Inform Your Resistance

Fracturing the MAGA base: A conversation on the War in Iran and its Reverberations at Home, with Steven Gardiner

In this Season 4 bonus episode, Koki sits down with PRA’s Principal Research Advisor Steven Gardiner to discuss the outset of the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran, how the war compares to a history of U.S. imperial violence, and what it signals about the second Trump administration and its authoritarian project. Gardiner provides analysis of how the lack of support for the war signals possibilities for meaningful rupture in the MAGA coalition and adds significant complexity in the lead up to the 2026 midterm elections. The conversation concludes with an evaluation of what this war means for anti-authoritarian organizing. What can and should organizers be doing to respond effectively in this moment? How do preparedness and resiliency factor into a strategic emphasis on recruitment and mobilization?  With the possibility of significant fracture within the MAGA coalition and historically low levels of support for the war within the U.S. electorate, this is a time to act—both to deliver a unified rebuke of the war and to block Trump’s authoritarian progress. Steven Gardiner is the Principal Research Advisor and former Research Director at Political Research Associates. He has been researching and writing in opposition to the politics of bigotry, violence, and authoritarianism since the early 1990s. In 2004, Gardiner received a PhD in cultural anthropology from Cornell University. Since earning his doctorate, he has taught more than 20 different courses at eight universities in the United States, Pakistan, and the UAE.  EPISODE RESOURCES * Habiba Farh, “Innocent Until Proven Muslim: Author Q&A with Dr. Maha Hilal [https://politicalresearch.org/2024/02/14/innocent-until-proven-muslim],” The Public Eye, February 14, 2024. * PRA Podcast, “U.S. Imperialism Comes Home to Roost: A Conversation with Ramah Kudaimi, [https://politicalresearch.org/2024/11/07/us-imperialism-comes-home-roost-conversation-ramah-kudaimi]” Inform Your Resistance, November 7, 2024. * PRA Podcast, “Belligerence Abroad, Repression at Home: From Venezuela to ICE, with Steven Gardiner [https://politicalresearch.org/2026/01/20/belligerence-abroad-repression-home],” Inform Your Resistance, January 20, 2026.

All Eyes on Minneapolis: Lessons on Resisting Authoritarianism

In this bonus episode, PRA researchers discuss the deadly ICE crackdown in Minneapolis and the powerful resistance we’ve seen on the streets. ICE continues to kidnap thousands with impunity, and the brutal murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti show the naked brutality of this authoritarian administration. But everyday people continue to defend their neighbors and communities: by organizing in neighborhoods, on street corners, at airports, and at City Hall; and by grinding business as usual to a halt and showing the entire country, and the world, what it takes to stand up in this moment.  To make sense of the moment, PRA’s Ben Lorber talks to fellow Senior Research Analysts Annie Wilkinson and Ethan Fauré, as well as Principal Research Advisor Steven Gardiner. They discuss the decades-long advance of today’s anti-immigrant movement from the margins to the MAGA mainstream; the strategies of lawfare, repression and fearmongering at the heart of the authoritarian playbook; and what we can expect from the Right moving forward. They also explore what the resistance in Minneapolis can teach us as we sharpen our own strategies to block the Right and build a better future. This episode was recorded on Friday, January 30th. Episode Resources * Ben Lorber, “The Right Is Shocked by Anti-ICE Organizing,” Religion Dispatches, January 26, 2026, https://religiondispatches.org/2026/01/26/right-shocked-anti-ice-organizing [https://religiondispatches.org/2026/01/26/right-shocked-anti-ice-organizing].  * Annika Brockschmidt, “Make No Mistake About Trump’s Minnesota ‘De-Escalation,’” Religion Dispatches, January 30, 2026, https://religiondispatches.org/2026/01/30/make-no-mistake-about-trumps-minnesota-de-escalation [https://religiondispatches.org/2026/01/30/make-no-mistake-about-trumps-minnesota-de-escalation].  * Kelly Hayes, “In Chicago, We Run Toward Danger Together,” Organizing My Thoughts, November 8, 2025, https://organizingmythoughts.org/in-chicago-we-run-toward-danger-together [https://organizingmythoughts.org/in-chicago-we-run-toward-danger-together].  * Ethan Fauré, “‘We Must Fight for Everyone’ for Immigrant Justice,” The Public Eye, September 23, 2025, https://politicalresearch.org/2025/09/23/we-must-fight-everyone-immigrant-justice [https://politicalresearch.org/2025/09/23/we-must-fight-everyone-immigrant-justice].

Belligerence Abroad, Repression at Home: From Venezuela to ICE, with Steven Gardiner

