Dr. Laura Field on the Intellectual Roots of the MAGA New Right

Defining the MAGA New Right

• 💡 The MAGA New Right is defined as a cluster of thinkers providing ideological sustenance to the MAGA movement, rejecting the universalist liberal order for socially conservative nationalism at home and transactional realism abroad.
• 🎯 This movement is characterized by a four-legged stool: economic nationalism, secure borders, America First foreign policy, and social conservatism, contrasting with the older Reagan-era fusionism.
• 🧠 The movement is not nihilistic but offers answers to the perceived vulnerabilities of liberal democracy, appealing to tradition and providing a sense of direction.

Intellectual Cohorts of the MAGA New Right

• 🏛️ The Claremonters, associated with the Claremont Institute, focus on restoring American founding principles, exhibiting catastrophism and rigidity, and have been influenced by paleoconservatism.
• ⛪ Post-liberals, primarily conservative Catholics, advocate for harnessing state power to impose conservative values and orient society towards the common good and spiritual salvation.
• 🌐 National Conservatives, organized by the Edmund Burke Foundation, champion nationalism as a guiding principle, advocating for homogeneous nation-states and sometimes veering into ethnic nationalism.
• 💥 The Hard Right comprises figures from the alt-right, distinguished by violent rhetoric and beliefs, often spanning elements of the other three groups.

Core Themes and Motivations

• 😠 A primary unifying factor is a sense of grievance and perceived loss of status, often intertwined with race and misogyny, fueled by populist anti-elite fervor.
• 🗣️ The movement exploits vulnerabilities in liberal democracy by offering clear answers and a sense of belonging, particularly to young people seeking direction.
• ⚠️ There is a conveyed sense of urgency regarding the radical nature of the MAGA New Right, which is argued to be more radical than previously understood.

Key Concepts and Dynamics

• ⚖️ Intellectualized misogyny is a pervasive theme, arguing women are not intellectual equals and should not participate in public life, often drawing on selective interpretations of classical philosophy.
• 🇺🇸 America First ideology is presented as distinct from pure isolationism, involving a turning away from liberal internationalism and a focus on hard power and transactional politics.
• 👤 Donald Trump is viewed by many within the movement as a useful figurehead or