Shield of the Republic Why MAGA Loves Illiberalism (w/ Laura Field)
Nov 10, 2025
Laura Field, a nonresident fellow at Brookings and author of Furious Minds, dives deep into the MAGA intellectual ecosystem. She explores the Claremont Institute's roots and the influence of figures like Michael Anton and Leo Strauss. The conversation unpacks the rise of post-liberalism, theocratic ambitions of Christian nationalists, and how radical decline narratives fuel extremism. Field also links tech innovators like Peter Thiel to far-right ideologies and discusses the movement's incoherence as a strategic power grab, highlighting its implications for American democracy.
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Cheney As Institutionalist, Not Power-Seeker
- Eric Edelman and Eliot Cohen emphasize Dick Cheney's institutionalist view of executive power and respect for constitutional processes.
- They argue Cheney's approach was about institutions, oversight, and interrogating intelligence, not aggregating personal power.
Claremont's Flight 93 Moment
- Michael Anton's 'Flight 93' essay framed Trumpism as economic nationalism, secure borders, and America-first foreign policy.
- Laura Field describes Anton's piece as the first intellectual articulation that made Trumpism defensible to conservatives.
Founding Fervor Became Nativist Energy
- The Claremont Institute channels Straussian close-reading into a fervent defense of a mythic founding.
- That fervor helped shift some conservatives toward nativist and exclusionary politics.