In this season bonus episode, Koki talks to Steven Gardiner, PRA Principal Research Advisor, about the Trump administration’s early-January attack on Venezuela and escalating domestic confrontations around ICE enforcement, including the Minneapolis protests around the murder of Nicole Good. Gardiner describes how the kidnapping of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro represents both a familiar extension of U.S. imperial power and a dangerous acceleration of presidential authority, bypassing Congress and normal democratic oversight. He explains that this belligerence largely resonates with the MAGA base, which accepts violent action when framed as efficient, hypermasculine, and rooted in authoritarianism rather than democracy or human rights.  Gardiner concludes with guidance for organizers: increase participation to prevent fatigue and stress; build strong, offsite support networks off the front lines; maintain the practice nonviolence, prepare for right-wing provocation, targeting, and doxing; and apply sustained pressure on those with the biggest voices. Effective action, he argues, must extend beyond the streets to counter an increasingly authoritarian state. Steven Gardiner is Principal Research Advisor and formerly Research Director here at Political Research Associates. He has been researching writing in opposition to the politics of bigotry, violence, and authoritarianism since the early 1990s. In 2004, Gardiner received a PhD in cultural anthropology from Cornell University. Since earning his doctorate, he has taught more than 20 different courses at eight universities in the United States, Pakistan, and the UAE.  Episode Resources * Political Research Associates, “Trump 2.0’s First 100 Days: Authoritarian Gains and Consolidation [https://politicalresearch.org/2025/06/12/trump-20s-first-100-days],” The Public Eye, 2025.   * Katherine Stewart, “Burning Down the House: What’s Behind the U.S. Antidemocratic Reaction? [https://politicalresearch.org/2025/07/02/burning-down-house]” The Public Eye, 2025.   *  Political Research Associates, “‘Do Not Let Grief Harden into Despair’: PRA Analyzes Trump 2.0’s First 100 Days, Part 1 [https://politicalresearch.org/2025/08/14/do-not-let-grief-harden-despair-pra-analyzes-trump-20s-first-100-days-part-1],” Inform Your Resistance, 2025.  * Political Research Associates, “‘It's Never Just About Gender’: Gender and Authoritarianism: PRA Analyzes Trump 2.0’s First 100 Days, Part 2 [https://politicalresearch.org/2025/09/25/its-never-just-about-gender-gender-and-authoritarianism-pra-analyzes-trump-20s-first-100],” Inform Your Resistance, 2025. Keywords Venezuela attack, Nicolás Maduro kidnapping, Trump administration, authoritarianism, MAGA, foreign policy, ICE attacks, ICE raids, Anti-ICE protests, Renee Good murder, Minneapolis protests, Insurrection Act, hypermasculinity, U.S. imperialism, nonviolent resistance, right-wing provocation, protests, resistance, Far Right, fascism, repression, militarism

Beyond the Ballot: the Rise of Competitive Authoritarianism with Steven Gardiner

In this season finale episode, Koki talks to Steven Gardiner, PRA Principal Research Advisor, to reflect on the first year of Trump's second term and its implications for U.S. democracy. While the MAGA base remains about 15% of the U.S. and Trump’s approval ratings remain low, the Trump administration has chipped away at democratic norms, maintained control over the Republican party, decimated the bureaucratic state, and is poised to interfere with the 2026 midterms and likely 2028 elections beyond through strategies of “contested authoritarianism.”  But the highly visible actions of immigration enforcement, violations of the constitution, and nods toward White supremacy do not equate with chaos alone. Gardiner lays out how these are spectacles that mobilize, fear-monger, and deliberately normalize repression, erode democracy, and spur further political violence. He also discusses the effects of Project 2025 in action, attacks on trans rights and bodily sovereignty, and the roles of Dominionist theologies and Christian nationalism more broadly. The episode concludes by focusing on opportunities for division and dissent within the U.S. Right, along with the difficult but necessary work ahead to withstand election interference, register dissent, and continue to build the necessary power to overcome rising authoritarianism. Steven Gardiner is Principal Research Advisor and formerly Research Director here at Political Research Associates. He has been researching writing in opposition to the politics of bigotry, violence, and authoritarianism since the early 1990s. In 2004, Gardner received a PhD in cultural anthropology from Cornell University. Since earning his doctorate, he has taught more than 20 different courses at eight universities in the United States, Pakistan, and the UAE.  Episode Resources * Political Research Associates, “Trump 2.0’s First 100 Days: Authoritarian Gains and Consolidation [https://politicalresearch.org/2025/06/12/trump-20s-first-100-days],” The Public Eye, 2025.   * Katherine Stewart, “Burning Down the House: What’s Behind the U.S. Antidemocratic Reaction? [https://politicalresearch.org/2025/07/02/burning-down-house]” The Public Eye, 2025.   *  Political Research Associates, “‘Do Not Let Grief Harden into Despair’: PRA Analyzes Trump 2.0’s First 100 Days, Part 1 [https://politicalresearch.org/2025/08/14/do-not-let-grief-harden-despair-pra-analyzes-trump-20s-first-100-days-part-1],” Inform Your Resistance, 2025.  * Political Research Associates, “‘It's Never Just About Gender’: Gender and Authoritarianism: PRA Analyzes Trump 2.0’s First 100 Days, Part 2 [https://politicalresearch.org/2025/09/25/its-never-just-about-gender-gender-and-authoritarianism-pra-analyzes-trump-20s-first-100],” Inform Your Resistance, 2025.

How 287(g) Expansion Fuels Mass Deportations

In this episode of Inform Your Resistance, Koki reads “Florida Is the ‘Tip of the Spear:’ How 287(g) Expansion Fuels Mass Deportations [https://live.politicalresearch.org/2025/10/06/florida-tip-spear]” by Jessica Pishko, as part of our ongoing From the Archives series. From the Archives features those must read and, now, must listen to pieces from PRA’s more than 40 years of publishing. This article was published in the Fall 2025 issue of The Public Eye magazine. Resources * "The Unchecked Power Of Sheriffs [https://www.npr.org/2024/09/10/1198684058/the-unchecked-power-of-sheriffs]," Fresh Air, 2024.