The American Mind Podcast

Latest Episodes:

ICE Storm Jan 29, 2026

Show notes

Close on the heels of Renée Good's death, Minneapolis protestor Alex Pretti was killed in another altercation with ICE agents. Investigation into both incidents will hopefully make judgment easier in the court of law, but in the court of public opinion the situation looks grim. Losing ground on the media battlefield and in polls ahead of the midterms, Trump must consider the extent and nature of his mandate on immigration. This week, the guys take a hard look at the electoral reality and discuss what it means for the Right's policy agenda. Plus: regulatory bloat (aka Hegel's revenge) makes it hard to translate political will into meaningful action in the UK, while inclement weather and exploding trees (!) make for an eventful week in the U.S.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Halfway to the Midterms Jan 24, 2026

Show notes

As anti-ICE protests escalate in Minneapolis, agitators storm a church mid-service. But Trump’s deportation efforts are combining with economic pain to drive his poll numbers down. Uncertainty about Greenland doesn’t seem to be helping matters, though the breakdown of NATO may be unavoidable or already happening in all but name. With midterms looming, how should the administration approach this delicate moment? Plus: the discipline of classics, and with it the prestige institutions of the American academy, seem determined to self-destruct. Ryan, Mike, and Spencer survey the landscape and offer up a few cultural recommendations.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Minnesota ICE (ft. Kyle Shideler) Jan 15, 2026

Show notes

This land is your land; this land is...Greenland? Following the recent arrest and capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Trump has halted shipments of Venezuelan oil to Cuba, raising new speculations about efforts to acquire Greenland and solidify US control in the region. Meanwhile, Renée Good, egged by her wife to obstruct ICE officers in Minneapolis, was fatally shot while accelerating a vehicle toward an agent. To unravel the new “Donroe” Doctrine and twisted LARPing of progressive and Antifa activists, Kyle Shideler of the Center for Security Policy joins the hosts to throw light on recent events.

Who's to Blame in Minnesota? Five Cases Involving Police Shooting at Cars

Liberals Think Antifa Isn’t Real. But It Is—and It Knows How to Win

The Regulars Are Coming!

Thou Shalt Kill, by Anna Geifman

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Maduro No Más: Venezuela's Future After His Capture ft. Josh Treviño & R.J. Pestritto Jan 08, 2026

Show notes

Nicolás Maduro is in U.S. custody, pleading not guilty to federal drug and weapons charges. What does his capture mean for Venezuela, American foreign policy, and the global order? And how does this moment connect to the domestic fight over America’s administrative state? Josh Treviño of AFPI unpacks the geopolitical aftermath of Maduro’s arrest, and R.J. Pestritto of Hillsdale College discusses his latest publication about the rise of America’s unelected bureaucracy: Government by the Unelected: How It Happened, and How It Might Be Tamed.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

We Wish You A Merry Christmas Dec 24, 2025

Show notes

This week, hosts Ryan and Spencer sit down as the year closes out to share their Christmas plans and recommendations: music, theater, food, drink, and more! Stay tuned in the new year!

Recommendations:

Adventures in Old English: The History and Meaning of Advent

“Christmas Traditions,” by the CRB editors

Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking: 30th Anniversary Edition

The PDT Cocktail Book

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Now It Can Be Told Dec 18, 2025

Show notes

Australia has suffered its deadliest mass shooting in decades, allegedly perpetrated by father and son Sajid and Naveed Akram, on the first night of Hannukah. Meanwhile in Germany, (yet another) planned attack at a Christmas market was foiled. This week, Spencer and Mike discuss problems that have finally gotten too overwhelming for even the BBC and the New York Times to ignore, from mass migration to the DEI crusade against young white men. Plus: Christmas recommendations!

Recommendations:

The Lost Generation, by Jacob Savage

Why “The Lost Generation” is a Lost Opportunity, by Jeremy Carl

The Christmas of the Quarter-Century

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Somalia et Alia Dec 11, 2025

Show notes

Under the nose of the Tim Walz regime, hundreds of millions of Minnesotan tax dollars have been defrauded by an array of shell organizations sending money overseas, in some cases to terrorist groups. That the ringleaders are primarily of Somali descent makes progressives uncomfortable and help’s Trump’s case against mass migration. This week, the guys discuss COVID-era abuses of welfare, consider immigration’s rolling effect on national security, and consider Trump’s handling of the economy amidst a potential affordability crisis. Plus: more cultural recommendations!

Recommended:

The Real Clash of Civilizations, by Nathan Pinkoski

Leo Strauss and American Foreign Policy, by Thomas G. West

Democracy and the Bush Doctrine, by Charles R. Kesler

House of Leaves, by Mark Z. Danielewski

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Double Tap Dance Dec 04, 2025

Show notes

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is being accused of war crimes after allegedly making a so-called “double-tap” strike against Venezuelan drug traffickers. But it may just be a double distraction, allowing critics of Trump both to avoid more serious questions about immigration policy and to pull attention from the tragic shooting of two National Guards in DC by an Afghani national. This week, the guys are joined again by Matthew Peterson to discuss US operations in South America and the Left’s unsubtle hints that soldiers might need to disobey orders. Plus: Kash Patel as FBI Director: the right man for the wrong job?

Recommended:

“What Brought the Trump Administration to the Brink with the Venezuelan Regime,” by Joshua Treviño & Melissa Ford

Never Enough: America’s Limitless Welfare State, by William Voegeli

Our American Queen: The Rise and Ruin of Kate Chase, by Thomas Klingenstein

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Friends and Frenemies Nov 27, 2025

Show notes

A recent White House meeting between Donald Trump and Zohran Mamdani gave the president a chance to flip the script while publicly debasing the rhetorical currency of the “anti-fascist” Left. In this special holiday episode, the guys are joined by Matthew Peterson to discuss the president’s latest strategy, and answer listener questions. On the docket are emerging factions within the conservative movement, federal leniency on Antifa post-domestic-terrorist designation, and more. Plus: The crew gives thanks and share holiday plans, antics, eats—and cultural recommendations!

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