Reason’s Katherine Mangu-Ward and Robby Soave debate Zeteo’s Mehdi Hasan and The Lincoln Project’s Rick Wilson on the nature of authoritarianism. This event was filmed on November 10, 2026. 0:00—Comedy skit from Andrew Heaton 7:08—Opening remarks from moderator Peter Suderman 13:06—Opening statement from Hasan 17:30—Opening statement from Mangu-Ward 22:01—Opening statement from Wilson 26:23—Opening statement from Soave 31:30—The most famous right-wing authoritarians 40:00—Packing the Supreme Court of the United States 44:24—The imperial presidency is used by both political parties. 50:07—Destroying free speech on social media 52:30—Gimmick section: How well do the debaters understand authoritarianism? 59:28—Audience questions 1:10:02—Authoritarianism in Latin America 1:23:30—Closing statements from all debaters 1:39:28—Debate final results Video editor: Chris Sowick