The American Mind Podcast

Republicans were dealt a serious blow in the midterm elections this week. Major factors were the affordability crisis and price of gas, the war in Iran, and corruption. The Right must now soberly assess this rebuke without wishing it away. Trump's perceived neglect of bread-and-butter issues in favor of a tariff strategy and involvement in the Middle East has obviously hurt his appeal across the broad coalition that elected him the second time. But will Democrat leadership mistakenly read the election results as an endorsement of their progressive Woke agenda, and how will conservatives regroup ahead of 2028?

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Following a defeat in the first round of voting in Brazil’s general election, incumbent president Lula da Silva clawed back a victory against Flávio Bolsonaro in a runoff vote last Sunday. The Brazilian Right nonetheless gained significant ground in the upper and lower houses of Congress. Meanwhile, Benjamin Netanyahu faces a close challenge from former IDF Chief of the General Staff Gadi Eisenkot. The direction of the war with Iran, and broader U.S.-Israel relations, hang in the bal...

A week from midterms, the guys discuss prospects for Republicans in the House and Senate. Polls forecast that Democrat challenges to the Right’s incumbent candidates may flip the House. Meanwhile, contests for the Senate are tight even in Texas, a historically conservative stronghold. Has Trump’s second presidency fulfilled the demands of the MAGA base, and will his disinterest in courting disaffected centrists facilitate the Left's broader effort to flip the Populist Right? Plus: the dangerous effects of AI technology on America's young people.

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Matthew Peterson joins the podcast to discuss his recent NatCon speech, which examined the shifting relationship between the New Right and Israel. He conveyed to the Israeli Right the desire of younger American conservatives to decouple from the Middle East amid a broader reevaluation of global alliances. But as the war against Iran proceeds, Peterson notes that some defenders of Israel wield “anti-Semite” to condemn skeptics of U.S. involvement, a counterproductive tactic in the face of rising anti-Semitism on both the...

Riots in France—begun by students but now taken over by migrants—expose the dangers of uncontrolled immigration. Will the unrest flowing from Islamic-majority enclaves give rise to a populist Right movement? Meanwhile, what remains of a functioning society in South Africa is buckling under the strain of extreme governmental dysfunction. Racial violence between black communities and white Afrikaners has intensified as state control recedes, and more race laws now exist than during apartheid. Jeremy Carl, senior fellow at The Claremont Institute and author of The Unprotected Class joins President Ryan P. Williams to discuss what lessons America can draw...

Europe faces a civilizational crisis induced by self-destructive progressive ideologies. The German Left has weaponized atonement for World War II to censor opposition. In Spain’s North African enclave, Ceuta, a recent border crossing by thousands of migrants posed an unchecked Moroccan challenge to Spanish sovereignty. Meanwhile, French deindustrialization and rampant immigration threaten to strangle its economy. Conservative movements have begun to gain traction, but can they pull Europe back from the brink? Claremont Review of Books Contributing Editor Christopher Caldwell joins Claremont President Ryan P. Williams to explain. 

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Flávio Bolsonaro, son of Brazilian ex-President Jair Bolsanaro, won 47-45 in the first round of Brazil’s general election against incumbent President Lula. A conservative, Bolsonaro heads a populist movement against progressives, mirroring Trump. Woke has been rejected globally, yet its fumes linger still in Leftist circles. How might this inform the Right's outreach to America’s economically liberal, culturally conservative middle?

Anthropic's top brass have been meeting religious leaders and trying to bring theology into the AI conversation. Do our newest technocrats intend to build a machine god and usher in a horrifically digitized future? Meanwhile, Justice Samuel Alito weighed in on originalism, highlighting both its pitfalls and the broader successes of conservativism in the Supreme Court—and the Left’s radical response. Plus: On the third anniversary of the October 7 attacks by Hamas, Israel defiantly celebrates the universe’s lawgiver during Simchat Torah and remembers the fallen.

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Religious Scholars Met With Anthropic: What They Heard...

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Five weeks from election day, hosts Spencer Klavan and Mike Sabo take stock of Republicans’ standing in the midterms. As incumbents, they already face stiff headwinds, and Trump’s interventions have made things still more difficult in key states. Will Trump’s communication strategy amid the affordability crisis and the Iran War turn voters away from conservative candidates? Plus: a prediction of Democrats’s focus post-elections—data centers, populism, and more. 

