Podcast Summary: What A Day — "How We Got Here: The MAGA New Right"

Podcast: What A Day
Host: Jane Coaston (Crooked Media)
Guest: Laura K. Field (Author, Political Theorist)
Date: January 16, 2026
Episode Theme: A deep dive into the intellectual history, evolution, and current influence of the MAGA-aligned "New Right" in American politics, with special attention paid to its ideological factions, rise to power, and future beyond Donald Trump.

Overview

In this episode, Jane Coaston is joined by Laura K. Field, author of Furious: The Making of the MAGA New Right, to explore the intellectual and organizational origins of the "New Right." The conversation traces the movement from its ideological underpinnings in the 1980s and 1990s, through its academic and activist development at institutes like Claremont, to its current impact within the Trump administration and the influence of figures like J.D. Vance. The episode is rich in historical context and lays out the movement’s factions, grievances, and potential post-Trump trajectories.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Roots of the "New Right"

• Setting the Stage (00:03–04:32):

  • Jane opens with satirical observations on symbolism and then pivots to the shifting nature of American conservatism.
  • The conversation contextualizes today's far-right turn by tracing it back to Reagan-era conservatism, noting its hawkish and culturally conservative stances.
  • She highlights the difference between then-mainstream conservatism and a more radical faction longing for a return to earlier, exclusionary principles (Barry Goldwater, Pat Buchanan).

• Pat Buchanan’s 1992 RNC Speech (02:18):

  • Notable quote (Buchanan):

    "Abortion on demand, a litmus test for the Supreme Court, homosexual rights, discrimination against religious schools, women in combat units. That's change all right. But that's not the kind of change America needs."
    (02:18–02:45)

  • Jane’s reaction: “A lot of those changes sound dope to me anyway.” (02:45)

Intellectual Infrastructure and Key Organizations

• Claremont Institute’s Role (02:45–04:32):

  • The Claremont Institute emerges as a hub for “counter-revolution” thought, focused on nativist, anti-immigrant, populist ideology with a particular nostalgia for a white, male-dominated America.
  • The movement’s current adherents—like Vice President J.D. Vance—voice explicit admiration for Claremont’s academic legacy.
    • Notable quote (J.D. Vance):

      "The Claremont Institute has been an important part of my intellectual development." (03:45)

• Laura K. Field’s Entry and Motivation (04:32–05:49):

  • Remarking how Trump’s 2016 campaign caused a dramatic shift among conservative academics, especially those influenced by Leo Strauss.
  • The movement, originally fringe, consolidated mainstream power during Biden’s presidency (“They took over a lot of the mainstream institutions… they kept becoming more and more important.”).

The Factions of the New Right

• Three Groups (07:14–10:49):
  • Claremonters:
    • Intellectual backbone of Trumpism, obsessed with a purist view of the American Founding, often alarmist about deviation from it.
    • Quote (Field):

      “There’s this kind of crisis mongering with the Claremont Institute based on this idea that we’ve fallen so far from the original founding.” (08:37)

  • Post Liberals:
    • Treated as Catholic intellectuals skeptical of American-style liberal democracy, prefer a top-down imposition of the “common good” (often coded as illiberal and exclusionary).
    • Jane’s summary:

      “Many of the Post Liberals think that the American Founding was kind of a mistake... and you'll never guess who gets to decide what the common good is.” (08:46–09:04)

  • National Conservatives:
    • Politically active, global network, “oriented by nationalism and a kind of illiberal international solidarity.”
  • Hard Right:
    • Field adds: Explicitly fascist, deeply misogynist, and intertwined with the “manosphere” (10:49).

Differences from Earlier Right-Wing Movements

• Contrasts with Goldwater/Buchanan/Tea Party (09:47–10:49):
  • This New Right is both more successful and more overtly misogynist than its predecessors.
  • The movement harnesses social media and new-tech savvy, effectively courting younger demographics.

The Movement’s Unifying Grievances

• Grievance Mongering and Status Anxiety (12:04–13:21):
  • Despite historic election victories, the New Right sees establishment conservatism as fundamentally weak; their appeal is fueled by “a loss of status” and blame laid on women and minorities.
    • Field:

      “A lot of it I think is just a loss of status, right, that then they lash out and blame minorities for, blame women for… a very strange mix of angers.” (12:53–13:21)

Trump’s Role and Future Prospects for the New Right

• Trump as a Tool, Not an Idol (13:21–14:53):
  • Field emphasizes that Trump is just “a vehicle,” not the movement’s ideal; J.D. Vance is positioned as the preferred embodiment of their aims.
  • Notable quotes:
    • Field:

      “They do not love Trump. I think you’re right. They see him as a vehicle and in some ways, he served as like a camouflage mechanism for them.” (13:47)

    • “He [J.D. Vance] can’t really say much against Trump… there’s all these schisms on the right… these guys love him.” (14:29)

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Jane Coaston’s Humor:

  • “Crows are incredibly intelligent. They can even hold grudges and remember human faces for years. So training them to be able to swoop and grab a red hat from someone's head was a bit of a process, but it appears to have been very successful. And why red hats in particular? No reason. No reason at all.” (00:03)

• On Gender and the New Right:

  • Jane: “It’s pretty telling… there is no Phyllis Schlafly in this movement. There's a lot more talk about like repeal the 19th, as in like end women's suffrage.” (11:14)

• Field’s Personal Anecdote:

  • Field describes a sexist encounter in conservative academia:

    “It was probably the most… one of the most jarring moments for me. Philosophy guys do this... are you cool? Can you take it? …I was just like, no, I don’t want anything to do with this.” (06:21)

Important Timestamps

• 00:03 — Episode open; introduction to the theme and Jane’s signature satirical humor.
• 02:18 — Clip of Pat Buchanan’s 1992 speech and analysis.
• 03:45 — J.D. Vance’s public praise for the Claremont Institute.
• 04:32 — Introduction of guest Laura K. Field; motivation for her book.
• 07:14 — Field explains the division of the New Right into four factions.
• 09:47 — Juxtaposition of New Right with Goldwater/Buchanan/Tea Party populisms.
• 12:04 — Discussion on the grievance ethos unifying these groups.
• 13:47 — Field discusses Trump as a vehicle for the New Right and J.D. Vance as their focal point.

Conclusion

Jane wraps the interview by thanking Laura Field and encouraging listeners to learn more via her book, Furious: The Making of the MAGA New Right. The discussion provides insight into how a range of intellectual and activist forces have coalesced to create the hard-edged, grievance-driven New Right that now commands mainstream GOP attention. The prospects for the movement’s future without Trump remain tied to figures like J.D. Vance.

Listeners come away with a nuanced historical and ideological map of the current American right, as told with Jane Coaston’s sharp wit and Laura K. Field’s rigorous analysis.