Political violence scholar Robert Pape, who has advised every White House since 9/11, tells Steven Bartlett that the weeks after the US midterms are the most dangerous of our lives. Three crises converge: the transfer of power, a possible Trump strike on Iran, and a Putin winter escalation in Ukraine.
Pape says over 40 million Americans support force for Trump and over 60 million against him, double the 2024 levels. He compares Trump's Iran strategy to a gambler doubling down, and says a three-day bombing plan resembles 1991's Instant Thunder, which ran 43 days. He warns of cyberattacks, troops in US streets via the Insurrection Act, and a path to World War III. His fixes: three firebreaks.