"Exploring the history of presidential demagoguery and conspiracy-mongering"

SHOW NOTES: In this episode of The Blessings of Liberty, esteemed presidential historian Stephen Knott joins to discuss his most recent book, Conspirator in Chief: The Long Tradition of Conspiracy Theories in the American Presidency. Knott takes readers on a sobering tour of the lowlights in the American presidency, showing how presidents from Thomas Jefferson to Donald Trump have engaged in reckless conspiracy-mongering about their political opponents in order to increase their power and prestige. Jeffrey Rosen, senior fellow at FIRE and CEO Emeritus of the National Constitution Center, moderates.

Participants

Stephen Knott is the Thomas & Mabel Guy Professor of American History and Government at Ashland University and an Emeritus Professor of National Security Affairs at the United States Naval War College. He is the author or editor of ten books dealing with the American presidency, the early republic, and American foreign policy.

Jeffrey Rosen is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) and CEO Emeritus of the National Constitution Center. He is also a professor of law at the George Washington University Law School and a contributing editor of The Atlantic.

Additional Resources

• Stephen Knott, Conspirator in Chief: The Long Tradition of Conspiracy Theories in the American Presidency (2026)
• Stephen Knott, The Lost Soul of the American Presidency: The Decline into Demagoguery and the Prospects for Renewal (2019)
• Stephen Knott, Alexander Hamilton & The Persistence of Myth (2002)

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Thank you to our presenting sponsor, FIRE, a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to defending and sustaining the individual rights of all Americans—especially freedom of speech and free thought. Learn more about FIRE’s work at FIRE.org/blessings.