The American Mind Podcast

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 Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at 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 Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at 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 Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at 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 Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at 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 Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

In the wake of a bad election for Republicans, the Trump Administration seems to be reeling a bit as it looks for a new direction heading into Trump’s second year of this term. Yet time remains to step away from the ledge, button up and course correct before midterms. This week, Matthew Peterson joins the guys as they unravel dissatisfactions on the right and note potential MAGA comebacks. Meanwhile, Vanity Fair West Coast editor Olivia Nuzzi’s memoir generates a seedy sort of buzz as alleged details emerge about her sexts to RFK Jr., in case you were worried there might be depths to which journalists would not sink. Plus: Another round of cultural recommendations!Reading recommendations:"Part 1: How I Found Out," by Ryan Lizza“Ulysses,” by Alfred, Lord TennysonKing of Dogs, by Andrew EdwardsProject Hail Mary, by Andy WeirTreatise on Justification, by John Davenant Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

A bill to reopen the government has at last passed the Senate. It includes major concessions from Democrats on health care subsidies, earning moderate Democrats the ire of progressives. As the shutdown reaches its forty-second day, hosts Spencer and Mike sit down with guest Matthew Peterson to discuss the government’s perennial inability to form a budget. Elsewhere, election tallies are in: Zohran Mamdani won the NYC mayoral race, the election for Virginia AG went to Jay Jones, and California voters approved Gavin Newsom’s redistricting plan. The tide of political battle remains yet uncertain as midterms loom. Plus: who planted the January 6 pipe bombs? And more cultural recommendations!Recommended Reading:Former Capitol Police Officer a Forensic Match for Jan. 6 Pipe Bomber, Sources Say2025’s Message to the GOP: Get Back to BasicsA Brief History of the Samurai, by Jonathan ClementsStatus and Culture, by W. David Marx Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Tucker Carlson hosted Nick Fuentes, an antisemitic broadcaster, for a friendly interview, causing divisions to erupt on the Right. This week, as socialist Zohran Mamdani is forecast to take New York City’s mayorship, the guys appraise the influence of Fuentes on the mainstream and discuss the Right’s alternatives to curry favor with the middle. Plus: details have emerged about an FBI operation, “Arctic Frost,” aimed at targeting GOP officials’ comms to delegitimize Trump and his supporters post-2020 election. And more cultural recommendations!Recommended media:True DetectiveSlow HorsesWhat We Can KnowBrothers Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

As Trump’s campaign to curb illegal immigration presses on, half of ICE’s top officers have been reassigned in what may be a significant policy shift ahead of the midterms. Meanwhile, Biden’s former press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre sat down for an interview with The New Yorker’s Isaac Chotiner in which she nearly self-identifies as a DEI hire and tries lamely to defend her old boss. The secretary...goes down with the ship? The guys lay into these topics before bravely excavating the goon-cave so you don’t have to. Plus: for the first time ever, we’re on video!Recommended media:Why Biden’s White House Press Secretary Is Leaving the Democratic PartyThe Goon Squad Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

The latest round of “No Kings!” rallies, reportedly attended by 7 million—average attendee, per Axios, mid-40s and female—took to the streets this weekend in protest of…what monarchy, exactly? This week, three kings—Ryan, Matt, and Spencer—discuss progressive populism, John Bolton’s indictment for alleged mishandling of classified intelligence, and Zohran Mamdani’s likely victory despite a weak performance in New York’s mayoral debate. Plus: more cultural recommendations!Recommended media:The Claremont Institute Standing Athwart HistoryHasan Piker Is Flirting With the RevolutionBehind the Curtain: The Most Unprecedented Presidency in 250 YearsThe Camp of the Saints Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

In a stirring climax to Trump’s middle east negotiations, 20 Israeli hostages were released back to their families after 738 days in brutal captivity. This week, hosts Spencer and Mike discuss the success of Trump’s plan thus far, the failure of previous efforts in the region, and the likelihood of lasting peace. Meanwhile, unguarded messages from a Young Republican group chat have leaked to the media. Is this more evidence of political hatred on the level of Jay Jones’s texts, or just edgy kids doing what edgy kids do? Plus: The Supreme Court takes up oral arguments again, and more cultural recommendations!Recommended reading:Leaked messages expose Young Republicans’ racist chatGorgias: Encomium of Helen Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Trump has a twenty-point plan to end the war in Gaza, emphasizing demilitarization and the release of hostages. On the two-year anniversary of the October 7 attack, the guys contemplate the plan’s prospects for success, Netanyahu’s political future, and domestic reactions. Meanwhile back home, leaked texts from Virginia Democrat Jay Jones express hair-raisingly violent fantasies about “fascist” conservative opponents and their families, epitomizing the Left’s bloodlust problem. Plus: Gen Z’s devolution of marriage structures, and more cultural recommendations!Cultural recommendations:Vibe Shift: Quantum Supremacy Guy Wins Physics NobelJay Jones’s Texts Are a Frightening Peek into a Bleak Moral WorldviewWhat Does Gen Z Divorce Look Like?Annihilation: A NovelAristophanes: Four Plays: Clouds, Birds, Lysistrata, Women of the Assembly Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

