Nicole Hemmer
Historian of conservatism, media, and the presidency at Vanderbilt. Author of PARTISANS & MESSENGERS OF THE RIGHT. Cohost of @thisdaypod.com from Radiotopia. Frequently posting on IG stories @pastpundit
- Reposted by Nicole Hemmer
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerThis turned out really well. A masterclass led by @pastpunditry.bsky.social on how the language evolved after 9/11 from retribution to a forever war. We talk David Frum, the neocons, religion+war, and how just as quickly "axis of evil" gave way to "war on terror."
- This week we look at how the phrase "Axis of Evil" changed everything after 9/11. Full, ad-free video is up for paying newsletter subscribers now! thisdaypod.substack.com/p/the-axis-o...
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerI know I don't have a ton of media followers, but I'll put this out there anyway: if you need someone to comment/offer context on the removal of the slavery exhibit at the President's House site in Philly, get in touch. I just finished an entire book on Americans' fight over Washington and slavery.
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerAnywho, things are messy. We are both complicit in terrible things while also being subjected to horrors. We perpetrate harm and also experience it.
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerFYI www.carrienationcocktailclub bar in Boston named Carrie Nation up by the State House. @jodyavirgan.com @pastpunditry.bsky.social @kcarterjackson.bsky.social @thisdaypod.com
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerIf you are appalled at the tactics of ICE and CBP, you should be! They in fact are *NOT* trained for the work they're doing in America's interior right now—and they're scared of interacting with US citizens. That's a recipe for the exact disaster we see: www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/ice-101-ho...
- Reposted by Nicole Hemmer"Officers threw flash bangs and tear gas in my car. I got six kids in the car" "His wife, Destiny Jackson, told FOX 9 their 6-month-old infant stopped breathing and lost consciousness. She then performed CPR on her baby."
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerThe Trump-Vance administration just used your taxes to pay for an ICE agent to do this to a 21-year-old kid, who was only protesting because another ICE agent killed a mother of three, who was only there because ICE agents are kidnapping your neighbors
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerStunning photos from Minneapolis, including this one by John Locher for the Associated Press. www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
- Reposted by Nicole Hemmerthe question to ask about this is, okay, he wants to cancel the midterms. how does he get the VA state board of elections to cancel the midterms? how does he get the georgia board of elections to do it? how does he convince republican house members to quit their jobs and give up their paychecks?
- Trump says a lot of deranged shit, but, per this Reuters article — and the threats of invoking the Insurrection Act in Minnesota this morning — he is very clearly exploring how to cancel the midterms. www.reuters.com/world/us/fiv...
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerFor those who would like to understand how we got here, might I recommend @pastpunditry.bsky.social 's fantastic "Messengers of the Right"? I'm thinking particularly of her analysis of Human Events and their editorial values rejecting objectivity as a goal in reporting.
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerComing as a shock to zero people, Megyn Kelly thinks Nathan Jessep is the hero of the movie. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/o... (h/t @pastpunditry.bsky.social)
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerEvery year, we put together a @bookshop.org list featuring the authors we've had on the show. Here's 2025's -- still time to pick up a gift for the history lover in your life! bookshop.org/wishlists/6a...
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerThrough the disasters of this year, our writers delivered fearless analysis and creative resilience—refusing to compromise on fundamental values of justice and humanity in the face of brazen cruelty and democratic decline. Revisit the writing readers turned to the most:
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerHard to identify the best part of this 1964 ad--the obvious headline, the misspelling of Reagan's last name, or the shout out to John Stoemer's blockbuster (and howlingly inaccurate) conspiracy-ridden book "None Dare Call it Treason" about the supposedly "treasonous" thread of the US left.
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerTrump’s foreign policy isn’t “noninterventionism,” it is a kind of neo neo conservatism devoted to imposing authoritarian ethnonationalism abroad instead of democracy (gift link) www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
- Reposted by Nicole Hemmer5/ In other words, I see very little reason to think that the Court would *allow* Congress to solve significant national problems—at least, when those solutions took a form the majority of justices disliked. And conversely …
- exactly what my next book is about!
- tucker carlson is now mixing vaccine denialism with his new favorite topic: demons.
- fair to say the alex jonesification of right wing media is complete
- Reposted by Nicole Hemmer"It seems to me that America is constantly reinventing what ``America'' means... I think it's really closer to the truth to say that America has assimilated as much as her immigrants have. It's made for a delightful diversity, and it's made us a stronger and a more vital nation." Reagan, 1984
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerI haven't been able to stop thinking about @pastpunditry.bsky.social's comments last week about the further splintering and radicalization of the m@ga movement and what may be coming down the line. It's chilling but it's a clarity that I find helpful. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
- Reposted by Nicole Hemmer‘We don’t even know all of what we have.’ Howard University fights to preserve Black newspapers. www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/... Last year, during a move, workers found two whole boxes of Frederick Douglass’s’ The North Star’s first year of publication.
