The Far-Right Algorithm: Anti-Churchill, Anti-West

About this episode

David Frum discusses Trump's comments on Iran and the fixation of right-wing podcasters on Winston Churchill with historian Lord Andrew Roberts.

On this week’s episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum opens with his thoughts on President Trump’s recent comments that appear to show a desire to back away from his war in Iran. David argues that Trump is comfortable as a “wartime” president as long as the enemy is American Democrats, and then he compares the president’s rhetoric about Iran with his rhetoric about his fellow Americans. Then, David is joined by the historian and journalist Lord Andrew Roberts to discuss why right-wing podcasters seem so fixated on insisting that Winston Churchill was the villain of the Second World War. Frum and Lord Roberts discuss the origins of pseudo-historians and why they appeal so much to the American right. Finally, David ends the episode with a discussion of the novel “Burr,” by Gore Vidal, and the relationship between art and morality. Sign up for David Frum’s newsletter alert. Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Atlantic subscribers also get access to exclusive subscriber audio in…

People in this episode

Host: David Frum

Guest: Lord Andrew Roberts

Topics covered

• Trump's comments
• Winston Churchill
• right-wing podcasters
• pseudo-historians
• art and morality

Keywords

• Trump
• Iran
• Winston Churchill
• right-wing
• pseudo-historians
• Gore Vidal
• art
• morality

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Atlantic

Places: Iran

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