After securing the Republican presidential nomination, Donald Trump faced Hillary Clinton in the 2016 general election. And he spent the entire campaign apparently destroying what little chance he had at victory through gaffes, missteps, and controversies, culminating with the infamous Access Hollywood tape. But, it turned out, none of that mattered. After analyzing Trump's victory, we give a broad overview of the Trump presidency, and end with a review of the series as a whole, focusing on what we should take away from the events of 2016 and how they can help us understand our world today.

0:00 - Intro

1:52 - The Democrats

5:33 - I'm With Her

14:05 - The Results

23:36 - The "Resistance"

29:17 - 2017-2018: Welcome to TrumpLand

42:24 -2019-2020: Meltdown

52:49 - Review: Why Trump? What Now?

After the Florida primary, as Trump's delegate lead grew larger and larger, and as his remaining opponents Ted Cruz and John Kasich refused to work together, it became increasingly obvious that Trump was going to win the nomination. In response, Republicans had to figure out what to do: would they cling to the dwindling hopes of stopping Trump, abandon their party to oppose him even if he was nominated, or set aside their qualms and support Trump for president?

0:00 - Intro

1:40 - Wisconsin: Never-Trump Regroups, Things Get Personal

9:08 - April: The Northeast Speaks

18:50 - Indiana: Bathroom Bills Redux vs. The Carrier Plant

28:39 - Joiners

40:41 - Spoilers and Stoppers

As Donald Trump came closer and closer to the nomination, his rallies grew more and more violent and his rhetoric more and more aggressive. In response, people began asking a frightening question: is Trump a fascist? This episode is about this question, examining the 2016 Trump campaign through the lens of historic fascist movements.

0:00 - Intro

2:33 - The Alt-Right and Trump's Announcement (June, 2015)

8:27 - The Rhetoric and the Rallies (July-October, 2015)

15:08 - The Scapegoats and the Protesters (November-December, 2015)

22:08 - Violence and the Chicago Rally (January-March, 2015)

31:10 - If It Happened Here...

35:47 - ...But Here's Why It Didn't

44:32 - Why The Question Matters

After the dramatic nailbiters of Iowa and New Hampshire, Donald Trump reminded everyone that he was, in fact, the frontrunner. From mid-February to mid-March, he racked up a stunning series of victories against his divided opposition. In response, the candidates, donors, and power brokers of the Republican party attempted to unite against him. Meanwhile, John Kasich has a good time.

0:00 - Intro

1:27 - South Carolina: Donald Trump vs. George W. Bush and the Pope

11:05 - Nevada: Oh Right, Trump's the Frontrunner

15:09 - Little Marco and Big Chris

21:48 - Super Tuesday

28:27 - Never Trump vs. Only Cruz

37:55 - Florida: Winner Take All

As 2015 turned to 2016, and the candidates looked ahead to the Iowa Caucus and New Hampshire Primary, the candidates finally threw everything they had at each other. In Iowa, Ted Cruz fought to break Donald Trump's hold on the conservative grassroots, igniting a drawn-out struggle over who better represented conservatism: a religiously devout Tea Party Senator, or an irreverent celebrity businessman. And in New Hampshire, Marco Rubio fought to unite the Establishment behind his campaign, out-matching his Establishment opponents at nearly every turn. But he can only succeed if he makes it to New Hampshire without any...Glitches.

0:00 - Intro

1:45 - Tension

13:45 - Explosion

22:19 - Cruz vs. Trump

28:08 - Iowa

34:23 - The Eighth Debate and the Glitch

40:47 - New Hampshire

In November and December of 2015, the Paris and San Bernardino terror attacks immediately redefined the 2016 Republican primary. Candidates now had to prove they had what it took to be commander in chief in a world that felt more dangerous than ever. Many expected that this would be the end for nontraditional candidates like Ben Carson and Donald Trump, who voters might enjoy seeing on TV but clearly couldn't be trusted with the nuclear codes. But for Trump, the opposite was the case; after the attacks, he only rose in the polls. We examine why, focusing on how Trump managed to resurrect the decades-old legacy of Republican Isolationism.

0:00 - Republican Isolationism from Robert Taft to Donald Trump

11:58 - "Jeb Can Fix It"; Carson Stumbles

18:52 - Paris

27:29 - San Bernardino

35:58 - The Fifth Debate: A Stage of Isolationists

42:51 - Review

After focusing on Trump, now it's time to focus on the rest of the field--how did they respond to the new frontrunner? Some tried to directly attack Trump, calling him a hypocrite, a moron, a sexist, and a phony Republican. Others tried to indirectly undermine Trump by refocusing attention on religious culture war issues. And others tried to ignore him and hope he went away on his own.

0:00 - Intro

1:42 - August: Low-Energy Jeb and Phony Scott Walker

9:51 - September: Ben Carson and the Pharisees

19:14 - Carly Fiorina and the Second Debate

23:28 - October: Bush, Walker, and Fiorina Hit the Wall

34:00 - Cruz, Rubio, and the Third Debate

39:33 - Review

Conventional wisdom holds that Trump won in 2016 because the party never united against him. That's generally true. But from late July to early August, two of the most influential power centers in Republican politics--the Koch Brothers and Fox News--each wielded their considerable might to attempt to stop the Trump campaign. This episode is about those efforts, and why they failed.

0:00 - Intro

1:32 - The Koch Brothers and their Puppets

9:41 - Debate Night

21:21 - Donald Trump vs. Crazy Megyn

27:36 - Why They Failed