Today, Explained

Trump’s dork philosopher

141 snips
Jul 15, 2025
Ava Kaufman, a staff writer at The New Yorker, and Zach Beauchamp from Vox dive into the provocative world of Curtis Yarvin, the far-right philosopher gaining traction within the MAGA movement. They discuss Yarvin's controversial advocacy for authoritarian governance, its allure to contemporary politics, and its implications for democracy. The duo also critiques the rising anti-liberal sentiments threatening individual rights, emphasizing the critical need to differentiate between diagnoses of political issues and their proposed solutions in today's complex landscape.
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INSIGHT

Yarvin's Influence on Trump

  • Curtis Yarvin's ideas influenced Trump and the MAGA movement despite not being directly read by Trump.
  • His radical proposals, like expelling Palestinians from Gaza, surprisingly echoed in Trump's speeches.
INSIGHT

Yarvin's Political Philosophy

  • Yarvin offers a simple reactionary story: people are unequal, so democracy doesn't work.
  • He advocates for rule by strong, unelected leaders akin to CEOs replacing bureaucratic systems.
INSIGHT

Monarchy as CEO Corporation

  • Yarvin envisions a monarchy or CEO-monarch with absolute authority replacing democracy.
  • He advocates scrapping existing institutions and rebooting society under this strongman.
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