How Misogyny Fuels Fascism -
laura flanders & friends

Donald Trump has a long record of demeaning and berating women. He's also linked to Jeffrey Epstein and his name appears literally thousands of times in relation to what is arguably the biggest, sickest sex abuse scandal ever. So why is the sexism at the heart of Trumpism taken so lightly? In this episode, we look at how sexism functions in today's fascist resurgence with experts Nina Burleigh, Rev. Naomi Washington-Leapheart and Annie Wilkinson. Burleigh is a journalist, best-selling author, documentary producer, and publisher of "American Freakshow" on Substack. Rev. Washington-Leapheart is a minister, professor, and the first-ever Strategic Partnerships Director at Political Research Associates (PRA), a social justice research and strategy center founded in 1981 by the feminist political scientist Jean Hardisty. In 2025 PRA dedicated an entire issue of their journal to the relationship between gender and authoritarianism, with a lead essay written by Wilkinson. Hear what our guests are taking away from the Epstein story, why authoritarians are afraid of feminism, and how women's leadership poses such a threat to fascists. All that, plus a commentary from Laura on impunity in our times. "It's not just about a sex case. It's not just about the mistreatment of women, I'm sorry to say, because that's a big part of it. It's the underpinning of how Epstein maybe was operating. It's really about influence, foreign affairs, and the way the last 20 years of American foreign policy has played out." - Nina Burleigh. "The most unprotected women in the United States throughout our history have been Black women . . . It's sort of okay for a MAGA influencer to say that Black women have brains that process more slowly than any, and nobody challenges that." - Rev. Naomi Washington-Leapheart. "Research shows that across history, when women and feminist are out in front of a pro-democracy coalition, we win. The Trump regime and authorita

Duration: 26 minutes and 46 seconds

Episode Number: 246

About Laura Flanders & Friends:

THE LAURA FLANDERS SHOW is back with more award-winning interviews and investigative reporting on the people and movements driving positive systemic change in our world today.

Hosted by multi-media reporter and author Laura Flanders, the series features smart, solutions-driven conversations with forward-thinking people, including Rep.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Indian writer Arundhati Roy, actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, and actress/activist Laverne Cox.

Laura and her team also report from the field on cutting-edge innovations and topics such as collective ownership and ways that organizations across the country are addressing disparity in the housing market.

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Mitra Kalita and Sara Lomax, co-founders of the URL Media network, join Laura for "Meet the BIPOC Press," a monthly feature of the show highlighting reporters of color from minority-owned and operated media outlets from around the country.

THE LAURA FLANDERS SHOW Season 5 is independently-produced and recorded in a small cabin in rural Sullivan County, New York.

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