20 Mar 2026
1h 20m

Naomi Klein on Trumpism and Our Age of ‘Unlikely Bedfellows’

Podcast cover

The Ezra Klein Show

The conversation explores Naomi Klein's book "Doppelganger," which examines the phenomenon of mirror worlds and the shifting political landscape, particularly the rise of a new MAGA right. Klein discusses how the pandemic scrambled traditional political coordinates, leading to unexpected alliances and the allure of this "mirror world." The discussion touches on the concept of personal branding, the erosion of anti-consumer politics, and the role of social media in shaping perceptions. Klein and Klein analyze the appeal of figures like Naomi Wolf and RFK Jr. to this coalition, as well as the underlying anxieties about loss of control, economic insecurity, and the future of humanity in the face of technological advancements like AI. The conversation also explores the potential for a diagonalism on the left.

Outlines

Part 1: The Doppelganger Effect

Part 2: The Descent into Conspiracy

Part 3: Power, Impunity, and Fascism

Part 4: Diagonalism and Institutional Distrust

Part 5: The Technological Frontier

Part 6: Reclaiming the Narrative

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