Double Tap Dance

Double Tap Dance

Author: The Claremont Institute December 4, 2025 Duration: 1:05:35

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

Behind the daily headlines and political noise, there's a deeper current of ideas shaping the nation. The American Mind Podcast, from The Claremont Institute, digs into that foundational layer. It moves beyond surface-level debate to examine the philosophical assumptions and historical principles that actually drive American life. In each episode, hosts sit down with Claremont scholars and a range of thoughtful critics to untangle the real causes of our cultural moment. These conversations aren't about quick takes or partisan scoring; they're sustained explorations of how concepts from history, philosophy, and political theory manifest in our society, news cycles, and personal lives. Tuning in, you'll hear rigorous but accessible discussions that connect timeless thought to contemporary upheaval. This podcast provides a space for listeners to step back from the frenzy and consider the underlying forces-the enduring ideals and the new challenges-that are continually remaking the American experiment. It’s for anyone who suspects there’s more to the story and wants to engage with the substantive ideas, not just the symptoms, of our political and cultural reality.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 429

The American Mind Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Battle: Los Angeles [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:17
This week, special guest Peachy Keenan rounds out the cast with a report from LA, where riots are breaking out (again). Governor Gavin Newsom failed to gain control on the ground, so Trump inserted himself and the Nation…
White-Collar Bots [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:56
Artificial Intelligence threatens to storm the office as tech companies compete to replace entry-level workers with “agent” underlings. Will this be the next major technological displacement in the workforce? And to what…
Putting DOGE Down [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:11
Michael Anton—newly dubbed “MAGA’s Machiavelli”—gets a profile in The Free Press and some well-deserved recognition. Well-read, well-spoken, and well-dressed, Anton has done more than many realize to shape U.S. policies…
Covering Up the Cover-Ups [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:24
The sad announcement of Joe Biden's advanced cancer diagnosis has thrown fuel onto recriminations and speculations about his condition during his presidency, especially with the publication of a new book on the subject b…
Congress Take the Wheel [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:32
As Europe withers and China rises, Trump makes a trip to the Middle East and charts out a new course. In a speech that raised some interventionist hackles, he delivered a sharp critique of nation building and signaled hi…
Crowd Funding and Mob Rule [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:07
To cap off the first 100 days of his administration, Trump sparred at length with Kristen Welker of NBC’s Meet the Press over his record so far—from immigration successes to choppy economic waters. Alarmed by Trump’s use…
Trimming the Ivy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:27
As Trump exerts federal pressure from without, the culture of some Ivy League universities may be changing from within—or maybe not, as Harvard seems determined to fight the administration in court. The nation’s elite co…
Of Comms and Conclaves [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:21
Knives are out as Pete Hegseth’s wife is let in on sensitive information about U.S. operations against the Houthis. Amid rumors of staff churn and conflicts within the right over foreign policy, Trump maintains his prude…
Future-Maxxing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:31
A new global order emerges. China grows bolder in the East, while Europe and Canada drift culturally and economically away from America. Will Trump’s tariffs add more chaos to this new multipolar world, or set the U.S. u…
The Fog of Trade War [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:44
Trump announces a sweeping tariff regime, then pauses it for 90 days—why? As a tactic to renegotiate trade deals? To reshore manufacturing? Some combination of both? With midterms just over the horizon, the stakes of thi…