The Lincoln Project

The Lincoln Project started as a group of Republican strategists and operatives who broke with their party over Donald Trump, and the podcast extends that mission into long-form audio. Rick Wilson serves as the primary host, joined by co-founder Reed Galen, with episodes dropping twice a week and running anywhere from 34 to 82 minutes. Wilson is a longtime Republican media consultant who knows how to construct a political message, and that skill translates directly to the podcast. He is blunt, often profane, and completely uninterested in diplomatic hedging. The show features interviews with political figures and cultural commentators alongside Wilson's standalone commentary segments called "Elephant in the Room." The guest roster tends toward people who share the show's pro-democracy, anti-authoritarian perspective. The Lincoln Project earned its reputation through devastatingly effective political ads, and the podcast carries that same combative energy. Wilson says the things other commentators think but will not say out loud, which makes the show compelling even when you think he is being unfair. The tradeoff is that ad density runs high -- multiple listeners have noted frequent commercial breaks -- which can disrupt the flow. With 570 episodes, a 4.6 rating, and nearly 9,000 reviews, the audience has remained substantial. If you want political commentary delivered with the intensity of someone who genuinely believes democracy is on the line, this show delivers that urgency consistently.