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ruthbenghiat.bsky.social
Ruth Ben-Ghiat
@ruthbenghiat.bsky.social
310K followers 1.2K following 380 posts
Historian; Author, NYT Bestseller Strongmen; Publisher, Lucid, a Substack newsletter on authoritarianism and threats to democracy; Film & TV Consultant
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ruthbenghiat.bsky.social
My book #Strongmen turns 5 today! The paperback edition, with a new epilogue on January 6, is now 4. The book built a large readership gradually and became a New York Times bestseller in Nov. 2024. Thank you to all who read it and share its warnings about what such leaders do to societies.
November 10, 2025 at 8:04 PM
ruthbenghiat.bsky.social
How the shutdown relates to autocracy. For the tyrant Congress and Parliament are expendable. I am the only one that matters Trump tells us. We deserve good governance and leaders who care about our welfare.
November 8, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Reposted by Ruth Ben-Ghiat
realsporkman.bsky.social
"Instead of toilet paper we were given pages from books by writers and philosophers to use. The secret police wanted to show their contempt for ideas."

-- @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social , "Strongmen: Mussolini to the present"
November 7, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Reposted by Ruth Ben-Ghiat
earleboxer.bsky.social
An incredible and prescient analysis by @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social of how our situation harkens back to autocrats past ...

open.substack.com/pub/lucid/p/...
"Both Sane and Insane": Autocratic Visions of Governance, and Chaos as a Strategy
Plus gratitude practice and a discount on paying subscriptions as a thank you
open.substack.com
November 6, 2025 at 2:52 AM
ruthbenghiat.bsky.social
Live from the Zohran victory party
November 5, 2025 at 3:09 AM
Reposted by Ruth Ben-Ghiat
wrtheuer.bsky.social
Moral leadership isn't public consensus, or found in institutions. It's created by singular individuals, whose perspectives may conflict with popular values.

Moral adaptibility, is useful.
Speak softly, carry heavy.

@ruthbenghiat.bsky.social
November 3, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Reposted by Ruth Ben-Ghiat
wajali.bsky.social
On Election Day, Nov 4, The Left Hook is rolling out an awesome lineup!

3 pm ET: @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social

4 pm ET: @levparnas.bsky.social

5 pm ET: @hannahgais.bsky.social

Join us! No paywalls.

Thelefthook.substack.com
The Left Hook with Wajahat Ali | Substack
A political, cultural, and intellectual playground for the rest of us with writer Wajahat Ali. Click to read The Left Hook with Wajahat Ali, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscriber...
Thelefthook.substack.com
November 3, 2025 at 10:16 PM
ruthbenghiat.bsky.social
Resistance means using all the tools and spaces you have for peaceful opposition. My latest video.
October 31, 2025 at 1:26 PM
ruthbenghiat.bsky.social
A moving essay by @mollymckew.bsky.social www.greatpower.us/p/the-sacred...
The sacred American spaces desecrated by the American president
The American faithful must find their voice if the divine American idea is to survive
www.greatpower.us
October 30, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Reposted by Ruth Ben-Ghiat
fromagehomme.bsky.social
🤩Super excited that Le Monde have published a summary of our piece for @JoDemocracy on the "Myth of Democratic Resillience", with a stronger focus on the implications for Latin America 🤩

This version is for Spanish speakers out there ...

www.eldiplo.org/notas-web/el...
El impacto duradero de un gobierno de vocación autoritaria – El Dipló
www.eldiplo.org
October 28, 2025 at 5:44 PM
ruthbenghiat.bsky.social
Inevitable and tracks with the cycles of regimes
reichlinmelnick.bsky.social Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 13d
🚨BIG changes happening -- ICE leadership is being purged tonight. The old guard, which prioritized targeted enforcement operations aimed at people with criminal records, is being replaced with Border Patrol and Gregory Bovino's "Midway Blitz" style.

