The Lincoln Project

For years, MAGA Inc. has sold America a fantasy: faith, family, values, and a steady stream of lectures about how everyone else is ruining the country. Then reality shows up with a crowbar. In this explosive episode, Shy Sotomayor tells the story of her alleged nine-year, on-again, off-again relationship with a man she says she eventually realized was Bryon Noem, husband of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and half of one of the Republican Party’s most aggressively marketed family-values power couples. Shy explains why she chose to come forward following the controversies surrounding Noem’s leadership at DHS and the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, the breadcrumbs she says led her to connect the dots, and the moment the entire picture snapped into focus. Rick Wilson digs into the allegations, the timeline, the hypocrisy, and the breathtaking gap between the moral sermons MAGA delivers to everyone else and the chaos that so often seems to be unfolding behind the curtain. Because in modern Republican politics, the loudest people preaching virtue always seem to end up starring in the messiest episodes. Grab some popcorn—this one has enough irony to power the electrical grid.
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You can find Shy Sotomayor on social media: 
X: @raelynnrileyxx
Instagram: xxtinyrainestormxx
TikTok:TinyRaineStorm 
Facebook: Shy Raine Sotomayor
Rick Wilson is on X at @TheRickWilson, on Bluesky at @TheRickWilson.bsky.social, and you can check out Rick's Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. You can check out more of LP's work at www.lincolnproject.us and on X at @ProjectLincoln.

The 2026 midterms are already coming into focus, and Republicans should be nervous. This week, Rick Wilson looks at what California and Iowa are telling us about November: voters care about the economy, affordability, and real-life issues—not the culture-war nonsense that dominates cable news. If Democrats can stay focused and resist the urge to wander off-message, they have a genuine opportunity to reshape the political map. Meanwhile, the MAGA movement is entering its succession-war phase. Trump's elevation of Bill Pulte is a flashing warning sign that the loyalist bench is running thin, while JD Vance and Marco Rubio battle to become heir to the MAGA throne. What follows when an authoritarian movement runs out of talent? Infighting, chaos, and a race to see who can flatter Dear Leader the hardest. The 2028 campaign has already begun—and the clown car is leaking oil.
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Rick Wilson is on X at @TheRickWilson, on Bluesky at @TheRickWilson.bsky.social, and you can check out Rick's Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. You can check out more of LP's work at www.lincolnproject.us and on X at @ProjectLincoln.

Rich Logis once defended Trump. Now he's helping people leave MAGA behind. On this episode of The Lincoln Project Podcast, Rick Wilson sits down with the founder of Leaving MAGA to discuss the growing number of former Trump supporters who have simply had enough. From the Epstein scandal to the fallout from Trump's tariffs and the chaos surrounding Iran, the excuses are getting harder to make and the consequences are getting harder to ignore. Rich explains what finally broke the spell for him, why more Republicans are questioning Trump than ever before, and whether we're witnessing the beginning of a real MAGA crackup. When reality starts showing up with receipts, even the most loyal believers have to make a choice.
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You can find Rich Logis on X @PerfectOurUnion, and Leaving MAGA on X @LeavingMAGA, on X. Go to https://LeavingMAGA.org for more information about the Leaving MAGA movement. 
Rick Wilson is on X at @TheRickWilson, on Bluesky at @TheRickWilson.bsky.social, and you can check out Rick's Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. You can check out more of LP's work at www.lincolnproject.us and on X at @ProjectLincoln.
#Trump #MAGA #LeavingMAGA #RichLogis #RickWilson #LincolnProject #DonaldTrump #Epstein #Tariffs #Iran #Politics #PoliticalPodcast #Republicans #TrumpVoters #Election2026 #NeverTrump #PoliticalNews #CurrentEvents #Democracy #Podcast

Trump wanted a golden age. Instead, he delivered a golden vanity project. This week’s Elephant in the Room is the accelerating collapse of the Trump presidency—politically, economically, and culturally. As Americans grapple with a struggling economy, rising corruption, and growing incompetence at the highest levels of government, Trump seems more focused on building monuments to himself, expanding his ballroom, and feeding his endless need for attention than solving the problems facing the country. Meanwhile, his much-hyped foreign policy swagger has run headfirst into reality, exposing weakness on the world stage and leaving allies and adversaries alike questioning America’s leadership. Rick breaks down how Trump’s obsession with self-glorification, personal enrichment, and grievance politics is colliding with voter fatigue, economic anxiety, and a growing sense that the emperor isn’t just naked—he’s out of ideas. The cracks are widening, the excuses are running thin, and more Americans are asking a simple question: is this all there is?
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Rick Wilson is on X at @TheRickWilson, on Bluesky at @TheRickWilson.bsky.social, and you can check out Rick's Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. You can check out more of LP's work at www.lincolnproject.us and on X at @ProjectLincoln.

While Washington melts down in a fog of billionaire grifters, culture-war addicts, and broken-brain politics, the real fight for America is happening at backyard parties, dance halls, and quinceañeras across South Texas. In this episode, Rick sits down with legendary Tejano musician and Texas congressional candidate Bobby Pulido to talk about the Rio Grande Valley, working-class families, quinceañera campaign stops, and why authenticity still matters in politics. Then we revisit Rick’s conversation with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, whose ability to connect with voters feels almost extinct in modern American politics. From economic anxiety and cultural identity to the chaos consuming the country, this episode is about the people still fighting to meet voters where they actually live — not where consultants think they live. Texas politics, Latino voters, Tejano culture, the Rio Grande Valley, working-class America, and the battle for the future of the country — all in one explosive conversation.
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Support Bobby Pulido’s campaign for Congress at https://bobbypulidofortexas.com, and keep up with his campaign on socials @PulidoForTexas.
You can find information about James Talarico’s campaign for Senate at https://jamestalarico.com, and follow him on social media @jamestalarico. 
Rick Wilson is on X at @TheRickWilson, on Bluesky at @TheRickWilson.bsky.social, and you can check out Rick's Substack at therickwilson.substack.com. You can check out more of LP's work at www.lincolnproject.us and on X at @ProjectLincoln.