Today, Nathan Halberstadt sits down with Leo Koerner, President of the Harvard Republicans Club and Carter Stewart, 2025 Harvard Alumni and Associate at New Founding, to discuss the current state of Harvard's political climate, openness to debate, and how Gen-Z feels about the state of the country and future of the US Economy.

Leo Koerner is a senior history major at Harvard University, where he serves as president of the Harvard Republican Club. A vocal young conservative, Koerner champions American sovereignty, traditional values, and the untapped optimism of the American spirit.

https://x.com/leoakoerner

Carter Stewart is an associate at New Founding, a venture firm dedicated to tackling critical civilizational challenges through aligned investments and policy innovation. As a self-described “scion of the PMC” (Professional Managerial Class), he brings a sharp, pragmatic lens to discussions on American renewal, critiquing generational failures—like Boomer-driven housing and education inflation—while advocating for bold, intermediate steps in areas such as mass deportations, reindustrialization, immigration reform, and deregulation. He is an alumni of Harvard (2025) and former member of the Harvard Republicans Club.

https://x.com/cart_stew

Timestamps:

00:00 - Opening Highlights

01:16 – The Harvard Republicans in the Age of Trump

03:27 – HRC Leadership Shift & Trump Endorsement

05:49 – 2021 IOP rule changes, post-COVID post-January 6

08:55 – HRC's Nationwide Influence

11:22 – Campus Factions and the New Right

17:01 – Intellectual landscape at Harvard: events, visiting speakers, and debates

27:55 – Youth transition from libertarianism to “new right”

41:32 – Is College still worthwhile? Humanities vs. Practical Skills

1:07:02 – Leo & Carter share personal ambitions, hopes for HRC’s future, and closing reflections on reform and activism at Harvard.

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The New Founding Podcast is recorded at the New Founding HQ in Dallas, Texas, produced by Nathan Halberstadt, and edited by Jared Cummings.

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