The American Mind Podcast

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comWrapping up a short series of talks focused on Japanese politics, host Spencer Klavan and Claremont Institute president Ryan Williams examine Japan’s reaction to the rise of Trump and the MAGA movement. Building on the modern US-Japan partnership, Trump and the recently elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi have met to reaffirm the shared project of sta…

Amid an ongoing congressional battle over Department of Homeland Security funding, the House Democrats eked out a bill in the early hours last Friday—excluding ICE and Border Patrol. After a century of Congressional abdication, submission to bureaucracy has become second nature. And in making war, most recently with Iran, the atrophy of the government's first branch calls into question the separation of powers. Plus: Oral arguments for Trump v. Barbara, on birthright citizenship, begin this week, challenging the liberal interpretation repudiated by the work of John Eastman, John Marini, and other Claremonsters.Recommended:The man behind Donald Trump’s push to end birthright citizenshipWatch 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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comClaremont Institute president Ryan Williams continues his conversation with host Spencer Klavan about his quasi-diplomatic mission to Japan. This week, the two launch into the role of religion in Japanese politics, the country’s deeper history before World War II, and remedies for the nation’s birth dearth. With this context, the outlook of modern Japan…

After another tense week of Iran-US operations, Trump is reportedly looking to broker a deal and snuff out the Middle East conflict. Meanwhile, amid rumors that the Right is tearing at the seams, polling now reveals that young conservatives are the least divided on the recent intervention—overwhelmingly in its favor. Reports of a deep divide between old and young may, as so often, be more media hype than reality. Those running in 2028: take notes.Recommended:The Age of AmericaPoll: Young conservatives are the strongest supporters of the war in IranThe Metaverse Was Never InevitableWhiteshift: Populism, Immigration, and the Future of White Majorities 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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comJoining host Spencer Klavan fresh off the plane from a Japan-hosted outreach mission, Claremont Institute president Ryan Williams gives an exclusive debrief with insight into Japanese political philosophy, business strategy, and defense. China, the nation’s longtime adversary across the sea, view it as an obstacle to regional dominance—making prudent a …

A buzzy new essay at New York Mag announces that some women have grown disgruntled at the MAGA movement and by their treatment from some on the New Right. Now their criticisms are being used to publicly discredit conservatism, wholesale. The concerns are real, but need to be addressed in-house—before they become oppo fodder. Meanwhile, Director of National Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent has resigned, citing the war in Iran. Plus: returning from Japan, Ryan teases some of his quasi-diplomatic escapades, and shares a few quirks of the nation and its history: available in full on Claremont Digital Plus!Recommended:The Women Leaving the New RightWhat the Hell Happened to DOGE? 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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comWill Thibeau joins host Spencer Klavan to take measure of our adversary's capabilities in the Iran War.

Following the joint US-Israel airstrike on the Ayatollah Khamenei, the late dictator’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been picked successor by the regime. The Trump administration has begun to signal its objectives, goalposts and exit plan—but is victory clearly defined yet? Meanwhile, a failed terror attack targeting a protest in New York signals cascading effects back home. This week, hosts Spencer Klavan and Mike Sabo talk through the latest in the war on Iran and its potential implications for the American Right’s internal conflicts, including 2028 prospects for J.D. Vance and Marco Rubio.Recommended:Trump Advisers Urge Him to Find Iran Exit Ramp, Fearing Political BacklashOn Iran, Vance Balances Between Trump and the Anti-Intervention RightLeo Strauss and American Foreign PolicyWatch 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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comCalifornia’s radical law, forbidding schools and teachers from reporting students' gender dysmorphia and transgender treatments to parents, has just been shot down by the Supreme Court. Eric Wessan, Claremont alum and Solicitor General at the Iowa Office of the Attorney General, joins host Spencer Klavan to discuss the parental rights victory, touch on …

The Ayatollah Khameini is dead in a missile strike. The U.S. and Israel are effectively at war with Iran. Trump and his administration, hawkish on Iran, pursue peace through force with Operation Epic Fury. This week, the guys sit down to hash out the military and trade implications in the Mideast region, and the quagmire of political considerations back home—including presidential powers and an impotent Congress at the forefront. Europe’s response, meanwhile, betrays its continued decline and unreliability.Recommended:Trump Was Always an Iran HawkWatch 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

