
The American Mind
The American Mind Podcast uncovers the ideas and principles that drive American political life. In each episode, we engage Claremont Institute scholars, co-conspirators, and critics in thought-provoking discussions about the real causes of our current political and cultural reality. We explore these ideas with an eye towards restoring American civic health.
The Roundtable is a weekly show, hosted by our editors and publisher with a unique blend of joviality and intellectually stimulating conversation, boosted by an occasional glass of whisky. Each episode focuses on a handful of topics that carry significant weight in the debate of ideas for the best path of American life, both privately and civically. Of course, we do reserve some time for fun in each show.
Occasionally, we produce special podcast features on individual topics with commentary from the top thinkers in America today. Think of American Mind Podcast specials as succinct audio-documentaries.
Tell us what you think! Subscribe to our channel, rate us, leave a review, and help spread the word to your friends and colleagues! Interested in hearing from us on a particular topic? Email your suggestions to americanmind@claremont.org. And visit our website, americanmind.org, for essays, editorials, debates, and more.
The American Mind, The Roundtable, and our specials are productions of the Claremont Institute. The mission of the Claremont Institute is the recovery of the American idea—the timeless principles that have made America great since its founding.
Latest episodes

Jan 25, 2020 • 1h 7min
The Roundtable Ep. 1
Impeachment is still happening (apparently), Jeffrey Epstein still didn’t kill himself, and we conducted a very scientific poll about how to fix America. Plus: what’s up with the Lamb of Ghent?

Dec 31, 2019 • 57min
The American Mind Episode #3: U.S. Foreign Policy and the Pursuit of National Interest
In this podcast, Ryan Williams, our President at Claremont and Publisher of The Claremont Review of Books is joined by Michael Anton. We thank Mr. Anton for joining us and for his unique insights. The American Mind podcast uncovers the ideas and principles that drive American political life. The American Mind fosters thought-provoking and substantive conversation about the real causes of our current political and cultural reality. We explore these ideas with an eye towards restoring America back to civic health. In each episode, we engage Claremont institute scholars, co-conspirators, and challengers on the core questions and critical issues of our time. The mission of the Claremont Institute is the recovery of the American idea- the timeless principles that have made America great since its founding. The American Mind is hosted by Ryan Williams, President of the Claremont Institute and publisher of the Claremont Review of Books and The American Mind, or Matthew Peterson, Vice-President of Education at the Claremont Institute and Editor of The American Mind. Visit our website for essays, editorials, debates, and more. E-mail us at americanmind@claremont.org. Don't forget to subscribe and to spread the word to your friends and colleagues!

Dec 31, 2019 • 1h 4min
The American Mind Episode #6: Populism and Identity Politics
In this podcast, Matthew Peterson, our Vice President of Education at Claremont and Editor of The American Mind is joined by two exceptional scholars of American politics: David Azerrad and Henry Olsen. We thank them for joining us and for their unique insights. The American Mind podcast uncovers the ideas and principles that drive American political life. The American Mind fosters thought-provoking and substantive conversation about the real causes of our current political and cultural reality. We explore these ideas with an eye towards restoring America back to civic health. In each episode, we engage Claremont institute scholars, co-conspirators, and challengers on the core questions and critical issues of our time. The mission of the Claremont Institute is the recovery of the American idea- the timeless principles that have made America great since its founding. The American Mind is hosted by Ryan Williams, President of the Claremont Institute and publisher of the Claremont Review of Books and The American Mind, or Matthew Peterson, Vice-President of Education at the Claremont Institute and Editor of The American Mind. Visit our website for essays, editorials, debates, and more. E-mail us at americanmind@claremont.org. Don't forget to subscribe and to spread the word to your friends and colleagues!

Dec 31, 2019 • 1h 9min
The American Mind Episode #2: The Dogma of the Modern University
In this podcast, Matthew Peterson, our Vice President of Education at Claremont and Editor of The American Mind is joined by Michael Anton. We thank Mr. Anton for joining us and for his unique insights. The American Mind podcast uncovers the ideas and principles that drive American political life. The American Mind fosters thought-provoking and substantive conversation about the real causes of our current political and cultural reality. We explore these ideas with an eye towards restoring America back to civic health. In each episode, we engage Claremont institute scholars, co-conspirators, and challengers on the core questions and critical issues of our time. The mission of the Claremont Institute is the recovery of the American idea- the timeless principles that have made America great since its founding. The American Mind is hosted by Ryan Williams, President of the Claremont Institute and publisher of the Claremont Review of Books and The American Mind, or Matthew Peterson, Vice-President of Education at the Claremont Institute and Editor of The American Mind. Visit our website for essays, editorials, debates, and more. E-mail us at americanmind@claremont.org. Don't forget to subscribe and to spread the word to your friends and colleagues!

Dec 31, 2019 • 1h 13min
The American Mind Episode #1: What's the Matter with Congress?
In this podcast, Matthew Peterson, our Vice President of Education at Claremont and Editor of The American Mind is joined by three of America's leading scholars on Congress: Dr. Matthew Spalding, Dr. Michael Uhlmann, and Dr. Joseph Postell. We thank them for joining us and for their unique insights. The American Mind podcast uncovers the ideas and principles that drive American political life. The American Mind fosters thought-provoking and substantive conversation about the real causes of our current political and cultural reality. We explore these ideas with an eye towards restoring America back to civic health. In each episode, we engage Claremont institute scholars, co-conspirators, and challengers on the core questions and critical issues of our time. The mission of the Claremont Institute is the recovery of the American idea- the timeless principles that have made America great since its founding. The American Mind is hosted by Ryan Williams, President of the Claremont Institute and publisher of the Claremont Review of Books and The American Mind, or Matthew Peterson, Vice-President of Education at the Claremont Institute and Editor of The American Mind. Visit our website for essays, editorials, debates, and more. E-mail us at americanmind@claremont.org. Don't forget to subscribe and to spread the word to your friends and colleagues!

Sep 25, 2019 • 46min
Hemingway and Severino: On Kavanaugh Confirmation, Identity Politics, and Pumpkin Spice Lattes
In this edition of The American Mind podcast, host Ryan Williams sits down with Mollie Hemingway, Senior Editor at The Federalist, and Carrie Severino, chief counsel and policy director of the Judicial Crisis Network, to discuss their new bestselling book, Justice on Trial: The Kavanaugh Confirmation and the Future of the Supreme Court. During the conversation, Williams, Hemingway and Severino discuss the unprecedented partisanship from the Left on the judicial confirmation process; the impact of the Clinton impeachment inquiry on the crusade against Justice Kavanaugh; the overjudicialization of politics and why it has transpired; DOJ malfeasance and the rise of "expertise;" law enforcement and the administrative state; the Kavanaugh confirmation fight as a proxy for the power of identity politics; the politicization of the Supreme Court; what Pumpkin Spice Lattes tell us about the state of American civil society and politics; the criticality of a common understanding of human nature, the Constitution and American identity; and much more. *** Recommended Reading: Justice on Trial Visit The American Mind for more great content. And if you have feedback for us, we'd love to hear from you at americanmind@claremont.org

Aug 22, 2019 • 49min
R.J. Pestritto: On Progressivism, Liberalism, and the Administrative State
In this edition of The American Mind podcast, host Ryan Williams sits down with Ronald “R.J.” Pestritto, Dean of the Graduate School and Professor of Politics at Hillsdale College, to discuss Progressivism: how it came to be, its theoretical and political impact, and what it means for us today. Since its arrival on the scene at the turn of the 20th Century, Progressivism has transformed American politics. But one cannot fully appreciate this shift without an understanding of the Founders’ view of human nature, government, and justice—and how the Progressive vision for America seeks to unravel it. Pestritto also discusses small “L” liberalism—a topic very much en vogue today on the Right—and how it came to be dissociated with its original meaning of the protection of rights, which the Founders embraced. Of course, no discussion of Progressivism is complete without considering the Administrative State. Pestritto and Williams talk about the rise of the bureaucracy in America and what it means for our constitutional order. *** Recommended Reading: The German Stamp on Wilson’s Administrative Progressivism Visit The American Mind for more great content. And if you have feedback for us, we'd love to hear from you at americanmind@claremont.org

Jul 5, 2019 • 59min
Multiculturalism vs. America
In this special edition of the American Mind podcast, we explore the intellectual roots, political and societal implications of and the antidote to what the Claremont Institute believes is the great threat to America: multiculturalism. The podcast features Claremont Institute President Ryan Williams, Chairman Tom Klingenstein and scholar Charles Kesler, as well as the likes of David Azerrad, Lord Conrad Black, Allen Guelzo, Roger Kimball and Norman Podhoretz. It is narrated by James Poulos, Executive Editor of the American Mind and produced by ChangeUp Media. *** Works Referenced & Related Readings (In Order of Appearance): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPfwLh5pyy4 https://americanmind.org/feature/multiculturalism-vs-america/ https://americanmind.org/discourse/algorithms-of-suppression/ https://americanmind.org/essays/defend-america-defeat-multiculturalism/ https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/fed39.asp https://americanmind.org/essays/our-house-divided-multiculturalism-vs-america/ https://claremont.org/crb/article/patriotism-vs-multiculturalism/ https://www.claremont.org/crb/article/the-crb-interview/ https://youtu.be/0WzDYy7IR2Y?t=2400 https://americanmind.org/features/winning-the-new-irrepressible-conflict/trump-vs-multiculturalist-insurrection/ https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1193&context=llr Visit The American Mind for more great content. And if you have feedback for us, we'd love to hear from you at americanmind@claremont.org

Jun 25, 2019 • 49min
Christopher Caldwell: On Populism in Europe and Multiculturalism in America
In a feature for the Spring 2019 issue of the Claremont Review of Books, Christopher Caldwell reported on Viktor Orbán's leadership of Hungary and the future of Europe. Caldwell joins the American Mind podcast to talk about Orbán's Hungary and the course he has charted on matters of immigration, culture and economics in contrast with some of his peers. Caldwell also addresses the ongoing battle between illiberal democracy and undemocratic liberalism as caricatured by Italy's Matteo Salvini and France's Emmanuel Macron, and elucidates the ties between European populism and American populism. During the conversation, Caldwell and host Ryan Williams also touch on the multiculturalist challenge to America. Christopher Caldwell was a senior editor at The Weekly Standard and author of Reflections on the Revolution In Europe: Immigration, Islam and the West (Anchor, 2010). *** Recommended Reading: "Hungary and the Future of Europe" Visit The American Mind for more great content. And if you have feedback for us, we'd love to hear from you at americanmind@claremont.org

Apr 16, 2019 • 50min
What is Nationalism: A Conversation with Chris DeMuth
'Nationalism.' It’s a word getting thrown around a lot these days. Some say it is code for racism and xenophobia. Others contend it is the natural expression of any nation’s people. What does nationalism mean, and how does the concept apply to American politics today? These are the questions at the heart of an essay in the Winter 2019 issue of the Claremont Review of Books titled “Trumpism, Nationalism, and Conservatism.” It’s author is Chris DeMuth, who joins host Ben Judge in this episode of The American Mind Podcast. In this interview, you’ll hear about DeMuth's move towards appreciating President Trump, as well as a word of warning to conservative organizations dealing with Republican presidents. But at the heart of the conversation is this question: Are Trumpism, Nationalism, and Conservatism synonymous? Christopher DeMuth is a distinguished Fellow at the Hudson Institute. From 1986 to 2008, he was the President of the American Enterprise Institute. His experience in government spans from working for Daniel Patrick Moynihan in the Nixon administration to serving in the Reagan administration as the Administrator for Information and Regulatory Affairs, colloquially known as the “Deregulation Czar.” *** Recommended Reading: "Trumpism, Nationalism, and Conservatism" Visit The American Mind for more great content. And if you have feedback for us, we'd love to hear from you at americanmind@claremont.org