Kibbe on Liberty

One of the benefits of America’s federalist system is that individual states can experiment with different policies, allowing the rest of the country to see what works and what doesn’t. New Hampshire has taken that idea and run with it, attempting to gather as many libertarians as possible in one place to create the freest state in the country. Matt Kibbe sits down with Eric Brakey, executive director of the Free State Project, to discuss why this effort is so important, how effective it has been, and why every libertarian, regardless of where they live, should be invested in what happens in New Hampshire, as it reflects the health of the movement and the prospects for expanding freedom in our lifetime.

The first month of the new Trump administration has been a whirlwind of activity, some good and some not so good. The chaos is causing large-scale freak-outs among the legacy media and Washington insiders, who don't know how to deal with this level of disruption. Matt Kibbe sits down with John Papola, founder and CEO of Emergent Order Foundation, to discuss the potential good that can come out of shaking the establishment out of its comfort zone. With Trump's trans-partisan coalition of antiauthoritarian voices, including former left-wing figures like RFK Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard, the administration is in a position to effect change in a way the swamp has never seen before.

As Donald Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency ramp up their efforts to dismantle the federal Department of Education, its defenders are screaming that returning education to the states will destroy schooling in this country. Matt Kibbe is joined by pro wrestler and Knox County, Tennessee, Mayor Glenn Jacobs to debunk these nonsensical claims. From their shared love of the band Rush and the Austrian school of economics, Kibbe and Jacobs discuss the common-sense notions that underlie good economic and political thinking: the power of the individual, the virtue of not wasting taxpayer money on ineffective and corrupt programs, and the desperate need for reform in Washington's broken system. The only people who can oppose such obvious wisdom are the ones who have a financial stake in perpetuating institutions that serve legislators and bureaucrats rather than the people themselves.

Continuing revelations about the origins of COVID-19 woke America up to the dangers of bioweapons research. But if you thought viruses were scary, wait until you hear about directed-energy weapons. Matt Kibbe sits down with journalist Steve Baker to discuss his latest investigation into the military's use of sound and radio waves as weapons of war. It's bad enough to deploy such weapons against enemy combatants, but it's increasingly clear that the government has been illegally using this technology against American citizens, not just to harm them but to actually control their behavior and to provoke them into doing things they otherwise never would. It's the stuff of dystopian fiction, with one important difference: It actually exists.

Is populism a dirty word, the tool of strongmen and thugs to manipulate the public and amass unchecked power? Or is it simply a method of representing ideas in a way that appeals to the public? Matt Kibbe sits down with Gloria Alvarez, host of the “The Red Pill” radio program, to discuss whether the idea of libertarian populism is a contradiction in terms or the only way to advance freedom on a broad scale. The elections of Donald Trump in America and Javier Milei in Argentina show that there is a movement toward charismatic leaders promising lower taxes, less regulation, and smaller government. Does this mean that libertarian ideas are finally catching on, or is it just the rise of a right-wing backlash against the excesses of the political Left?

The ideas that underlie the libertarian philosophy are ancient, descending from Aristotle and other philosophers. Yet even today, we still have to defend them against those who prefer coercion to cooperation. It therefore takes great patience and vigilance to keep up the fight and to continue to make progress toward human flourishing. Ron Manners, author of “The Impatient Libertarian,” sits down with Matt Kibbe to talk about his long life fighting for liberty, the time he spent studying under Friedrich Hayek and other luminaries, and the prospects for human freedom in the future.

With his transition back to the White House well under way, President-elect Trump has had the courtesy to nominate several “Kibbe on Liberty” regulars to fill prominent positions in his administration. We are encouraged to see the likes of Jay Bhattacharya nominated to run the National Institutes of Health, Tulsi Gabbard selected for director of national intelligence, Paul Atkins chosen to lead the SEC, and Vivek Ramaswamy co-chairing the Department of Government Efficiency with Elon Musk. As we enter 2025, now is your chance to get to know these nominees, each of whom has taken a stand to push back on government authoritarianism and support American freedoms in the new year.

This Christmas, if you’ve had enough of family, gift giving, and day drinking, “Kibbe on Liberty” invites you to take a look back at some of our most engaging and provocative guests, giving their perspectives on everything from COVID authoritarianism and the resurgence of parental control over education, to foreign policy and Ukraine, to what really happened on January 6. Revisit some of the most articulate and insightful voices in the liberty movement as we prepare for a new year that promises to bring both new opportunities and new challenges to advance freedom in America and around the world.