Victor Davis Hanson: The Terrifying Power of Artificial Intelligence

September 12, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

“I felt a sense of I wasn’t alone. I think it made a difference because some of the prognoses haven’t happened yet. But some of them were not good and they haven’t happened. So I’m feeling the power of prayer has saved me so far.”

Victor Davis Hanson, the classicist and military historian, has been battling serious illness, and he closes this episode with personal birthday cards from listeners who prayed for him. But the bulk of the conversation ranges across foreign hot spots, domestic politics, and a warning about artificial intelligence that he compares directly to the dawn of the nuclear age.

The Ukraine war’s four stages and where it stands now

Hanson breaks the Russia-Ukraine war into four distinct phases. The first was Moscow’s attempt to decapitate Ukraine and take Kyiv in February 2022, which failed because of a heroic Ukrainian defense that pushed Russian forces out of central Ukraine entirely. The second phase became a grinding border war over the Donbas and Crimea, with Russia using its million-man army and defense industry to try to crush Ukraine. The third phase surprised everyone: Ukraine created a sophisticated drone industry capable of producing a million drones a year and began hitting targets 1,500 miles inside Russia, striking refineries and making Russia appear vulnerable.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **The AI Arms Race and Unilateral Disarmament** - Opening argument comparing AI to nuclear weapons.
2 (01:33) **Book Plug: "Counter Revolution"** - Hanson promotes his new book on Donald Trump's political comeback.
3 (08:49) **Ukraine War Update: Stage Five Grinding** - A chronological breakdown of the war's phases and current stalemate.
4 (13:57) **New Hampshire Primary and Midterm Strategy** - Analysis of the upcoming midterm elections and the Democratic opposition.
5 (15:11) **Predictions for a Trump Second Term** - Hanson forecasts the political chaos and investigations that would follow a Trump loss or a Democratic House win.
6 (19:39) **The DSA Conference and Victim Status Culture** - Commentary on the Democratic Socialists of America conference and its bizarre rhetoric.
7 (23:17) **Canada-U.S. Trade War: The Five Stages** - A detailed, stage-by-stage analysis of the escalating conflict with Canada.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Victor Davis Hanson

Show Notes

Ukraine, Iran, and the possibility of a major foreign-policy reset remain in focus as the Trump administration works to end the Russia-Ukraine war and Iran potentially waits until after the midterms to pursue a deal.

Victor Davis Hanson and Sami Winc also consider what could follow if Republicans lose the midterms, including the possibility of renewed impeachment efforts, as well as the state of the economy, job growth, and Trump’s use of executive orders.

European immigration and integration, growing tensions between the U.S. and Canada, and the presidencies of Zachary Taylor and John F. Kennedy round out the discussion, including Kennedy’s handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis, civil rights, and his 1960 presidential campaign.

Artificial intelligence presents another major challenge, from the risk of increasingly powerful systems aiding the development of biological weapons and advanced military technology to the consequences of the United States falling behind China in the global AI race.

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