The American Mind Podcast
The Claremont Institute
The American Mind Podcast uncovers the ideas and principles that drive American political life. The hosts engage Claremont scholars and critics in thought-provoking discussions about the real causes of our current political and cultural reality. claremontinstitute.substack.com
Episodes
Europe Lurches Leftward Toward Disaster. Can It Recover?
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. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe
Brazilian Election: A Global Turn Against the Left?
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comFlávio 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?
Beasts, Gods, and Bots: Facing down the Specter of a Post-Human Future
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.Recommended:Religious Scholars Met With Anthropic: What They Heard Stunned ThemWe Are Clueless About What’s ComingJustice Samuel Alito: Even Originalists Make MistakesThe Alito Court: A Rare Interview With the Influential Supreme Court Justice This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe
Midterm Check In: The Future of the Democrats and the Challenges for MAGA
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comFive 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.
The Crisis of America is the Crisis of the West ft. Steve Hayward
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?Recommended:Political Questions SubstackHarry Jaffa and the Declaration ft. Glenn EllmersPatriotism Is Not EnoughThe Making of the American MindThe Rediscovery of America This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe
How the Left’s Climate Agenda Caused the West’s Economic Downfall ft. Rupert Darwall
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 1619 Project, sent her daughter to a black-majority NYC school as a test of racial ideology, only to discover the failures of a liberal education system.Recommended:The Age of Error and the West’s UndoingIn Fighting for Every Black Child, Did I Betray My Own? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe
Russell Vought: How to Control the Administrative State
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? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe
Uncovered: Administrative State Abuses of Military Contracts
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?Recommended:From Development to Dependency: The Corporate Welfare Economy Behind the 8(a) Program This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe
A Grade of Trump 2.0 - Claremont at the American Political Science Association
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comCaving 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.
Political Fallout: Charlie Kirk’s Legacy and “The Flight 93 Election”
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.Recommended:The Flight 93 ElectionAfter the Flight 93 ElectionDispatches from the Late Republic This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe
Dolly Parton, RIP
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comDolly 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.
FIRE Challenges Trump’s Deportation of Pro-Gaza Immigrants
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?Recommended:Refusing a Crown: How George Washington Changed the World This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe
Offensive Truths: Dr. Nathan Cofnas and the State of the Academy
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comDr. 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.
The Great American Trade War Continues
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.Recommended:Republicans Embrace the Vice Economy This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe
President AOC? The TikTok-ification of Politics
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comIs 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?
Groypers, Grifters, and the GOP: Florida's Primary Election
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!Recommended:Subaru Socialists and the Great DisappointedThe Summer That America Became a Nation of Luddites This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe
An Education Academies Won’t Provide: Claremont’s Lincoln Fellowship
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comPresident 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!
AOC Goes from Woke 1 to Woke 2: A New Left Coalition Forms
“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.Recommended:AOC can’t escape ‘Woke One’Why I Quit the Tenure Track This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe
Common GoodGate, Again
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comCommon 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"?
Catastrophe at Cambridge – Jason Arday and the Scandal at DEI
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?Recommended:Questions Mount Over a Star Scholar’s Life and CareerA Catholic Moment or an Evangelical Century?The Political Theory of the American Founding This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe
Zohran Mamdani Comes for the Pieds-à-Terre
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comNew 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?
A New Phase in the Iran War
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.Recommended:US military is powerful enough to crush enemies, but can it defeat their ‘final 10%?’ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe
Are Millennials and Gen Z Losing Out on Boomer-Level Wealth?
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comFaced 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?
Trump Reopens the Trade War
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.Recommended:Let’s Not Do That Again This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe
Marco Rubio to the Globalists: Get Lost
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.Recommended:The Viceroy of Venezuela This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe
Graham Platner Ousted – Where Does the Left Go Now?
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comGraham 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?
Is Race Communism Ascendant in America?
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comAppropriating 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.
Supreme Court Roundup with John Eastman, Part 1
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?Recommended:1776, Not 1608: What the Supreme Court Got Wrong on Birthright Citizenship This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe
The Future of America and the Claremont Contribution
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. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe
What Makes an American—Birthright Citizenship and the U.S. at 250
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?Recommended:Justice Thomas’s DeclarationLand of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe
America as Seen from Japan
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comAfter 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.
60 Days to End the War
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. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe
The Right's Media Problem—And How to Fix It
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comThe 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.
America's Fight Night
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. Recommended:Of the Elite, By the Elite, For the EliteJustice Thomas’s DeclarationNationalism, Universalism, and the DeclarationHow the Declaration Can Unite a Divided Nation This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe
Aliens in America
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comPresident 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!
America's Privileged Class – The Press, Libel, and Defamation
Having departed from the founders' understanding of libel, the Supreme Court of today declines to protect the reputation of public figures—a gap that has been abused by the press to run unfounded narratives. Author of No Liberty to Libel Carson Holloway joins the hosts this week to trace the morphing values of the 19th and 20th centuries, and to advocate a restoration of older principles. Meanwhile, Spencer Pratt narrowly lost to Democratic Socialist Nithya Raman in the L.A. mayoral race following a sudden wave of mail-in ballots, highlighting California’s lax voting standards.Recommended:No Liberty to Libel: The Constitutional Case Against New York Times v. Sullivan, by Carson HollowayIs California’s Election ‘Rigged’? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe
Tolkien-Pilled
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comPope Leo XIV, in his first encyclical, dropped a quote from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Gandalf. Inspired, Ryan Williams and Spencer Klavan examine why, as other franchises become cringe, the Lord of the Rings books remain moving and important. Even despite some rough streaming adaptations, the stories pair sacred story with timeless moral lessons and unmatched world building. Ryan and Spencer rank the best—and worst—of the fantasy universe Tolkien helped inaugurate.
The Truth about Derek Chauvin
We all know the story: officer Derek Chauvin was making an arrest in the summer of 2020 when he supposedly killed George Floyd—and became a national hate object. This week, former federal prosecutor TJ Harker joins the hosts to detail the research that led him to conclude Chauvin is not only innocent but an American Scapegoat. After years of post-Floyd lawfare, is America now on track to heal? Meanwhile, the senatorial election in Texas rages between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico, the Left’s new “normal” guy: a football enjoyer, feminist Bible reader, and six gender believer.Recommended:The Scapegoating of Derek Chauvin, Pt. IThe Scapegoating of Derek Chauvin, Pt. IIAmerican Scapegoat: How a Corrupt Justice System Sacrificed Derek Chauvin to the Mob This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe
The Price of Drone Warfare
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comThe landscape of battle in the last decade has drastically shifted in favor of drone warfare. In Iran and Ukraine, inexpensive drones hammer against expensive missile interceptors. If the U.S. wants to retain its advantage, this equation needs to change. This week, American Military Project director Will Thibeau discusses how U.S. policy and industry will have to adjust to prepare for the future of war. Plus: the implications of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, NATO deficiencies, and more.
Babel Bots
In his first encyclical, Pope Leo XIV addressed the prospects of AI, warning against the enduring perils of Babel. Does he have a good alternative, or just an array of managerial, transnational solutions? This week, the guys consider the first American pontiff's doctrinal approach to AI and what it means for America. Meanwhile, Marco Rubio's star rises to Kissinger-esque heights as he takes on the dual position of national security advisor and secretary of state amid the Iran War. Who might succeed Trump on the 2028 ticket—Rubio or Vance?Recommended:Magnifica Humanitas, by Pope Leo XIVCan Anyone Stop JD Vance in 2028?The Rediscovery of America, edited by Edward J. Erler and Ken Masugi This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe
Is the AI Backlash Here?
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comA just-released Pew Research poll revealed that a majority of Americans are concerned about the exploits of Artificial Intelligence. Just 10 percent are excited about the technology’s increased use. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt discovered this when he was loudly booed during the University of Arizona’s commencement ceremony. Is this recent backlash a grassroots protest against tone deaf corporate messaging, the fruit of a Chinese psyop, or both? Spencer Klavan and Ryan Williams discuss.
America 250: Go Big or Go Home ft. Matthew Mehan
Associate Dean of Hillsdale’s graduate school of government Matthew Mehan joins the guys to discuss his latest work, The American Book of Fables. It’s a richly illustrated tour through the nation’s wonders, celebrating America in thirteen tales for the whole family. Then, updates from the midterms: Trump endorses Ken Paxton against John Cornyn in the Republican Senate primary in Texas, Kentucky representative Thomas Massie faces off with Trump pick Ed Gallrein, and more!Recommended:The American Book of FablesWhat Conservatives Believe This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe
Homer’s Odyssey and Nolan’s Oddity
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comThe Odyssey: Homer’s epic tale of a man’s harrowing return home from war. Today, the object of gender-critical, woke narrative extremes in translator Emily Wilson’s rendition—and potentially in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming adaptation. Spencer Klavan and Ryan Williams discuss the rumors and reports about the summer film's casting: Zendaya as Athena, Lupita Nyong'o as Helen, Travis Scott as the poet Demodocus, and possibly Elliot Page (formerly Ellen Page) as Achilles. Will Nolan somehow pull it all together, or deliver a steaming pile of Woke?
Pratt Boy Summer
Spencer Pratt, formerly a reality television star on MTV’s The Hills, has entered Los Angeles’s mayoral race as a Republican to challenge incumbent Karen Bass. His campaign’s satirical ads depict opponents as movie villains, yet his more serious pitch addresses the real issues concerning Angelenos: homelessness, drugs, and corruption. Whether this quasi-Trumpian strategy wins their vote remains to be seen come June. Meanwhile, the war in Iran persists. Victory remains elusive and gas prices high. What is the direction of the war effort? Will Trump back out? The guys monitor the situation.Recommended:Boots-on-the-ground is Trump’s best optionWatch with video on Youtube This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe
The Wilting Ivies
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comAs institutes of higher learning lose public trust, a Yale committee has issued several recommendations for greater "openness." In response, the university has trimmed down its mission statement to remove hints of activism and focus on efforts to “create, disseminate, and preserve knowledge.” As the reputations of legacy institutions slump, renegade academies have risen to upset the status quo. Ryan Williams and Spencer Klavan discuss the prospects for these new upstart institutions: Will they spark a wider revival of the traditional academy, or transfer established prestige?
Callooh, Callais
In a historic ruling, the Supreme Court has effectively declared it unconstitutional for legislatures to gerrymander based on race. This week, the guys unravel the convoluted history of how we got to Louisiana v. Callais—from the Civil War and the 15th amendment, through reconstruction, the Voting Rights Act in both its 1965 and 1982 versions. How will the Left respond with racial districting off the table as midterms and 2028 approach? What is the future of the Voting Rights Act? All this and more as The Roundtable's original hour-long length is RESTORED for a deep dive.Recommended:Is Hasan Piker the Face of the American Left?Justice Alito Cleans the Augean Stable of Faux Voting Rights PrecedentsWatch with video on Youtube This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe
A Rebirth of Faith?
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comIn a new Gallup poll, the number of young men who consider religion “very important” rose dramatically (up 14 percent to 42, from 28 in 2022), reversing a decades-long trend. Host Spencer Klavan and Claremont president Ryan Williams contemplate the implications for America's civic health: the reconciliation of science and faith, a potential uptick in marriages and families, and the potential restoration of something like a civic theology. But what kind of theology is needed to sustain America's way of life—and what kinds of theologies won't help? The guys discuss.
The Piker Pill
Over the weekend, a California man bolted past security at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, wielding two firearms and a knife. The suspect was operating under a dangerous and widespread notion that Trump is an intolerable “traitor” deserving death. Meanwhile, far-Left streamer Hasan Piker goes mainstream, raising the question whether Democrat moderates have any room to lead their party out of the abyss. This week, the guys discuss the probable causes for the rise in political violence, including mental gymnastics employed by Piker and others to justify bloodshed.Recommended:‘The Rich Don’t Play by the Rules. So Why Should I?’Days of RageWatch with video on Youtube This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe
Trump v. Slaughter Part III: Creating Monsters to Destroy
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comIn anticipation of an eventual Trump v. Slaughter ruling, Spencer and Ryan follow up last week’s special episode by outlining the arguments in favor of ex-FTC commissioner Rebecca Slaughter. After Clarence Thomas and the other Court conservatives prodded Slaughter's representative Amit Agarwal, it turned out that the respondents' argument could, in principle, be used to engineer a wholesale takeover of government power by Congress and the administrative state. Will Humphrey's Executor be overturned? Ryan and Spencer make their bets.
Cloak and Docket
In a dramatic leak, The New York Times has published seven private memos from a 2016 exchange between Supreme Court Justices leading up to the now-famous interim order that blocked President Obama's "Clean Power Plan." The Times’s lopsided framing accuses Chief Justice Roberts of being flippant and taking unprecedented action. But the so-called "shadow docket" has been used more broadly to shut down both rampant Biden-era lawfare and Trumpian overreach. This week, the guys detail how the courts of both law and public opinion have been changing in the era of the imperial presidency.Recommended:The Inside Story of Five Days That Remade the Supreme CourtLeaked Supreme Court Memos Reveal Why Court Stayed Clean Power PlanThe Pity PartyWatch with video on Youtube This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe