina/News/Politics
Apple Podcasts
#224
India/News/Politics

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Orbán Rigged the Game—and Still Lost! (w/ Dalibor Rohac)
Q: What does the election mean for Western democracies and the MAGA movement?
The guest argues that Hungary's defeat of Orbán weakens the magnetic example of the populist model for the US, suggesting that corruption accountability and rule-of-law concerns in Hungary offer a counter-narrative to liberal democratic decay, potentially dampening the MAGA-style appeal.
Orbán Rigged the Game—and Still Lost! (w/ Dalibor Rohac)
Q: How did Orbán consolidate power, and what were the key structural changes in Hungary's governance?
Rohac explains that Orbán used a constitutional majority to pass a new constitution, reformed electoral laws to entrench ruling parties, centralized media control through foundations, and created a system of loyalists across government, judiciary, and industry that extended his influence.
Confronting Anti-Semitism, Left and Right (w/ David Frum)
Q: You discuss the historical roots of anti-Semitism. How do medieval anti-Judaism and 19th-century racial anti-Semitism differ in terms of their appeal and impact?
Medieval anti-Judaism demanded a change of identity to be accepted, which allowed a potential path to coexistence if Jews assimilated or disappeared; 19th-century anti-Semitism framed Jews as an immutable biological category, arguing there could be no escape from their supposed essence, which entrenched hostility and made it harder for Jews to seek safety within society. The shift to racialized antisemitism amplified existential threats to Jewish people and to the state of Israel as a Jewish polity.
Confronting Anti-Semitism, Left and Right (w/ David Frum)
Q: Let's begin with distinguishing anti-Zionism from anti-Semitism. Can you explain how you see the difference in practice?
Criticism of Israel exists and can be legitimate, but when the critique escalates to denying the right of Jews to exist as a people or to a Jewish state, or when it targets Jews as a group rather than policies, it crosses into anti-Semitism. The distinction is nuanced and context matters, but there is a danger in allowing foundational hostility toward Jewish identity to surface under the banner of political critique.
DOGE Dumbed Down the Nation (w/ Jessica Riedl)
Q: What is the value of keeping the filibuster, and why is reconciliation not a cure-all for deficits?
The filibuster acts as a brake on partisan overreach, ensuring some level of bipartisanship for most bills. Reconciliation bypasses that brake but can turn into a vehicle for temptingly large, often unsustainable, policy changes that add to deficits over time, as history has shown.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About The Mona Charen Show

What is The Mona Charen Show about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Engaging deeply with the complexities of contemporary issues, this podcast features interviews with experts from various fields aimed at unpacking intricate topics that shape society today. The conversations often highlight the sociopolitical climate, emphasizing themes related to democracy, political polarization, healthcare, and cultural dynamics in the United States. Each episode is designed to provide listeners with a more profound understanding that transcends mere headlines, tackling thought-provoking questions surrounding governance, national identity, and humanitarian crises, making it a valuable resource for anyone interested in the intersection of politics and personal narratives.

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How many listeners does The Mona Charen Show get?

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Which podcasts are similar to The Mona Charen Show?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Mona Charen Show:

1. The Next Level
2. The Focus Group Podcast
3. To The Contrary with Charlie Sykes
4. The Illegal News with Sarah Longwell
5. Conversations with Bill Kristol

How many episodes of The Mona Charen Show are there?

The Mona Charen Show launched 7 years ago and published 277 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on The Mona Charen Show?

Recent guests on The Mona Charen Show include:

1. Dalibor Rohac
2. Damon Linker
3. Bill Galston
4. Linda Chavez
5. Philip Kennicott
6. Jessica Riedl
7. Will Sommer
8. Nick Troiano

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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