The Mona Charen Show

Book Club: “If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal” (w/ Mark Hertling) 14.06.2026 1t 5min

On the inaugural Bulwark Book Club, Mark Hertling joins Mona Charen to discuss his new book—If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal—a journal he began during the Gulf War for his young sons in case he never returned home. Their conversation explores combat, leadership, moral injury, fatherhood, friendship, military culture, and what it means to live a life worthy of the sacrifices made by those who serve.Get 15% off OneSkin with the code MONACHAREN at https://www.oneskin.co/MONACHAREN #oneskinpodBuy Mark's book: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1966786727/?tag=bulwark08-20Get a signed copy: https://www.ballastbooks.com/ballast-bookstore/if-i-dont-return

Trump's Tough-Guy Act Is Finally Falling Apart (w/ Will Saletan) 07.06.2026 45min

Mona Charon and Will Saletan on Texas's political earthquake: Paxton's shocking primary win, whether Democrat James Talarico can actually flip the state, the YOLO Republicans finally speaking up too late, and what Bill Cassidy's post-loss laugh tells you about everything.Elevate your summer wardrobe: go to https://Quince.com/mona for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too.

Trump's Staggering Corruption Is Finally Catching Up to Him (w/ Jonathan Chait) 31.05.2026 55min

Jonathan Chait of The Atlantic joins Mona to discuss the incredible scope and scale of Trump’s corruption—from the $4 billion the Trump family has added to its net worth since January 2025, to the $1.776 billion “weaponization” slush fund, to the dozens of DOJ officials who quit rather than follow corrupt orders. They trace how a century of progressive-era reforms that kept American government relatively clean is being systematically dismantled, and why the mafia-style loyalty-and-punishment logic now governing federal law enforcement is more authoritarian than merely corrupt. Plus: are Senate Republicans finally showing a spine? And is the Democratic Party’s new obsession with monopolies as the root of all evil a winning strategy—or a trap?Make laundry day the best day of the week! Get 20% off your entire order @LaundrySauce with code MONA at https://laundrysauce.com/MONA #laundrysaucepodRead Jonathan’s article on the $1.8 billion slush fund: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/05/trump-anti-weaponization-fund-january-6/687215/Read Mona’s article on Trump’s corruption: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/how-corrupt-is-trump-here-are-the-numbers-trades-chips-nvidia-pardons-settlement-fund

Danielle Crittenden on Losing Her Daughter 24.05.2026 58min

Mona Charen is joined by her dear friend Danielle Crittenden for a powerful and honest discussion about the journey that led Danielle to write a book titled Dispatches from Grief. Danielle’s daughter died suddenly in early 2024 at the age of 32. Mona and Danielle talk about the shock of the loss, the ongoing emotional and physical pain of grief, the power of religious rituals and how eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) has helped with Danielle’s healing.Show notes:Danielle’s book Dispatches From Grief: A Mother’s Journey Through The UnimaginableWe know so many of you love reading, so we are excited to share with you that we are starting a monthly book club with Mona Charen.Mona’s first pick: retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling’s book, If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal.Join the conversation! Drop your questions or comments about the book for Mona to explore with Gen. Hertling here. We’ll pin this post to the top of The Mona Charen Show page on the site.Programming note: June 8 at 7pm EDT, Mona will interview retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling about his new book If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal live on Substack. Watch your inbox for details.

What Can 'A Man for All Seasons' Tell Us About Today? 16.05.2026 58min

A Man for All Seasons is one of cinema's great moral arguments—six Oscars, a cast of legends, and a story about conscience under autocracy that feels more relevant than ever. Mona Charen and Sonny Bunch dig into why this 1966 film became a touchstone for conservative intellectuals, what it says about people who preach virtue and then fold when it counts, and why Robert Bolt—a leftist—wrote the right's favorite movie. Plus: the rule of law, the seduction of power, and what it means to stand fast even when it costs you everything.Get 15% off OneSkin with the code MONACHAREN at https://www.oneskin.co/MONACHAREN #oneskinpodWatch 'A Man for All Seasons' free on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9BbfoBeXB4Watch 'A Man for All Seasons' free on The Roku Channel: https://therokuchannel.roku.com/watch/414b53b36b4c5b01b5fae4c1d7eb8e9d?source=google

Trump's Tariffs Trashed the Economy. Why Won't We Say That? (w/ Matt Bennett) 09.05.2026 47min

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.Refresh your everyday with luxury you'll actually use. Head to https://Quince.com/MONA for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too.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 04.05.2026 59min

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) 27.04.2026 49min

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

A Beautiful Victory in Hungary 20.04.2026 1t 25min

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) 13.04.2026 52min

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) 06.04.2026 1t

David Frum analyzes the roots of both left and right-wing anti-Semitism and what it means for a liberal democracy.Go to https://Quince.com/MONA for free shipping and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too!

RFK's War on Vaccines Is a Political Loser 30.03.2026 58min

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) 23.03.2026 43min

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) 16.03.2026 46min

Will Sommer takes us on a tour of the groypers and other right wing influencers.For a limited time, try OneSkin with 15% off using code MONA at https://oneskin.co/MONA.

Why Primaries Reward The Most Extreme Candidates (w/ Nick Troiano) 09.03.2026 41min

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

Tom Nichols: There Are 500 Ways This War Goes Wrong 03.03.2026 54min

In this emergency episode of The Mona Charen Show, Tom Nichols lays out the tremendous risks Trump has taken with Iran war.Go to https://Quince.com/MONA for free shipping and 365-day returns. That's a full year to wear it and love it. And you will.

Kleptocrat-in-Chief (w/ Alexander Cooley & Daniel Nexon) 01.03.2026 1t 3min

NOTE: This episode was recorded before the US/Israel attack on Iran.Two professors describe the staggering corruption Trump is normalizing and how it is affecting foreign policy. Alexander Cooley and Daniel Nexon join The Mona Charen Show to discuss their Foreign Affairs piece “The Age of Kleptocracy.” Go to https://Quince.com/MONA for free shipping and 365-day returns. That's a full year to wear it and love it. And you will.

Health in the Time of MAGA (w/ Atul Gawande) 23.02.2026 1t

Dr. Atul Gawande reports on what cuts to USAID are doing to the world’s most vulnerable, as well as how that is coming home. Also a look back at Covid and reflections on end of life care.

The Real Conflict is Between Decent and Indecent (w/ David French) 16.02.2026 51min

David French discusses culture wars morphing into hot wars, partisanship, and the idiocy of threatening Greenland.Get 15% off OneSkin with the code MONACHAREN at https://www.oneskin.co/MONACHAREN #oneskinpod

Why Minneapolis Gives Hope (w/ Peter Wehner) 09.02.2026 57min

Mona is joined by the Atlantic’s Peter Wehner to discuss the psychology of MAGA and why defeating them must be the precursor to depolarization.Wildgrain is offering $30 off your first box - PLUS free Croissantsfor life - when you go to https://Wildgrain.com/MONA to start your subscription today.