Why Trump’s Blood-and-Guts Strategy Worked

Why Trump’s Blood-and-Guts Strategy Worked

Author: New York Times Opinion July 3, 2025 Duration: 55:30
Happy Independence Day! We’ll be back next week with a new episode, but today we’re sharing the episode that started us on the path to “Interesting Times.” Ross Douthat talks to Reihan Salam, the president of the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. Together they wrote the book “Grand New Party: How Republicans Can Win the Working Class and Save the American Dream.” They review their George W. Bush-era prescriptions for the Republican Party to reclaim the working-class vote and the ways they were right (and wrong) about building a new Republican majority.

Every Thursday, Ross Douthat sits down to make sense of a world that feels perpetually off-balance. This isn't about quick takes or yesterday's headlines. Interesting Times with Ross Douthat is a series of deep, considered conversations that explore the undercurrents shaping our politics, our culture, and the very structure of society. From the New York Times Opinion section, each episode acts as a first draft of our collective future, attempting to map a new world order as it emerges in real time. You'll hear from thinkers, writers, and doers who are challenging conventional wisdom, all through Ross's distinctive lens. The discussions are built on the premise that we are living through a historical pivot, and understanding it requires patience, curiosity, and a willingness to engage with complex ideas. The result is a podcast that feels both urgent and reflective, a necessary pause amid the noise to examine how we got here and where we might be headed. It’s for anyone who finds the present moment bewildering and seeks a more substantive dialogue about the forces at play. Tune in for a thoughtful analysis that you won't find anywhere else, naturally evolving from week to week as the story of our age continues to unfold.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 63

Interesting Times with Ross Douthat
Podcast Episodes
Steve Bannon on ‘Broligarchs’ vs. Populism [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:39
In this conversation, Ross talks to Steve Bannon, the chief strategist from Donald Trump’s first term and part of the original MAGA movement. Despite his clashes with new factions emerging in the Republican Party, Bannon…