This week, Matthew Peterson of The Blaze jumps in to discuss Pete Hegseth’s forceful declaration of war on DEI initiatives, including separate PT standards for women. Then the guys crack open Kamala Harris’s apologia for her campaign in 107 Days, comprising a list of all the people responsible for the election loss who are not named Kamala Harris. Late candidacy? Biden’s fault. Bad interviews? The host’s fault. Not elected? The people’s fault. Meanwhile, the AI firm Friend publicizes its attempt to supplant real human interaction, raising concerns about Big Tech fueling—and preying on—the mentally unwell. Plus: more cultural recommendations!Reading recommendations:Identity in the Trenches, by Will ThibeauThe Constant Battle, by Kamala HarrisFighting Enemies Foreign and Domestic, edited by Ryan P. WilliamsInforming Statecraft, by Angelo CodevillaI Hate My Friend Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Special guest Ryder Selmi, longtime friend of Charlie Kirk and Strategy Director at Beck & Stone, joins the hosts this week to recount his experience attending Charlie Kirk’s memorial service on Monday. There, Erika Kirk forgave her husband’s assassin in a moment of prayer, joined by Trump and more than 200,000 attendees at an Arizona stadium—a moment emblematic of Charlie’s faith and his movement. Reactions from the Left elite have ranged from bewilderment to spite, epitomized by Jimmy Kimmel’s distasteful attempt to pin the assassination on MAGA. The late-night host was then briefly pulled from air, now made a “martyr” by Hollywood to distract from their offenses. Plus: media recommendations!Recommended reading:Religious News Veteran: Why the Mainstream Media Doesn’t Understand Erika KirkLand’s EndArming the People Against Revolution Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

The assassination of Charlie Kirk, slain by a politically motivated shooter, will shift our politics markedly in the coming months and years. Director and Senior Analyst for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism at the Center for Security Policy Kyle Shideler joins the hosts this week to share memories of the man and unmask the far-left networks that are responsible for recent political violence. Particularly under the Obama and Biden administrations, vague threat-level categories were created to asymmetrically bring the hammer down on extremist groups, allowing far-left extremism to slip by and foment. Yet the knee-jerk reaction to use "hate speech" laws and censorship is a notion best warded off; instead, correct designation of terror groups and fund tracing is urgently needed to diffuse modern terror threats at home and abroad. Plus: related reading and other media recommendations!Recommended reading:How to Dismantle Far-Left Extremist NetworksHonor the Memory of Charlie KirkCharlie Kirk, MartyrCitizen Kirk Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

The editors open with an analysis of the killing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska by a repeat violent offender, and discuss what it reveals about crime, media spin, and a legacy media more fixated on “Republicans pouncing” than the literally pouncing criminal himself. Follow-up discussion ranges from Europe’s disappearing crime stats to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s downward revision of nearly a million jobs during the Biden presidency, probing whether institutions still merit public trust and what a reality-based politics on immigration, safety, and the economy might look like. The editors also touch on an immigration sweep at a Georgia battery plant and the gap between GDP and lived experience before closing with fresh culture picks.Culture recommendations:* The Name of the Rose* Last Summer Boys* Alien: Earth* How to Be a Better Drinker: Cocktail Recipes and Boozy Etiquette Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

At a Catholic school in Minneapolis, two children were killed, and many others injured, in a recent shooting at the hands of a transgender individual. The city's mayor Jacob Frey and California governor Newsom took the somber moment to sneer at prayer. This week, the hosts discuss the impact of leftist indoctrination on mental health crises; the misuse of AI hollowing young minds in the academy and worsening grade inflation; and Trump’s move of US Space Command to Alabama. Plus: media recommendations and experience reports from the NatCon Conference! Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Trump has reached a deal with semiconductor chip maker Intel to land the government a 10% stake in the firm. It’s a potential safeguard against China in an uncertain age but also a potentially troubling intervention into the market. There are also rumblings about sending the National Guard into Chicago, which would really be an error—but maybe it’s all just lib-baiting. Meanwhile in the UK, a teen girl was arrested after allegedly brandishing a knife and hatchet at an immigrant man by whom she felt threatened, aggravating tensions over the country’s influx of culturally disconnected and often violent immigrants. The guys sit down this week to discuss the happenings in Trump-world and beyond—plus more media recommendations! Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

This week, the legacy media allowed their hatred for Trump to overrule any desire they may once have had for peace in Ukraine. The president held meetings with Putin, Zelensky, and European leaders, apparently making serious headway toward a conclusion to the war. Meanwhile in Florida this week, illegal immigrant Harjinder Singh allegedly killed three people after losing control of his semi-truck in the course of an illegal U-turn. Despite failing English and road sign tests, Singh—who crossed from Mexico into California—was able to obtain a commercial driver's license thanks to Gavin Newsom’s governance in CA. Matthew Peterson joins the guys to discuss the tragic outcomes of Leftist policy and the Democrats' ongoing efforts to rehabilitate their image. Plus, are movies dead? And other media recs. Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Trump invokes the Home Rule Act of 1973 to clean up the nation’s crime-ridden capital, temporarily wresting control of the DC Metropolitan Police from local authorities. He's fed up with the crooks in DC, though what to do with the ones in Congress is anybody's guess. Meanwhile in Canada, medically assisted suicide has spiraled out of control just as its critics said it would, becoming a major driver of demographic change and underscoring a culture of despair. This week, the guys are joined by Andrew Beck to discuss troubles in DC and the Great White North, as well as the uncovering of now-Senator Adam Schiff’s authorization for a baseless 2017 Russiagate intel leak aimed at dragging Trump’s reputation. Plus: media recommendations! Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe