The American Compass Podcast

President-elect Trump campaigned on a fresh economic platform prioritizing ordinary Americans, departing considerably from the Old Guard Republican Party that came before him. But how much of that innovative thinking will actually become policy in his second term? Oren Cass appeared at the American Economic Association’s annual meeting on a panel alongside former Council of Economic Advisors Jason...

President-elect Trump campaigned on a fresh economic platform prioritizing ordinary Americans, departing considerably from the Old Guard Republican Party that came before him. But how much of that innovative thinking will actually become policy in his second term? Oren Cass appeared at the American Economic Association's annual meeting on a panel alongside former Council of Economic Advisors...

Every political movement needs a home for its ideas. Commonplace is the answer for today’s right-of-center. On this episode, Helen Andrews , our new features editor, joins Oren to discuss the forthcoming launch of Commonplace— a new magazine from American Compass, making sense of the political, economic, and cultural concerns that shape America today. Helen unpacks how a conservative media univers...

Has the devotion to unbridled free markets in recent decades benefited or harmed the United States? Earlier this month, Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX) and Oren Cass sat down for a live, wide-ranging discussion of the unintended consequences of America’s approach to manufacturing, and whether free trade is to blame for changes in our domestic industrial base. They explore how conservatives should think...

On this episode, Oren is joined by FTC Chair Lina Khan for a wide-ranging conversation about competition, antitrust, and why the lack of strong enforcement hurts American consumers, small businesses, and our politics. The two talk through the decline in competition in the U.S. economy and how it has created fragile markets prone to shortages and undermined our economic wellbeing. They explore oppo...

On this episode, Institute for Progress senior editor Santi Ruiz joins Oren to talk about government efficiency, state capacity, and what President-elect Trump's focus on revitalizing the way government works could hope to accomplish in the swamp. The two discuss Trump's new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and how the effort can avoid the pitfalls of previous blue-ribbon commi...

On this episode, physician, psychologist, and best-selling author Dr. Leonard Sax joins Oren to talk about the disastrous state of modern parenting, and how to pull a generation of young people back from the brink. The two walk through the how parents have abandoned teaching their kids about right and wrong, the rise of "gentle parenting" in place of traditional ideas of parental authori...

On this episode, coalition director Duncan Braid joins Oren to discuss American Compass's Back to Work agenda, which provides a comprehensive set of executive actions that the Trump-Vance administration should take to prioritize working families, domestic industry, and national economic strength when they take office. The two discuss how the president can deliver meaningful, rapid change on i...

On this episode, Ethics and Public Policy Center senior fellow Henry Olsen joins Oren to unpack the demographic earthquake that led to the re-election of President Donald Trump and why it will force both parties to focus on Americans' real interests. The two discuss what the victory holds for the future of a Republican Party grounded in the interests of this multi-ethnic working-class coaliti...

On this episode, Newsweek opinion editor Batya Ungar-Sargon joins to explain the multi-ethnic working-class coalition that propelled Donald Trump to an electoral victory, and the types of policies that could support these forgotten Americans in Trump's second term. The two discuss the issues that animated the swing in nonwhite working-class voters and how Donald Trump can build an America tha...

American Compass Chairman Michael Needham joins Oren Cass to share his reaction to former President Donald Trump's landslide election victory. The two explain why, even after all the claims about the "end of democracy" and Trump's supposed autocratic designs, the results shouldn't surprise anyone. And they discuss the political realignment—particularly among Hispanic voter...

On this episode, Clare Morell , fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, joins Oren to discuss the consequences of a generation of kids addicted to smartphones and iPads. The two talk through how our society got to the point where kids have unlimited access to the internet and the problem with leaving parents to fight back against social media alone, as well as her forthcoming book on the su...

College has become the dividing line in America, not just economically, but socially, too. Sam Pressler , a practitioner fellow at the University of Virginia and a research affiliate at the Harvard Human Flourishing Program, joins Oren to discuss the crisis this is fueling for young Americans who don't go to college as they navigate the transition to adulthood alone. The two talk through the...

As the election approaches, both parties are trying to position themselves as the better choice for American families. But what is it that parents—particularly parents who stay home to take care of their children—actually want? Ivana Greco, a former family-law attorney turned homemaker, joins Oren to discuss her recent research on the topic, drawing on interviews with over 1,300 stay-at-home paren...

On this episode, Oren is joined by journalist and best-selling author Sarah Smarsh to make sense of the ongoing political realignment in America's Heartland. Smarsh, who hails from rural Kansas, draws from her own upbringing to explain the forces pushing rural working-class voters away from the Democratic Party, often after decades of voting for it. She and Oren also discuss her new book, Bon...

This episode is a deep dive into what policymakers should do to overhaul U.S. trade with China to support American workers, industries, and national security. It features policy advisor Mark DiPlacido , lead author of a new report, "Disfavored Nation," that provides a roadmap for rescinding China's Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status. He joins Oren to talk through the his...

On this episode, Oren is joined by not one but two leading scholars on U.S. industrial policy, Marc Fasteau and Ian Fletcher , both of the Coalition for a Prosperous America. The episode opens with a conversation about the pair’s forthcoming book, which Oren describes as “the authoritative tome on industrial policy past, present, and future.” They dig into why the government should be involved in...

In this episode, Joshua Kleinfeld , professor of law and philosophy at the Scalia School of Law at George Mason University, joins Oren for a wide-ranging conversation about the future of the conservative legal movement.  Professor Kleinfeld, a leading legal voice helping drive the conversation at the Federalist Society and beyond, connects the dots about the threat to individual liberty from not j...

In this episode, Oren Cass is joined by Dr. Matthew Mehan, associate dean of Hillsdale College’s Graduate School of Government, to discuss conservatism in our secular age, based on Oren’s First Things lecture earlier this year. The two go long on conservative morality, from the role of religion in conservatism to the wisdom of the Roman philosopher Cicero and the “most pernicious doctrine” of adva...

On this episode, Nick Timothy , Conservative member of Parliament, takes a look at conservative populism from a British perspective. Timothy has had a front-row seat to the U.K.’s political realignment, and shares his observations and comparisons to the American experience. He and Oren talk through how he survived a Conservative wipeout in the recent parliamentary general elections, and the challe...

On this episode, author and American Reformer senior fellow Aaron Renn joins Oren Cass to discuss urbanism and how conservatives should approach cities. In the wide-ranging conversation, they discuss the history of American urban governance, where conservatives should focus their policy efforts, and how urban policy can improve the lives of everyday Americans. For more, read Renn's latest on...

On this episode, Oren Cass is joined by Harry Marino , founder and president of Sports Solidarity, who led the successful effort last year to unionize Minor League Baseball. The two discuss how Marino's time in the minors made him realize a union was needed, his successful campaign to win recognition for that union from Major League Baseball, and how the lessons he learned can be applied beyo...

On this episode, University of Winchester professor and economist Richard Werner joins Oren Cass for a discussion on monetary policy. The two discuss where money comes from, the ways that government policy can help and hurt markets, and how to differentiate between productive and non-productive finance. For more, read his latest book, Where Does Money Come From? A Guide to the UK Monetary and Bank...

On this episode, Senator Todd Young (R-IN) joins Oren Cass for a conversation about the CHIPS Act on the two-year anniversary of its passage. They discuss its ongoing implementation, where those efforts have fallen short or been supplanted by unrelated policy objectives, and what policymakers need to do to revitalize American manufacturing more broadly. For more, read our Compass Point essay revis...

On this episode, author and academic Michael Lind joins Oren Cass for a wide-ranging conversation about the U.S. economy. The two discuss the merits of tariffs, the public purpose of markets and market power, and how best to provide social insurance. For more, read Lind's recent Compass Point essay, " So What If Tariffs Are Taxes? ," and check out his latest book, Hell to Pay: How t...