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerRepublicans are trying to project unity on dismissing Trump-Epstein, and some media is trying to help, but as @pastpunditry.bsky.social and @gregsargent.bsky.social explain, some Trump voters really do care about Epstein—not a majority, but not zero either—creating real splits in the MAGA coalition.
- Had a great conversation with @gregsargent.bsky.social about the latest Epstein emails and their implications for the current MAGA civil war.
- Really unnerving point from Nicole Hemmer, historian of the right: Trump's Epstein fiasco could drive MAGA to push him to go even fuller authoritarian, because the whole project is now in such serious doubt. She's so good on MAGA's future. Check out this exchange: newrepublic.com/article/2031...
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerNew Epstein emails "seem to show Trump understood who Epstein was, how he and Maxwell were acting, and the kinds of crimes they were committing. He was adjacent to, if not involved in, those crimes." On the pod Nicole Hemmer is brilliant on bigger Epstein-MAGA story: newrepublic.com/article/2031...
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerExcellent commentary on power and the "right" and the Epstein files over on The Daily Blast from @thedsrnetwork.bsky.social with @gregsargent.bsky.social and @pastpunditry.bsky.social (wherever you get your podcasts). (Even if Greg still has that terrible guitar lead-in.)
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerNOW AVAILABLE! The recording of the first (and probably only) edition of TGS Live: The Worst Wing, featuring professional president-knowers Nicole Hemmer @pastpunditry.bsky.social and Kevin Schultz. What a way to mark a year since The Day That Shall Not Be Named.
- our only dick cheney episode is also the only dick cheney episode you need podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerTHIS THURSDAY ON TGS: it’s the live show recording you’ve all been clamoring for! I invented a sadistic game to make Prof. Nicole Hemmer @pastpunditry.bsky.social and Prof. Kevin Schultz discuss rubbing Vaseline on presidents. There is a winner but really we all lose in the end. 😌
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerNew #RaceClass episode is out. We chat abt last week’s amazing #Smithsonian #teach-in organized by @kcarterjackson.bsky.social @pastpunditry.bsky.social @natedimeo.bsky.social @jodyavirgan.com @thisdaypod.com & #TheMemoryPalace. on.soundcloud.com/u8xuwuudobZL...
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerAwesome thread. Great work, everyone!
- sharing some photos from yesterday’s incredible teach-in in dc. such a privilege to organize with @natedimeo.bsky.social, @jodyavirgan.com, and @kcarterjackson.bsky.social. Pictured: early morning brilliance from @jpygold.bsky.social, @joshuablevin.bsky.social & @elyssafeder.bsky.social
- Reposted by Nicole Hemmerdickerson is one of the best broadcast journalists in the game, and someone who would clearly be a real asset to a new leader interested in strengthening the network's journalism. but, of course, we know weiss isn't actually interested in journalism as such.
- sharing some photos from yesterday’s incredible teach-in in dc. such a privilege to organize with @natedimeo.bsky.social, @jodyavirgan.com, and @kcarterjackson.bsky.social. Pictured: early morning brilliance from @jpygold.bsky.social, @joshuablevin.bsky.social & @elyssafeder.bsky.social
- we went from sun-up to sun-down, starting with @natedimeo.bsky.social’s gorgeous readings, Marcia Chatelain on Black women of the freedom struggle, a captivating talk and performance from @amandaseales.bsky.social, and a brilliant defense of our public institutions from @tressiemcphd.bsky.social
- Nathan Connolly gave a stirring reminder that no one is coming to rescue us from all this (we’re going to have to rescue ourselves) and @jfallows.bsky.social helped us understand how things got so bad—and how we might make them better
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View full threadI may be forgetting folks, but huge gratitude to all who volunteered, donated, and shared their day with us. It was a powerful, inspiring day. If you want to keep learning with us, tune into The Memory Palace with @natedimeo.bsky.social and Jody, Kellie and me at @thisdaypod.com 💜
- Reposted by Nicole Hemmer“…the work to strengthen American democracy cannot succeed unless it is rooted in a real understanding of the country’s contentious past – its joys and its sorrows, its benefits and its harms, its brilliant promise and its unrealized dreams.”
- In today’s Guardian with @kcarterjackson.bsky.social, explaining why teach-ins (like the one we’re holding Sunday!) are a vital part of activism.
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerGot to hear part of this creative event -- and grateful for it!
- In today’s Guardian with @kcarterjackson.bsky.social, explaining why teach-ins (like the one we’re holding Sunday!) are a vital part of activism.