Steve Hayward, senior fellow at Claremont and author-podcaster at the “Political Questions” Substack, joins the guys this week to discuss the political and intellectual significance of Harry Jaffa's teachings. His understanding of America's creed and culture remains critical amid our rolling crises of immigration and ideological revolution. Jaffa’s articulated the necessity of Judeo-Christian virtues and morality to the survival of America. But can today’s resurgence in spirituality be channeled to revive our dysfunctional social and political orders?

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Political Questions Substack

Harry Jaffa and the Declaration ft. Glenn Ellmers

Patrioti...

Coming out of the 2008 recession, the globalist order envisioned a green recovery. Rupert Darwall, author of the forthcoming The Age of Error and the West's Undoing, joins the hosts to discuss the West’s unforced error in trying to achieve net-zero emissions amid a resurgence in business activity in the Global South and China—where economic ambition takes precedence over climate concerns, at the expense of Europe and America. Meanwhile, the narrative concocted by the CCP and Western epidemiologists to cover up COVID’s origins unveiled the West’s inability to block foreign influence. Plus: Nikole Hannah-Jones, the progenitor of the 1...

Russell Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, joins Claremont Institute President Ryan P. Williams to discuss the Trump Administration’s effort to bring order to the administrative state. Director during Trump’s first term, Mr. Vought returned to the OMB during the Trump 47 transition with a plan to cut bureaucratic overregulation and out-of-control spending. Much remains to be done to rein in the independent agencies and rogue lower courts, settle institutional wokeness, and more. Can the administration permanently change how Washington functions?

In this special episode, Will Thibeau, director of the Claremont Institute’s American Military Project, sits down with Claremont president Ryan P. Williams to discuss his recent report on the 8(a) Program, its unique weaponization in the Woke Era, and how the military under Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is combatting the rampant abuses. Plus: What can America’s industrial base learn from the Iran and Ukraine wars?

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From Development to Dependency: The Corporate Welfare Economy Behind the 8(a) Program

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Caving to pressure from a minority of members within the American Political Science Association in 2021, Claremont’s panels featuring John Eastman were moved online over concerns about protests—a de facto disinvitation by APSA. Now Claremont is back, reaching young political scientists and thinkers with an earnest, conservative assessment of Trump 2.0, illegal immigration, China’s rise as an economic rival to the West, and more—angles that largely left-leaning APSA conferences typically avoid.

Ten years ago, the Claremont Review of Books published “The Flight 93 Election,” Michael Anton’s urgent warning that the 2016 election would be do-or-die: Trump or Hillary. But where is conservatism now, ahead of midterms and the 2028 election? Plus: The guys reflect on the virtues and achievements of Charlie Kirk, who built up the conservative movement and the nation, and sacrificed everything for it one year ago. In the wake of Kirk’s assassination, the Right—splintered by the attack—has reckoned with the precarious state of our politics. Meanwhile, the Left has minimized the impact of the violence.

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Dolly Parton, a widely adored icon in country music and American pop culture, passed away last week at 80. A friend to both the right and left, Parton transcended national politics by her personal grace and remarkable philanthropy. Born to a poor, illiterate family, she leaves behind a legacy of generosity that includes Imagination Library, a nonprofit delivering millions of books to children worldwide at no cost to their families. Dolly Parton, rest in peace.

Richard Lim, historian at Prager U. and host of the This American President podcast joins the guys to discuss his recent book on George Washington’s legacy, Refusing a Crown. Breaking through mainstream secularist assumptions, Lim argues that Washington’s greatness is best understood in the context of his Christian faith. Meanwhile, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) has challenged the Trump Administration’s attempt to deport Mahmoud Khalil and Rümeysa Özturk for anti-American speech. FIRE argues the constitution protects resident aliens, and even that immigrant speech cannot be scrutinized in the vetting process. Will reason prevail...

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Dr. Nathan Cofnas has been accused of “scientific racism” for his studies of race and genetics. Now he's been suspended by the University of Ghent and banned on Substack for his role in exposing the academic dishonesty of the late Jason Arday. As the DEI debate flares, the academic and radical Left communities have attempted to discredit and even threaten Cofnas, revealing again the civilizational threat posed by an unchecked race regime.

Trade negotiations between the U.S. and Canada broke down in the final hours of last Friday. This week, Trump’s 50% tariffs on a range of Canadian goods have gone into effect. Amid a rekindled trade war, the guys consider the president's and Congress’s role in shaping world history in light of electoral concerns before the 2026 midterms. Meanwhile, Lindsay Clancy is on trial for the alleged murder of her three children. The defense claims postpartum psychosis, but an alarming number of women are expressing misplaced "solidarity" with a woman accused of infanticide.

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Republicans Embr...

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Is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez angling to become president in 2028? Ahead of the election, both California’s Gavin Newsom and AOC, who just last week denounced “Woke One,” have aimed to gain broader appeal. In AOC's case this means oversharing about fertility treatments and making TikTok-esque video shoots. But will her attempt to moderate progressivism and play social media politics pay off?

Florida is conducting a primary election to pick Governor Ron DeSantis’s conservative successor. President Trump’s choice, Representative Byron Donalds, leads in the polls. Opposing him, political newcomer James Fishback leads a young, online centric and anti-Israel platform. Meanwhile, the Left coalition continues its reckoning with Woke, reordering to capture populist, pro-Gaza, and anticapitalist energy. Plus, backlash against Big Tech: data centers, Flock cameras, and more!

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Subaru Socialists and the Great Disappointed

The Summer That America Became a Nation of Luddites

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President Ryan Williams reports on the Claremont Institute's Lincoln fellowship. On the docket: America’s political economy and the utility of tariffs, RFK’s new dietary guidelines, and more!

“Woke One was crazy.” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, questioned this week on ABC about a fellow Democratic Socialist’s call to cancel Thanksgiving in 2020, rolled out a new messaging strategy for the Left. Woke 2 will try to distance itself from COVID-era messaging while still demanding that America be transformed to suit its latest grievance coalition. Plus: inflation of the racial oppression narrative, and the purge of liberal arts colleges.

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AOC can’t escape ‘Woke One’

Why I Quit the Tenure Track

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Common good discourse, recently a central topic of right-wing discussion, suffered distortions as it became a catch-all term for the worst fears of the Trump-deranged. Now, as Trump’s possible heir, J.D. Vance has occasioned new debate over the term, its meaning, and its future. How much involvement should the government have in private morality? And is Vance truly "post-liberal"?

Jason Arday, who rocketed to academic stardom as the youngest black professor at Cambridge, now faces claims that his PhD thesis contains plagiarism. That's not all: huge portions of his story seem likely to be fabricated, from a supposed brain surgery days before his defense, to an appearance on the documentary Seven Up. But is Arday really the problem? It seems the institutional decay goes much deeper. This week, hosts Spencer and Mike discuss the necessity of a reckoning in the academies. Plus: is America having a Catholic moment? Or is she an irrevocably Protestant nation?

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New York mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration announced a special pied-à-terre tax on non-primary residences in an attempt to price out affluent owners—noting down properties and owners who might be subject to it in a publicly available list. As the Democratic Socialists rise to take the lead of Democratic politics, how will Republicans respond?

Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky and Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu entered meetings with Trump this week to discuss their respective wars with Russia and Iran. Will Trump shift strategies to bring an end to the conflicts in time for the midterms? Will Thibeau, director of the American Military Project, joins the guys to survey the battlefield and its implications. Meanwhile, Senator Rand Paul released pages of Fauci’s COVID-era diary ahead of the ex-public health official’s appearance before a Senate committee, prompting a retrospective on the dark days of lockdown.

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US military is powerful enough t...

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Faced with ever-greater housing costs, Millennials and Gen Z are finding little comfort in the decreased price of luxury goods like TVs and phones. Despite traditional indicators, today's economic landscape is far grimmer than the one the Boomers faced. How will America bridge this generational disconnect to restore a sense of civilizational continuity?

President Trump this week has announced a set of 50 percent tariffs on various Canadian goods, with a 30-day window to negotiate before they are imposed. In retaliation against Canada’s quotas on American cars and alcohol, Trump proposes to levy tariffs on wine, hockey sticks, and cement. But does it serve America and the Right ahead of midterms? Meanwhile, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s confirmation hearings, following the dismissal of Pam Bondi, give a snapshot of the Right's shifting composition ahead of midterms. Plus: Lindsey Graham, RIP.

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Let’s Not Do That Again

This week, Marco Rubio declared a crusade against the International Criminal Court, citing the ICC’s aim to deny America its sovereignty on behalf of globalist elites. But the New York Times recently reported that the U.S. is managing Venezuela’s oil export revenue. Does the "Donroe Doctrine” run against the administration's wider outlook on nationalism? Meanwhile, two fatal ICE shootings, in Maine and Houston, call into question if the public can stomach immigration enforcement ahead of the midterms. Plus: Thoughts on Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey and Young Washington.

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The Viceroy of Venezuela

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Graham Platner, a self-proclaimed communist and the Democrats’ former working-class role player in Maine’s Senate election, has withdrawn his candidacy following allegations of sexual misconduct. The Left has now jettisoned Platner despite mainstream media attempts to downplay his reported behavior. Can the Left appeal to the white working class when they so obviously despise it?

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Appropriating the U.S. Founding to deliver a message of never-ending “progress,” New York Mayor Mamdani scowled into the camera and delivered a joyless indictment of America as it really exists. In contrast, President Trump lead a jubilant Independence Day festival in D.C., honoring the truth that our strength derives from founding principles and the representative framework they preserve. In a battle for the soul of America, Trumpism now faces off against an ascendant socialist faction of the Left.

This week John Eastman, Founding Director at Claremont’s Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, joins the show to discuss recent landmark Supreme Court rulings. In Trump v. Slaughter, the Court ruled to hold executive agency heads accountable to the president. Meanwhile, delivering the Court’s opinion in Trump v. Barbara, Chief Justice Roberts upheld a broad conception of birthright citizenship. Where do the conservative and progressive movements go from here?

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1776, Not 1608: What the Supreme Court Got Wrong on Birthright Citizenship

Reporting from Claremont’s Publius fellowship, where rising young conservatives receive instruction on America’s founding principles from distinguished scholars, President Ryan P. Williams examines the politics of the Right’s youth—and the necessity of the programming. The fellowships equip members to fend off radical progressivism, think about American history, and contribute to the future of the Right in 2028 and beyond.

On the cusp of America’s 250th anniversary, the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission has prepared a lineup of events celebrating the nation’s virtues. This week, Lucas Morel, member of the commission and professor of politics at Washington and Lee University, joins the show to celebrate the many and varied expressions of patriotism this occasion has called forth, while emphasizing the need to recover the merits of the Founding. Plus: Several important Supreme Court decisions have been handed down. Among them, birthright citizenship has been upheld in Trump v. Barbara. What does this spell for Trump, and America’s political community?

Rec...

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After returning from a week-long trip to Japan, Spencer Klavan joins Mike Sabo this week to recount the nation’s efficient and spirited society. Balanced immigration, respect for tradition and the spirit, and an affection for America. Europe, this is not. Plus, intrigues from the country: lightning-fast bullet trains, bowing deer, and the philosopher's path.

The United States and the Iranian regime have signed a 14-point memo of understanding, establishing a 60-day window to negotiate the war's end. To work out the details—which include an end to sanctions and international monitoring of Iran’s uranium—J.D. Vance met with Iran’s diplomats in Switzerland, while Secretary Marco Rubio is slated to confer with Middle Eastern allies this week. Meanwhile, U.K. prime minister Keir Starmer has resigned amid a breakdown of government trust, sparked by the Labour government’s failure to take immigration and related crime seriously. 

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The Left has controlled America's media institutions for decades, setting the political narrative and driving policy behind the scenes. How can the Right fight back? Claremont Washington Fellow Matthew Peterson argues that conservatives must shed the underdog mindset and compete for mainstream legitimacy. Plus: How marketing is the key to the Right's counter-revolution, which Peterson outlines in "Marketing is the Message," part of his Exit Memos series on Substack.

A memo of understanding between the United States and Iran is reportedly taking shape, laying the groundwork for a potential deal that includes $300 billion to rebuild Iran. But can President Trump secure an agreement that serves American interests, and sell it to voters before the midterm elections? Meanwhile, Trump kicked off a summer-long America 250 celebration with a blockbuster UFC event at the White House. Plus, the guys preview upcoming Claremont essays, events, and Fourth of July reflections. 

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Justice Thomas’s Declaration

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President Trump ordered the public release of images that may depict alien starcraft last month, prompting a wave of fresh speculation about "disclosure." Following the latest information, and the coming release of Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi film Disclosure Day, Ryan Williams and Spencer Klavan discuss the presence of aliens in the public psyche...and on Earth?? Plus: questions of free will, faith, and more!