Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
“I don’t think the Republican party is a traditional American political party now. I think it’s an extremist movement.”
It’s a bizarre timeline: ICE murders, endless wars, the Epstein files, and a president hellbent on staying in power. The worst part? The entire Republican party seems to stand behind Trump as he hauls the country toward fascism. But, is it true? Is there any hint of normalcy left in the U.S. political system, or are we doomed for autocracy?
Stuart Stevens worked for George W. Bush and Mitt Romney. The former Republican strategist and Lincoln Project adviser joins Zeteo’s John Harwood to answer that question.
*This was a Substack Live conversation where Zeteo subscribers could tune in and ask questions, released exclusively to paid Zeteo.com subscribers on July 15, 2026. Consider subscribing to our website as a paid subscriber to unlock all premium content like this from Zeteo:* zeteo.com/subscribe
Watch the full, wide-ranging discussion above to hear Stevens and Harwood perform an autopsy of American conservatism, discuss why Stevens thinks “race is the original sin of the modern Republican Party,” and break down what it would take for a Democrat to win the 2028 election.
Chapters
0:00 ‘I was wrong’ about Trump
5:00 Could non-MAGA Republicans peel away?
8:09 GOP failures
13:34 Campaigning against Trump
22:40 2028 Democratic nominee?
35:28 A new party?
#news #us #trump
Subscribe to Zeteo to support independent and unfiltered journalism: zeteo.com/subscribe
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Find Mehdi:
Substack: substack.com/@mehdirhasan
Twitter: twitter.com/@mehdirhasan
Instagram: instagram.com/@mehdirhasan
Tik Tok: tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan
To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit
advertising.libsyn.com/network/Zeteo
“I don’t think the Republican party is a traditional American political party now. I think it’s an extremist movement.”
It’s a bizarre timeline: ICE murders, endless wars, the Epstein files, and a president hellbent on staying in power. The worst part? The entire Republican party seems to stand behind Trump as he hauls the country toward fascism. But, is it true? Is there any hint of normalcy left in the U.S. political system, or are we doomed for autocracy?
Stuart Stevens worked for George W. Bush and Mitt Romney. The former Republican strategist and Lincoln Project adviser joins Zeteo’s John Harwood to answer that question.
*This was a Substack Live conversation where Zeteo subscribers could tune in and ask questions, released exclusively to paid Zeteo.com subscribers on July 15, 2026. Consider subscribing to our website as a paid subscriber to unlock all premium content like this from Zeteo:* zeteo.com/subscribe
Watch the full, wide-ranging discussion above to hear Stevens and Harwood perform an autopsy of American conservatism, discuss why Stevens thinks “race is the original sin of the modern Republican Party,” and break down what it would take for a Democrat to win the 2028 election.
Chapters
0:00 ‘I was wrong’ about Trump
5:00 Could non-MAGA Republicans peel away?
8:09 GOP failures
13:34 Campaigning against Trump
22:40 2028 Democratic nominee?
35:28 A new party?
#news #us #trump
Subscribe to Zeteo to support independent and unfiltered journalism: zeteo.com/subscribe
Find Zeteo:
Twitter: twitter.com/zeteo_news
Instagram: instagram.com/zeteonews
TikTok: tiktok.com/@zeteonews
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/zeteo.com
Find Mehdi:
Substack: substack.com/@mehdirhasan
Twitter: twitter.com/@mehdirhasan
Instagram: instagram.com/@mehdirhasan
Tik Tok: tiktok.com/@mehdirhasan
To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit
advertising.libsyn.com/network/Zeteo