- For live updates and some great video of today’s teach-in in defense of history and museums on the National Mall, follow @thisdaypod.com on Instagram: www.instagram.com/thisdaypod?i...
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerHow this all isn't front page material every day, in every newspaper, blows my mind
- Reposted by Nicole Hemmeri think i would honestly find this whole discourse more tolerable if people simply said what they were actually saying, which is that they think the Democratic Party is too associated with femininity (and secondarily, with black people) and that they want to correct this
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerIf you're in DC on Sunday, please stop by the teach-in on American history-- "In an authoritarian regime, one of the first things that is taken from the public is honest and credible information..."
- In today’s Guardian with @kcarterjackson.bsky.social, explaining why teach-ins (like the one we’re holding Sunday!) are a vital part of activism.
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerAlmost every major news story this week is about how the entire economy is now gambling, scams, bribes and theft.
- Reposted by Nicole Hemmer[This post could not be retrieved]
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerTomorrow we will unveil the first of 13 historical markers along the Wyandot Removal Trail. Our project has been 4 years in the making, and we are thrilled to take this first step where it all began in Upper Sandusky, Ohio. www.wvxu.org/local-news/2...
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerNEW: Letitia James asks the court to dismiss the indictment against her because Lindsey Halligan was unlawfully appointed US attorney and has "no authority to litigate this case on behalf of the United States." storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
- In today’s Guardian with @kcarterjackson.bsky.social, explaining why teach-ins (like the one we’re holding Sunday!) are a vital part of activism.
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerAnnouncing a good ol’ fashioned Teach-In in Washington, DC on Sunday, October 26th. We’ll convene for a series of lectures, stories, and conversations to celebrate and stand up for the work of history and museums. Shoutout to @natedimeo.bsky.social for bringing this idea to us. See you in DC!
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerThe AHA offers travel and childcare grants to help graduate students, early career historians, un/underemployed historians, and community college and public high school teachers attend #AHA26. Check out the full list of available grants at the link. 🗃️
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerI will be there!
- DC friends!! Join us on this Sunday on the National Mall for a teach-in in defense of history and museums, ft. an all-star line-up! We’ll be there from sun-up to sun-down. More info here: linktr.ee/historyteachin
- DC friends!! Join us on this Sunday on the National Mall for a teach-in in defense of history and museums, ft. an all-star line-up! We’ll be there from sun-up to sun-down. More info here: linktr.ee/historyteachin
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerIncredible. If you grew up in Indiana, you know what a big deal this is.
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerLast night’s show was so fun and I’m so grateful whenever I get to do history in public. Shout out to @pastpunditry.bsky.social for traumatizing the audience with the details of Richard Nixon’s preferred breakfast!
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerThe guy Trump picked to lead the office that’s now investigating Jack Smith: — said Niki Haley is ineligible to be president — has neo-Nazi ties — was Andrew Tate’s lawyer — 2x Claremont fellow — wrote for Gateway Pundit — called for Pence to be hanged — called for secession after 2020 election
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerI wrote about the bizarrely credulous way the New York Times’ flagship podcast “The Daily” presented Russell Vought, how it is indicative of blind spots and fallacies that undermine the public response to Trumpism - and what we actually need to understand about this dangerous man:
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerI wrote about the inherent contradiction between the Trump administration's MAHA agenda and its refusal to investigate or halt the dumping of toxic chemicals into our food, water and air. theintercept.com/2025/10/02/r...
- NEW An EPA report found that PFNA, a chemical in the drinking water of some 26M people, interferes with development and likely causes liver problems & male reproductive harms. The report was done in April, scientists told me. But the agency hasn't released it www.propublica.org/article/epa-...
- Reposted by Nicole Hemmerthe latest effort to try to find the switch to turn off liberalism (also these people hate the idea of a free society)
- hang with us in nyc tomorrow night!
- Hey NYC, my @thisdaypod.com pal @pastpunditry.bsky.social is going to be in town tomorrow night at Caveat - go check it out, say hi if you do. I'll be there --> www.caveat.nyc/events/this-...
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerHey NYC, my @thisdaypod.com pal @pastpunditry.bsky.social is going to be in town tomorrow night at Caveat - go check it out, say hi if you do. I'll be there --> www.caveat.nyc/events/this-...
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerMy new essay (with Bojan Bugaric): “How long can judicial resistance last when it is to come from unelected lower court judges, if it comes at all? We believe that the momentary flurry of judicial activity is fool’s gold.”
- Reposted by Nicole HemmerThe liberal-heterodox alliance over “free speech” engineered by people like Bari Weiss is precisely what has eased the way for the most authoritarian, anti-free speech government the United States has seen since the McCarthy era, argues @pastpunditry.bsky.social: