Skip to main content

Mark Bergman

What if Trump Wins? Wargaming Trump 2.0

October 23, 2024

;

What if Trump wins? On this episode, Nancy has a conversation with Mark Bergman about something none of us want to think about: what would happen to the rule of law and American democracy in a second Trump term. Last spring, Mark was an observer at a series of large scale simulated exercises (aka war games) stress testing democracy under an authoritarian ruler. Hosted by the Brennan Center, a nonpartisan think tank at NYU Law School, the exercises were conducted as part of the Democracy Futures Project. Nancy and Mark discuss the outcome of the games, our lack of preparedness for an unfettered Trump, a few positive takeaways and important groups defending democracy that need our support. The number one most important lesson of these exercises? Elect Kamala Harris on November 5th.

Mark Bergman is a former international corporate lawyer who, through 7Pillars Global Insights, LLC,  comments, briefs and convenes on a range of political, geopolitical and democracy-related topics. He is a member of the Advisory Council of the International Crisis Group, a Director of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to reversing the rising tide of polarization, extremism, weaponization of hate and disinformation worldwide), a Director of Bellingcat US and a Director of TIM Cooperative (an NGO focused on information quality). Mark is also a member of the National Finance Committee of the Democratic National Committee.

Pro-Democracy Organizations Recommended by Mark

Protect Democracy

Democracy Forward

Principles First 

State Democracy Defenders Action

ACLU 

The National Immigration Law Center

Thank you for being a listener!

  • Stay up to date on New Faces of Democracy by signing up for the newsletter here
  • If you or someone you know would like to be a guest on the podcast, send an email to info@newfacesofdemocracy.org.
  • If you like this podcast, please subscribe/rate/review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. It makes a huge difference!

Subscribe

More From New Faces of Democracy

  • Grace Cowan of Frogmore Stew

    A Red State Democrat's View
    This episode features a conversation with Grace Cowan of Frogmore Stew, a podcast focused on South Carolina politics. Nancy and Grace thought it would...

    Listen Now

  • Nimit Sawhney

    Voatz Mobile Voting App
    This episode features a conversation with Nimit Sawhney of Voatz, a mobile voting app that uses cutting edge technology to make voting more accessible,...

    Listen Now

  • Nathaniel Stinnett

    Environmental Voter Project
    This episode features a conversation with Nathaniel Stinnett of the Environmental Voter Project, a nonprofit that is building political power for climate issues not...

    Listen Now

  • Margie Stein

    140 Florida Blue
    On this episode, Nancy catches up with activist Margie Stein of 140 Florida Blue who continues to work tirelessly to make Florida blue again....

    Listen Now

  • Jason Springer

    School Boards and the Education Truth Project
    This episode features a conversation with Jason Springer about how the Education Truth Project, a New Jersey super PAC, is keeping school boards free...

    Listen Now

  • Drew Kromer

    Can One County Flip North Carolina Blue?
    On this episode, Nancy speaks with Drew Kromer, Chairman of the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party in North Carolina. Could Mecklenburg County hold the key...

    Listen Now

  • Jocelyn Bucaro

    The Mobile Voting Project
    This episode features a conversation with Jocelyn Bucaro of the nonprofit, nonpartisan Mobile Voting Project. Could mobile voting save democracy?  Jocelyn and Nancy speak...

    Listen Now

  • Ramon Perez

    Digital Democracy Project
    This episode features a conversation with Ramon Perez of the Digital Democracy Project. Imagine a world where you have the same access to your...

    Listen Now

  • Season 4: Action is the Antidote
    Who among us isn’t feeling at least a tinge, if not a tsunami, of panic right now, with a disastrous debate, dystopian Supreme Court...

    Listen Now

  • Brian Derrick

    Oath
    What to do after a week of a disastrous presidential debate and devastating Supreme Court rulings? This episode features a conversation with Brian Derrick...

    Listen Now

  • Emily White

    #iVoted Concerts
    This episode features a conversation with Emily White of #iVoted Concerts. For all the technology in our world today, voter turnout tactics, like door...

    Listen Now

  • Claire Atkin

    Check My Ads
    This episode features a conversation with Claire Atkin of the ad tech watchdog Check My Ads. Our online world has become incredibly complex, bringing...

    Listen Now

  • Jordan Zaslow

    Her Bold Move
    Four years ago, Jordan Zaslow was busy with her life running an advertising and entertainment production company, but when things shut down during Covid...

    Listen Now

  • Seth Bluestein

    A Republican Election Official for All Voters
    On this episode, Nancy speaks with Philadelphia City Commissioner Seth Bluestein, a Republican whose office is in charge of election operations and voter registration...

    Listen Now

  • Melissa Walker

    Update on the States
    On this episode, Nancy welcomes back Melissa Walker of the States Project (formerly Future Now). Melissa appeared on the first episode of this podcast...

    Listen Now

  • Lindsey Drath

    The Forward Party
    This episode features a conversation with Lindsey Drath, CEO of the Forward Party, a newly formed political party that intends to bring power back...

    Listen Now

  • Michelle Colon

    An Abortion Freedom Fighter in Mississippi
    This episode features a conversation with abortion rights activist Michelle Colon of SHERo (Sisters Helping Every Woman Rise and Organize), an organization dedicated to...

    Listen Now

  • Diana Robinson

    Make the Road Pennsylvania
    On the last episode with Stacy Kramer of Blueprint/Swing Left,  we got a bird’s eye view of why we should support grassroots groups in...

    Listen Now

  • Stacy Kramer

    Why Grassroots Giving Will Save Democracy
    This episode features Stacy Kramer who first came on the podcast two years ago as a newly activated Democratic fundraiser who was making fundraising...

    Listen Now

  • Nisha Anand

    Radical Common Ground
    This episode features Indian-American activist and racial justice leader Nisha Anand of Dream Corps. Once a radical grassroots activist arrested in Burma for passing...

    Listen Now

  • Claire Ullman and Sandy Radoff

    Students for Justice
    On this episode, Nancy speaks with Claire Ullman and Sandy Radoff of the voter outreach group Students for Justice. In 2020, Claire was a...

    Listen Now

  • Changing our Diets to Save the World
    And now for something completely different with this episode on plant based eating. This is the second in a two part environmental series on...

    Listen Now

  • Daniel Katz

    Saving Rainforests to Save the World
    This episode with Daniel Katz of the Rainforest Alliance is the first in a two part environmental series on thinking globally and acting locally....

    Listen Now

  • Andrea Miller: Turning the Tide for Voters of Color in the South
    This episode features a conversation with Andrea Miller, founding board member of the Center for Common Ground, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to turning out...

    Listen Now

  • Alex Kramer

    Knock for Democracy
    On this episode, Nancy speaks with Alex Kramer of Knock for Democracy. Alex is an actor and writer who discovered he had a talent...

    Listen Now

  • Introducing Season 3: Restorative Activism
    Welcome to Season 3 of the New Faces of Democracy podcast! If politics and a polarizing pandemic has got you down, Season 3 of...

    Listen Now

  • Melody Barnes and Laurent Dubois

    UVA’s Democracy Initiative
    This episode features Professors Melody Barnes and Laurent Dubois, co-directors of the Democracy Initiative at the University of Virginia. This interdisciplinary initiative brings together...

    Listen Now

  • Manny Yekutiel

    Coffee, Dialogue and Democracy at Manny's
    This episode features a conversation with Manny Yekutiel, founder of San Francisco phenomenon Manny’s, a civic gathering space that brings people together for coffee,...

    Listen Now

  • Eliza Nemser

    Climate Changemakers
    This episode features a conversation with Eliza Nemser, an earth scientist who is worried about the earth. So worried, in fact, that she pivoted...

    Listen Now

  • Alyse Nelson and Gayle Kabaker

    Empowering Women at Vital Voices
    This episode features Alyse Nelson, President and CEO of Vital Voices, and renowned artist Gayle Kabaker, talking about their artistic collaboration in the name...

    Listen Now

  • Elizabeth Fernandez

    Movement Voter Project
    This episode features a conversation with Elizabeth Fernandez of Movement Voter Project. Movement Voter Project is based on the ingenious concept of empowering local...

    Listen Now

  • Katie Michel

    Victory Garden Collective
    This episode features a conversation with Katie Michel, owner of Planthouse Gallery in New York City and a member of Victory Garden Collective, a...

    Listen Now

  • Lisa Guide

    The Caregiver Vote
    This episode features a conversation with Lisa Guide, co-founder of the Women Effect Action Fund, a group dedicated to achieving economic equality for women...

    Listen Now

  • Aditi Juneja

    Protect Democracy
    This episode features a conversation with Aditi Juneja of Protect Democracy, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting efforts to undermine our right to...

    Listen Now

  • Season 2: The Path Ahead
    Welcome to Season 2 of the New Faces of Democracy podcast, hosted by Nancy Bynum. In this season, Nancy will look back at the gains...

    Listen Now

  • Indivisible's Martha Shockey

    The State of Georgia
    This episode features a conversation with Martha Shockey of the grassroots political action group, Indivisible Georgia. A soft-spoken powerhouse, Martha talks about all the...

    Listen Now

  • Catherine Vaughan

    Swing Left
    On this episode, Nancy welcomes Catherine Vaughan back to New Faces of Democracy. Catherine is Co-Executive Director of the Democratic political action group, Swing Left,...

    Listen Now

  • The Sheriff Sequel: What Happened in the Elections
    Nancy follows up on her conversation about sheriffs with Max Rose on Episode 13 of the podcast to explore what happened in the sheriff...

    Listen Now

  • Mike Berland

    Polls, Momentum and What Just Happened
    This episode features a conversation with data and analytics expert and political polling thought leader Mike Berland. Mike is the founder & CEO of...

    Listen Now

  • Guest Pod: Democracy Works
    This week features a guest episode from Democracy Works, a podcast dedicated to answering the question “What Does it Mean to Live in a...

    Listen Now

  • Marcia Greenberger

    Women’s Rights, Past, Present and Future
    This episode features a conversation with Marcia Greenberger, a true pioneer of women’s rights law through her work at the National Women’s Law Center...

    Listen Now

  • Gordon Herr

    How to Vote
    This week’s episode goes local with Gordon Herr, Chairman of the Democratic Committee in Southampton NY, and member of the Board of Elections in...

    Listen Now

  • Tech for Campaigns

    Bringing the Tech and Digital Edge to Democrats
    This episode features a conversation with Jessica Alter and Krisserin Canary of Tech for Campaigns. After Trump’s Muslim ban in 2017, tech entrepreneur Jessica...

    Listen Now

  • Ravi Gupta

    Changing the Face of Politics
    This episode features a conversation with Ravi Gupta, an Obama alum, podcast host and founder of Arena, an organization that trains and supports the...

    Listen Now

  • Katie Paris

    Red Wine & Blue
    On this week’s episode, Nancy speaks with Katie Paris, founder of of Red Wine & Blue. Red Wine &Blue is an Ohio-based group that’s...

    Listen Now

  • Vernetta Alston

    What's on the Line in North Carolina
    On this episode, Nancy speaks with Vernetta Alston, a state legislator in North Carolina. In 2017, Vernetta pivoted from a career as a criminal...

    Listen Now

  • Max Rose

    Sheriffs for Trusting Communities
    This episode features a conversation with Max Rose, founder of Sheriffs for Trusting Communities. Imagine a law enforcement officer with vast power and authority,...

    Listen Now

  • Desiree Tims

    Running for Change in Ohio
    On this episode, Nancy speaks with Desiree Tims, a young congressional candidate in Ohio’s 10th district. There are a lot of firsts when it...

    Listen Now

  • Dr. Fergie Reid Jr.

    The Strategy To Flip FL Blue (and TX and GA and NC), Part 2
    This episode features Part 2 of the Flipping Florida Series with Dr. Fergie Reid Jr. Dr. Reid talks about his strategy for flipping the...

    Listen Now

  • Walls of Moms
    Nancy takes a break from the podcast to muse on the army of mothers powering the resistance.

    Listen Now

  • Sara Trail

    Quilter, Warrior
    This episode features a conversation with Sara Trail, founder of Social Justice Sewing Academy, an organization that provides young people in marginalized communities with...

    Listen Now

  • Four Ways to Beat Trump by Chipping Away at the Margins
    In this bonus episode, Nancy talks about four groups focused on chipping away at the margins in key, battleground states to beat Trump this...

    Listen Now

  • Zak Malamed

    The Next 50 on the Youth Vote
    In 2018, Zak Malamed was living the millennial dream with a job at Facebook. But after coming home from a trip to Auschwitz to...

    Listen Now

  • How to Flip Florida Blue with 140 Florida Blue Project
    Janelle Christensen is a professor and head of the Florida Democratic Environmental Caucus. Margie Stein is a political activist who has found her niche...

    Listen Now

  • Thoughts on Creative Activism
    In this week’s bonus episode, Nancy talks about trends in creative activism from protest needlework to fashion design.

    Listen Now

  • Diana Weymar

    Tiny Pricks and the Art of Protest
    This week’s podcast features a conversation with artist Diana Weymar of Tiny Pricks Project. Diana is a textile artist who one day in 2018...

    Listen Now

  • Mark Bergman

    The View from Across the Pond
    This week Nancy speaks with Mark Bergman, a lawyer and Democrat based in London, who since 2017 has been keeping his fellow Democrats abroad...

    Listen Now

  • So what I'm hearing is... Thoughts on Down Ballot Elections
    Almost two months into the podcast, Nancy takes a break to muse on one theme that’s been coming up a lot in her interviews:...

    Listen Now

  • Stacy Kramer

    Fundraising Democratically
    This episode features Hollywood writer and producer Stacy Kramer, who since 2016 has become a tireless fundraiser for Democratic candidates and grassroots groups. Stacy...

    Listen Now

  • Susan Rogan

    Librarian, Grandmother, Activist
    This episode of the podcast features a conversation with Susan Rogan, founder of the political action newsletter Rogan’s List. A self-proclaimed “retired grandmother in...

    Listen Now

  • Alex Posen

    The Power of Design
    This podcast features a conversation with Alex Posen, co-founder of Resistance by Design, a company that designs accessories and products that allow you to...

    Listen Now

  • Samra Brouk

    The Future of Leadership
    On this episode of the podcast, Nancy has a conversation with Samra Brouk, who is running for state senate in upstate New York. Up...

    Listen Now

  • Melissa Walker

    Future Now on Why States Matter
    This episode features a conversation with Melissa Walker of Future Now Fund, a group started in 2017 dedicated to electing more Democrats to our...

    Listen Now

  • Introducing the New Faces of Democracy Podcast
    Welcome to the New Faces of Democracy podcast, hosted by Nancy Bynum. This podcast features inspiring interviews with people who have transformed their lives since...

    Listen Now

  • Jason Berlin and Field Team 6
    When Jason Berlin starts talking, it’s pretty clear he’s going to make you laugh. What you don’t expect is that it will be about...

    Listen Now

  • 31st Street Swing Left: Grassroots in Action
    If anyone is the embodiment of the New Face of Democracy, it’s Lisa Herrick of 31st Street Swing Left. A clinical psychologist with no...

    Listen Now

  • Postcard Writing Groups: A Lovely and Beautiful Benefit
    What is a Postcards to Voters group? Imagine a cross between an activist meeting and a 21st century knitting circle whose members meet regularly...

    Listen Now

  • TONY THE DEMOCRAT
    In 2017, Tony McMullin, aka Tony the Democrat, got together with five friends to write postcards to Democrats, reminding them to vote in a...

    Listen Now

  • Pamela Bell, Founder of Prinkshop
    Videography by Mehmet S. Yildirim Fashion insider and quintessential cool girl Pamela Bell is using her talent for design and merchandising at her company Prinkshop...

    Listen Now

  • Perry Gershon, Congressional Candidate
    Videography by Mehmet S. Yildirim Perry Gershon never thought he would run for office… until Trump was elected.  Instead of sitting around and stewing about...

    Listen Now

  • Catherine Vaughan, Flippable
    Catherine Vaughan, CEO and co-founder of Flippable, is a New Face of Democracy because she used her passion for public service and management skills...

    Listen Now

  • Rachel May, NY Senate Candidate
    What do you do if you’re naturally shy but you’ve got something important to say? If you’re Rachel May, you run for office. And...

    Listen Now

  • Citizens' Climate Lobby
    Climate change: intractable, vexing, global…. and solvable. Nicole Crescimanno Meehan of Citizens’ Climate Lobby talks about the carbon fee and dividend, a common sense,...

    Listen Now