New York Times bestselling author Tim Alberta is our guest for the 146th episode.

He is the chief political correspondent for Politico Magazine and the author of “American Carnage”, which traces the arc of the Republican Party before and during the Trump era.

In this conversation, we look back the pre-Trump era and explore whether he caused the current moment or seized it, consider whether Sarah Palin foreshadowed the Trump era, discuss central figures Ted Cruz, John Boehner, Paul Ryan and Mike Pence, finally attempt to answer the question of whether Trump ran for President wanting to win, review the internal deliberations held during ‘Access Hollywood tape’ weekend, consider a post-Trump era and discuss what the author learned from writing his first book.