Katherine Stewart on Christian Nationalism, Trump and the Fight for Democracy

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Two years ago, Katherine Stewart came on the show with a stark warning about the long campaign of Christian nationalism in the United States. A lot has happened since. As the US approaches the midterm elections, she returns to take stock: the changes, the corruption, the resistance, and what the next two years could bring, in America and well beyond it.

James Hodgson and Katherine discuss presidential overreach and what she calls the most lawless administration in American history, how the movement long predated Trump and will outlast him, the "persecution narrative" used to justify stripping away others' rights, the erosion of the separation of church and state, parallels with Reform UK and the European far right, and where the pockets of pro-democracy resistance really are.

"The aim is not about banning abortion. If they ban all abortions, they'll move on to the next thing. What they really want is to destroy democracy itself." — Katherine Stewart

About the guest

Katherine Stewart is an award-winning investigative journalist and author who has spent more than a decade reporting on the religious right and Christian nationalism. Her books are The Good News Club (2012), The Power Worshippers (2020), which inspired the documentary God & Country, and her latest, Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy (2025).

In this episode

Why Katherine calls this the most lawless administration in US history, and how the movement predates Trump and will outlast him

The "persecution narrative": how claiming victimhood is used to shield abuses and justify stripping away the rights of others

The international picture, from Viktor Orbán to Reform UK, the economics behind it, and where pro-democracy resistance is winning