Rina Shah: Principles over power
From Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode by EWG
April 7, 2026 · 48 min · Episode 60
About this episode
Rina Shah discusses her experiences and principles in politics, particularly in relation to Donald Trump and her family's history as Ugandan refugees.
What does it look like to stand on principle when everyone around you is playing it safe? In today’s episode, Ken sits down with Rina Shah, a political commentator, GOP strategist, geopolitical risk advisor and one of the most recognized Republican voices on national television. As a former senior Capitol Hill advisor and two-time presidential campaign chief spokesperson, Shah spent years appearing on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and nearly every major network covering politics and global affairs. But long before the television appearances and the op-eds, she was the daughter of a Ugandan refugee family that lost everything under the brutal dictatorship of Idi Amin. That experience shaped everything about how she sees leadership, power and democracy. Shah shares her family's remarkable story of survival, why she recognized the echoes of authoritarianism in President Donald Trump long before most were willing to say it out loud, and what it cost her to become the first elected Republican delegate to publicly challenge Trump’s nomination in 2016. A decade later, she's still a Republican, still speaking out, and still refusing to let the party she loves be defined by fear and silence.
People in this episode
Host: Ken Cook
Guest: Rina Shah
Topics covered
- politics
- leadership
- authoritarianism
- Republican party
- media
- personal story
Keywords
- Rina Shah
- political commentator
- GOP strategist
- authoritarianism
- Donald Trump
- Republican delegate
- Capitol Hill
- Ugandan refugee
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: CNN, MSNBC, Fox News
Places: Uganda, United States
More episodes of Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode
- How big oil hooked the world on plastic · June 2, 2026 · 50 min
- The vaccine lawyer suing RFK Jr. · May 19, 2026 · 38 min
- Pesticide protections in the crosshairs · May 5, 2026 · 1h 23m
- Doctor, doctor: How the Trump administration is making America sicker · April 21, 2026 · 40 min
- Democrats were MAHA before MAHA — Rep. Chellie Pingree unpacks the contradictions · March 24, 2026 · 39 min
- David A. Graham on Project 2025's assault on American government · March 10, 2026 · 36 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode podcast page.