# The Authoritarian Playbook and the Power of Resistance

An episode of [The Mary Trump Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1785081636), 29 Oct 2026, 26 min.

Audio: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/APO4804764064.mp3

Mary Trump welcomes historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat to examine Donald Trump's attempts to influence elections, the growing international resistance to authoritarian politics, and what recent elections around the world reveal about the strength of democracy. Together, they explore how political movements challenge entrenched power and why informed civic engagement remains essential to protecting democratic institutions. Ruth Ben-Ghiat is a historian of authoritarianism, fascism, and political propaganda, a professor at New York University, and the author of Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present. Ruth's Substack: https://lucid.substack.com/ Please send comments/questions contact@marytrump-media.com Consider visiting MaryTrump.org and subscribing to my Substack: The Good in Us Mary Trump Media Store https://shop.marytrumpmedia.com/

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