In 'American Covenant,' Yuval Levin argues that the U.S. Constitution is not the source of contemporary political discord but rather the solution. The book blends historical analysis with practical insights, highlighting the framers’ sophisticated understanding of political division and the Constitution’s power to facilitate constructive disagreement and forge unity. Levin provides a hopeful and insightful perspective, rooted in American political tradition, and offers practical solutions for reforming aspects of the constitutional order that have malfunctioned.
In 'The Fractured Republic', Yuval Levin argues that the politics of nostalgia is failing twenty-first-century Americans. He suggests that the benefits of increased individualism, diversity, and dynamism have come at the cost of dwindling solidarity and social order. Levin proposes a modernizing politics that avoids radical individualism and centralizing statism, instead focusing on reviving the middle layers of society to address the nation's challenges.
In *A Time to Build*, Yuval Levin argues that the social crisis in America is not due to oppressive institutions but rather a lack of trust in them. He advocates for rebuilding and strengthening institutions like families, schools, and churches to foster unity and social cohesion. Levin emphasizes the importance of these institutions in shaping individuals and society, providing a framework for moral improvement and civic engagement.
As you now well know, at 6:11 p.m. on Saturday evening, shots rang out at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. One person, a 50-year-old man named Cory Comperatore, was killed. Two others, David Dutch and James Copenhaver, were gravely injured. Trump’s ear was grazed by a bullet.
Before the 45th president was whisked away by Secret Service, he emerged defiant with his fist pumping in the air, blood on his ear and face. “Fight! Fight! Fight!” he yelled at the crowd, to which they chanted back: “USA! USA! USA!”
As we would later learn, one of the bullets pierced the top of Trump’s right ear, flying just a hair’s breadth away from his head. One inch. One inch and we would be having a very different conversation. As Niall Ferguson wrote in The Free Press:
“An inch or two further to the left and the bullet that grazed Donald Trump’s ear would have penetrated his skull and very likely killed him. A slight gust of wind, a tremor of the assassin’s hand, an unexpected move by the former president—for whatever tiny reason, Trump lived to fight another day.”
Saturday’s attempted assassination has already shifted the course of this election. How will it shape our politics and our country? And was this violence the inevitable outcome of our painfully divided country, and who is responsible for those divisions?
Those are the subjects of today’s episode. This is an episode in two parts.
The first part is about the unspeakable events that took place on Saturday. Then in the second half, you’ll hear our initial conversation that took place last week about political brokenness, the crisis of trust between the American people and our elected officials—and how to fix it with some help from the Constitution. In light of what happened over the weekend, it feels even more poignant.
The guest in both halves of this episode is Yuval Levin, one of the greatest political analysts and explainers of our time.
Yuval has even been called the “the most important voice in the political culture.” He worked on domestic policy in the George W. Bush administration. He’s now a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he studies Congress, the presidency, the courts, the Constitution, and American political life.
He’s the author of several books including The Fractured Republic and A Time to Build. And he just published American Covenant: How the Constitution Unified Our Nation—and Could Again. It gives us a road map to how the Constitution can bring the country together to solve our political troubles.
What I particularly love about Yuval is that when everyone around us seems to be taking the black pill, Yuval is clear-eyed. He’s neither optimistic nor pessimistic. Yuval is just realistic, informed by a deep sense of American history that gives him a perspective on what’s happening now while motivated by a true love for this country.
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Honestly with Bari Weiss 
