Journey Through Time 79. McCarthyism: Paving The Way For Trump (Ep 6)
Mar 23, 2026
A look at McCarthyism’s long shadow across Hollywood, government and universities. They trace Roy Cohn’s mentorship of a young Donald Trump and the tactics he passed on. The conversation connects blacklist-era loyalty tests to modern political purges and shows how legal and media strategies were weaponized.
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Why McCarthyism Lasted Beyond Its Leaders
- McCarthyism's legacy endures because its systems and incentives outlived the men who created them.
- Loyalty oaths, blacklists and institutional self-censorship persisted for decades, wrecking careers like Dalton Trumbo's for 13 years.
Dalton Trumbo Won Oscars While Blacklisted
- Dalton Trumbo kept writing Oscar-winning screenplays under pseudonyms because the Hollywood blacklist prevented him from taking credit.
- Trumbo won for Roman Holiday (1953) and The Brave One (1957) yet couldn't publicly accept either until credits were restored decades later.
Purges Undermined US Expertise
- Purges during the Red Scare destroyed specialist expertise across government and universities.
- Removing China hands from the State Department eroded policy knowledge and contributed to later failures like the escalation in Vietnam.