Chief Washington Correspondent at Newsmax James Rosen sits down this week with Claremont Institute president Ryan Williams to discuss the deep state's involvement in the operation to bring down President Nixon. Informing the discussion are never-before-seen files sourced by Mr. Rosen: a spy ring directed by three-letter intelligence agencies, collaborat… 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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comPresident Trump took to the podium to deliver the first State of the Union address of his second term Tuesday night. His appraisal: we are so back. Transparency is back, and so are affordability, education, homeownership, and more. On this exclusive Roundtable episode, hosts Ryan Williams and Mike Sabo sit down to discuss the merits of Trump’s speech, t…

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 last week that the International Economic Emergency Powers Act does not give the president authority to impose tariffs—Alito, Kavanaugh, and Thomas dissenting. The administration now scrambles to implement its tariff policies as appeals and new legislation proceed. Meanwhile, America counts its treasures as the Winter Olympics close out: 12 gold medals, one among them won by the daughter of a Chinese refugee to the States. Go us! Plus: the AI overlord of the 7,000-strong Roomba army, and more.Recommended:The Tariff Wears Two Hats: What the SCOTUS Majority OverlookedWatch 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

Following on from J.D. Vance’s bracing speech in 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on European allies to resist the managed decline of the West at the 2026 Munich Security Conference this week. The welfare state is a slow moving trainwreck. Appeasement of climate cultists stunts economies. Mass migration threatens to disrupt our civilization. Playing good cop to the VP’s bad cop, Rubio outlined America's vision to revive the spirit and strength of the shared Western project. Plus: The guys discuss the Left’s compassion fatigue, Hungary’s coming election, and the legacy of the late Dr. Mickey Gene Craig: teacher, mentor, and friend.Recommended:Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Munich Security ConferenceGeorge Washington’s Farewell AddressHungary and the Future of EuropeWhy Hasn’t Brexit Happened? 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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comKicking off the Roundtable’s premium interview series, our AI chatbot—sorry, host, Spencer Klavan is joined by Claremont Institute president Ryan Williams to discuss the strange symptom of late-stage modernity that is AI maximalism. The technology, which excels as a task manager and mathematician, lacks humanity—consciousness, morality, and soul. But its potential use as a tool to run government may prove painfully seductive to the modern mind, and equally disastrous.

Superbowl LX went to the Seahawks, but the halftime show went to Puerto Rico with musician Bad Bunny, who performed almost entirely in Spanish (except, of course, when he took a dig at America's right to call itself America). The production targeted normie TV viewers with a joyous, positive aura—all while subtly communicating a leftist message of globalization. Was this a stroke of genius, or is Bad Bunny already cringe? Meanwhile, California continues to spiral, expropriating its top earners mob-boss style through aggressive taxes and de facto wealth confiscation. Will the Right rally around its own positive message, and go toe-to-toe with the Left? Plus: Show changes and a new, premium offering to come Thursday! 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 recent government shutdown standoff has reached an end but, in yet another stage of the war against immigration enforcement, only temporary funding for Homeland Security has been passed. Democrats now aim at sweeping ICE reforms, Republicans at pushing through the SAVE Act requiring national voter ID—and dropping the Senate filibuster ahead of the midterms. Meanwhile, a New York jury has awarded $2 million in damages to a detransitioner who went through Female-to-Male “gender affirming care” at 16. Digging at the roots of malpractice and overdiagnosis and with a surgeon and psychologist on the hook, could the case signal the beginning of the end of trans-mania? 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

Close on the heels of Renée Good's death, Minneapolis protestor Alex Pretti was killed in another altercation with ICE agents. Investigation into both incidents will hopefully make judgment easier in the court of law, but in the court of public opinion the situation looks grim. Losing ground on the media battlefield and in polls ahead of the midterms, Trump must consider the extent and nature of his mandate on immigration. This week, the guys take a hard look at the electoral reality and discuss what it means for the Right's policy agenda. Plus: regulatory bloat (aka Hegel's revenge) makes it hard to translate political will into meaningful action in the UK, while inclement weather and exploding trees (!) make for an eventful week in the U.S. 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

As anti-ICE protests escalate in Minneapolis, agitators storm a church mid-service. But Trump’s deportation efforts are combining with economic pain to drive his poll numbers down. Uncertainty about Greenland doesn’t seem to be helping matters, though the breakdown of NATO may be unavoidable or already happening in all but name. With midterms looming, how should the administration approach this delicate moment? Plus: the discipline of classics, and with it the prestige institutions of the American academy, seem determined to self-destruct. Ryan, Mike, and Spencer survey the landscape and offer up a few cultural recommendations. 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

