Lincoln Project Co-founder Rick Wilson talks to Joan Esposito, 9/18/24

WCPT 820 AM

Rick Wilson, co-founder of The Lincoln Project and host of "The Enemies List" and "The Breakdown with Rick Wilson," talks to Joan Esposito. He will be at Chicago's City Winery Sunday, September 22nd with Molly Jong-Fast for "Politics As Unusual." (Learn more: https://citywinery.com/chicago/events/politics-as-unusual-bhy50l) In the interview Wilson talks about his history in politics, which began in 1988 when he worked for George H.W. Bush and subsequently got involved in a series of high-profile Republican campaigns. In 2015, "when Donald Trump came down that escalator," Wilson said, "whatever part of my soul had been inactive flipped over and I said, 'I can't do this anymore; I cannot be a part of what I can see is going to happen when this guy takes power." Wilson then authored the books "Everything Trump Touches Dies" and "Running Against The Devil," and, in 2019, founded The Lincoln Project. Wilson also talked about the experience of being "swatted," which he called a "pretty terrifying experience, and that's part of what has become a real part of the MAGA culture is threats, intimidation, that kind of belief that they can do anything to anyone who opposes Trump and that it's OK and that people like me should be threatened with violence. That's the downside of working at The Lincoln Project is you've got to have a pretty thick skin because bad people are going to say terrible things, they're going to threaten your family. And it takes somebody tough to do it but I'm really proud to help lead a team of people who are going to stand on the front line against Trump until the very end." Wilson also talked about Donald Trump's "mastery" of projection, "assertively anti-intellectual populism," George W. Bush's silence in the 2024 presidential campaign, the value of political endorsements, and Senator J.D. Vance's role as Donald Trump's "meme candidate" running mate. Wilson said he knew Vance when Vance was anti-Trump and believes that the "gods of ambition are [now] so strong in [him] that he can't make himself be a truthful and honorable man." Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/wcpt820).