The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie

Did MAGA Kill the Tea Party?

23 snips

Aug 13, 2025

Guest

Kennedy

Guest

Justin Amash

Justin Amash, a former U.S. Representative known for his libertarian views, and Kennedy, a Fox News personality and former MTV VJ, delve into the trajectory of the Tea Party and its transformation under the influence of the MAGA movement. They discuss how the original emphasis on limiting government has shifted toward expanding its power. The conversation also touches on Congress's inaction, the dual-edged nature of social media, and the evolving political perspectives of Gen Z, painting a vivid picture of America's current political landscape.

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INSIGHT

Ron Paul Sparked A Libertarian Generation

Ron Paul injected hope and authentic, consistent liberty messaging at a moment when it resonated nationally.
Justin Amash credits Paul with creating a generation of liberty advocates that otherwise wouldn't exist.

ANECDOTE

Riding The Tea Party Wave

Justin Amash describes riding the Tea Party wave into Congress after 2010 amid opposition to Obama-era expansion.
He says the movement united constitutional conservatives, libertarians, and traditional conservatives against Washington overreach.

INSIGHT

MAGA Redirected Anti‑Establishment Energy

Amash argues MAGA absorbed and redirected Tea Party energy from limiting government to consolidating power.
He observes the movement shifted focus toward using state power for in-group ends rather than constraining Washington.

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In 2008, Rep. Ron Paul (R–Texas) ran for the Republican presidential nomination and did surprisingly well with a campaign focused on stopping the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, ending the Federal Reserve, and reducing the size and spending of the federal government. Two years later, the Tea Party movement burst onto the scene, bringing people like Paul's son Rand to the Senate and one of today's guests, Justin Amash, to the House of Representatives. In 2012, Ron Paul again ran for the GOP nod, finishing behind the eventual nominee Mitt Romney, and helping to usher in what The New York Times called "the libertarian moment."

What happened to the Ron Paul Revolution and Tea Party's promise to shrink government, especially once Donald Trump and the MAGA movement emerged in 2015? Did the broad-based alliance that rose to cut spending and limit power transmogrify into one that prizes wielding the state instead of restraining it?

Today's episode was recorded live on Saturday, August 9, at Ron Paul's 90th birthday BBQ in Lake Jackson, Texas. The guests are Amash and Fox News personality Kennedy. They talk with Nick Gillespie about how the MAGA movement grew out of the Ron Paul Revolution and the Tea Party and redirected the right's anti-establishment energy toward expanding government power rather than limiting it. They also discuss why Congress refuses to legislate, whether social media has expanded freedom or increased anxiety, and if Gen Z is libertarian or conformist.

0:00—Ron Paul's impact on the libertarian movement

6:33—The Tea Party wave

12:45—Did Trump end the libertarian moment?

18:41—Social media and bigger government

25:26—Optimism for young libertarians

33:42—Why has everything become political?

36:33—Will Amash run for office again?

44:38—Concerns for the next generation

Upcoming events:

The Soho Forum Debate: Melanie Thompson vs. Kaytlin Bailey, September 15

Producer: Paul Alexander
Audio Mixer: Ian Keyser

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