This land is your land; this land is...Greenland? Following the recent arrest and capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Trump has halted shipments of Venezuelan oil to Cuba, raising new speculations about efforts to acquire Greenland and solidify US control in the region. Meanwhile, Renée Good, egged by her wife to obstruct ICE officers in Minneapolis, was fatally shot while accelerating a vehicle toward an agent. To unravel the new “Donroe” Doctrine and twisted LARPing of progressive and Antifa activists, Kyle Shideler of the Center for Security Policy joins the hosts to throw light on recent events.Recommended:The Callous and Cynical Politics That Led to Renee Good’s DeathWho's to Blame in Minnesota? Five Cases Involving Police Shooting at CarsLiberals Think Antifa Isn’t Real. But It Is—and It Knows How to WinThe Regulars Are Coming!Thou Shalt Kill, by Anna Geifman 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

Nicolás Maduro is in U.S. custody, pleading not guilty to federal drug and weapons charges. What does his capture mean for Venezuela, American foreign policy, and the global order? And how does this moment connect to the domestic fight over America’s administrative state? Josh Treviño of AFPI unpacks the geopolitical aftermath of Maduro’s arrest, and R.J. Pestritto of Hillsdale College discusses his latest publication about the rise of America’s unelected bureaucracy: Government by the Unelected: How It Happened, and How It Might Be Tamed. 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

This week, hosts Ryan and Spencer sit down as the year closes out to share their Christmas plans and recommendations: music, theater, food, drink, and more! Stay tuned in the new year!Recommendations:Adventures in Old English: The History and Meaning of Advent“Christmas Traditions,” by the CRB editorsEssentials of Classic Italian Cooking: 30th Anniversary EditionThe PDT Cocktail Book 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

Australia has suffered its deadliest mass shooting in decades, allegedly perpetrated by father and son Sajid and Naveed Akram, on the first night of Hannukah. Meanwhile in Germany, (yet another) planned attack at a Christmas market was foiled. This week, Spencer and Mike discuss problems that have finally gotten too overwhelming for even the BBC and the New York Times to ignore, from mass migration to the DEI crusade against young white men. Plus: Christmas recommendations!Recommendations:The Lost Generation, by Jacob SavageWhy “The Lost Generation” is a Lost Opportunity, by Jeremy CarlThe Christmas of the Quarter-Century 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

Under the nose of the Tim Walz regime, hundreds of millions of Minnesotan tax dollars have been defrauded by an array of shell organizations sending money overseas, in some cases to terrorist groups. That the ringleaders are primarily of Somali descent makes progressives uncomfortable and help’s Trump’s case against mass migration. This week, the guys discuss COVID-era abuses of welfare, consider immigration’s rolling effect on national security, and consider Trump’s handling of the economy amidst a potential affordability crisis. Plus: more cultural recommendations!Recommended:The Real Clash of Civilizations, by Nathan PinkoskiLeo Strauss and American Foreign Policy, by Thomas G. WestDemocracy and the Bush Doctrine, by Charles R. KeslerHouse of Leaves, by Mark Z. Danielewski 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

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is being accused of war crimes after allegedly making a so-called “double-tap” strike against Venezuelan drug traffickers. But it may just be a double distraction, allowing critics of Trump both to avoid more serious questions about immigration policy and to pull attention from the tragic shooting of two National Guards in DC by an Afghani national. This week, the guys are joined again by Matthew Peterson to discuss US operations in South America and the Left’s unsubtle hints that soldiers might need to disobey orders. Plus: Kash Patel as FBI Director: the right man for the wrong job?Recommended:“What Brought the Trump Administration to the Brink with the Venezuelan Regime,” by Joshua Treviño & Melissa FordNever Enough: America’s Limitless Welfare State, by William VoegeliOur American Queen: The Rise and Ruin of Kate Chase, by Thomas Klingenstein 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 recent White House meeting between Donald Trump and Zohran Mamdani gave the president a chance to flip the script while publicly debasing the rhetorical currency of the “anti-fascist” Left. In this special holiday episode, the guys are joined by Matthew Peterson to discuss the president’s latest strategy, and answer listener questions. On the docket are emerging factions within the conservative movement, federal leniency on Antifa post-domestic-terrorist designation, and more. Plus: The crew gives thanks and share holiday plans, antics, eats—and cultural recommendations!Recommended reading:A House for the Word, by Richard Hooker 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