Think things are bad now? It'll get worse.
Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_ BREAKING: Per four senior DHS & Trump admin sources, a mass removal of ICE leadership around the country is underway, with up to 12 ICE field office chiefs being removed & reassigned in an effort to increase deportation numbers. I'm told the move is spearheaded by Corey Lewandowski, and a handful of the ICE Chiefs will likely be replaced by Border Patrol & CBP officials, some of whom will be hand-picked by aggressive & controversial Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino. I'm told some of the ICE leadership removed from their positions include the ICE Field Office Directors in: - Los Angeles - Phoenix - Philadelphia - Denver - El Paso - San Diego - Seattle/Portland - New Orleans Border Patrol officials taking over ICE leadership positions would be extremely significant, as Border Patrol and ICE do different things, and I've done numerous ride-alongs/embeds with both. Generally speaking, ICE typically conducts very targeted operations, largely going after criminal illegal aliens or those with deportation orders, but almost always knowing who they are targeting for arrest, often conducting surveillance to learn their schedules before and waiting hours before arresting them if needed. Border Patrol, under Trump 2.0, while sometimes doing their own targeted operations, has been extremely aggressive and has been at the forefront of some of the most controversial immigration enforcement operations we've seen so far, carrying out roving patrols in Los Angeles, Chicago, etc, often at Home Depot, car washes, flea markets etc, leading to a handful of federal judges around the country issuing injunctions against them. A majority of the viral videos you see online are Border Patrol agents, including the use of a Trojan horse style Penske moving truck at a Los Angeles Home Depot, an operation organized by Bovino. ICE often gets blamed for what Border Patrol does, as the media and activists often cannot tell the difference between federal agents, and everyone is called "ICE". I'm told there are growing concerns about the political and PR fallout associated with some of the roving patrols Border Patrol is conducting as lawsuits continue to stack up and mid-terms approach next year. I'm told there is significant friction within different wings of DHS and the administration, with Border Czar Tom Homan & ICE Director Todd Lyons preferring to prioritize targeting criminal aliens & the "worst of the worst" or those with deportation orders, while DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Corey Lewandowski, and BP Commander Bovino prefer to use aggressive tactics to arrest anyone in the US illegally, including but not limited to criminals, to ramp up deportation numbers and achieve President Trump's promises of mass deportations. I am hearing from both sides of this friction. One senior DHS official tells me: "ICE started with the worst of the worst, knowing every target they are hitting, but since Border Patrol started in LA in June, we've (DHS) lost our focus, going too hard, too fast, with limited prioritization. It's getting numbers, but at what cost?". Border Patrol agents I've talked to defend their tactics, with one telling me: "What did everyone think mass deportations meant? Only the worst? Tom Homan has said it himself, anyone in the US illegally is on the table." It's quite a situation, as both sides of this are on the same team, with the same end goals, but different perspectives on how to get there. Another DHS official confirmed the personnel changes to me on deep background, adding that the moves are based on performance and doing what is needed to achieve the best results. Official statement to @FoxNews via @TriciaOhio : "While we have no personnel changes to announce at this time, the Trump Administration remains laser focused on delivering results and removing violent criminal illegal aliens from this country." 7:57 PM · Oct 27, 2025 · 29.6K Views
October 28, 2025 at 3:24 AM
ruthbenghiat.bsky.social
That's the authoritarian dream
thetnholler.bsky.social The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 15d
Congress basically doesn’t exist at this point
October 25, 2025 at 11:49 PM
Reposted by Ruth Ben-Ghiat
wajali.bsky.social
Always told liberals Bill Maher was a racist piece of shit, especially against Muslims and Arabs, and we were ignored for years.

www.yahoo.com/news/article...
Bill Maher Slams Mamdani And Endorses Cuomo But Admits 'Maybe He Was A Little Too Handsy'
The "Real Time" host also said Zohran Mamdani was born in a country "where they kill homosexuals" and brought up the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
www.yahoo.com
October 25, 2025 at 11:49 PM
ruthbenghiat.bsky.social
Bannon says Tr*ump is acting as a vehicle of divine providence. This is an old authoritarian propaganda theme.
October 24, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Reposted by Ruth Ben-Ghiat
amandalitman.bsky.social
From last night: How @runforsomething.net's plan to expand the map will actually work, why Schumer doesn't get a say in where we invest, and why it matters to create many paths to victory in the next five years. www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D_d...
Run for Something’s plan to expand the map
YouTube video by Amanda Litman
www.youtube.com
October 21, 2025 at 1:17 PM
ruthbenghiat.bsky.social
It's an amazing book. Congratulations to @joycevance.bsky.social!
joycewhitevance.bsky.social Joyce White Vance @joycewhitevance.bsky.social · 20d
It’s book launch day for Giving Up Is Unforgivable: A Manual For Keeping A Democracy, my first book. I hope you’ll read it or listen to it. a.co/d/43dbybC
October 21, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Reposted by Ruth Ben-Ghiat
ruthbenghiat.bsky.social
Flip the script on democracy's destroyers. It's Day One of the new phase of the fight for our democracy.
January 20, 2025 at 6:42 PM
ruthbenghiat.bsky.social
My comments on what President Tr*mp's AI video tells us about autocrat psychology: youtu.be/JNt8YoqQzWE
Autocrat Psychology captions MOV
YouTube video by Ruth Ben-Ghiat
youtu.be
October 20, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Reposted by Ruth Ben-Ghiat
realsporkman.bsky.social
"The appeal of these leaders for many rests on their having the power to get away with things that ordinary men cannot, whether in the bedroom or in politics."
-- @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social , "Strongmen: Mussolini to the present"
Excerpt from Strongmen book by Ruth Ben-Ghiat
October 19, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Reposted by Ruth Ben-Ghiat
aletakesphotos.bsky.social
Giant copy of the Constitution being carried down Pennsylvania Avenue.
October 18, 2025 at 4:13 PM
ruthbenghiat.bsky.social
In protesting peacefully we reclaim our cities and communities from state brutality. These are our spaces, our homes.
October 18, 2025 at 5:09 PM
ruthbenghiat.bsky.social
Important: this is exactly how propagandists operate.
billmccarthy.bsky.social Bill McCarthy @billmccarthy.bsky.social · 27d
NEW:

A dramatic voiceover video the White House and Donald Trump shared last week claiming to show "chaos" in Chicago is littered with outdated footage from Florida, Texas, South Carolina, Nebraska, California and Arizona, an AFP investigation found.

factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com....
October 15, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Reposted by Ruth Ben-Ghiat
rpsagainsttrump.bsky.social
Chris Christie: “Thie is no longer, the Department of Justice, is no longer the premier prosecuting office in America. What it is now is a capo regime who goes out and executes hits when directed by the Don to do so. That’s what it is.”
October 14, 2025 at 12:53 AM
Reposted by Ruth Ben-Ghiat
mehdirhasan.bsky.social
* Over 20,000 Palestinians killed since January
* 100s starved to death, including kids
* Congress bypassed to send more & more bombs to Israel
* US citizens murdered in the West Bank

I hope this ceasefire holds & I am glad the hostages are free, but this is Trump’s *actual record* so far.
paleofuture.bsky.social Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 28d
Just in case the dramatically low Leni Riefenstahl-style angle was too subtle, they used a word from her most famous movie
Time magazine cover featuring a photo of Trump from a dramatically low angle HIS TRIUMPH by ERIC CORTELLESSA THE LEADER ISRAEL NEEDED by EHUD BARAK HOW GAZA HEALS
October 13, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Reposted by Ruth Ben-Ghiat
paleofuture.bsky.social
Just in case the dramatically low Leni Riefenstahl-style angle was too subtle, they used a word from her most famous movie
Time magazine cover featuring a photo of Trump from a dramatically low angle HIS TRIUMPH by ERIC CORTELLESSA THE LEADER ISRAEL NEEDED by EHUD BARAK HOW GAZA HEALS
October 13, 2025 at 7:48 PM