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  • The Sunday Interview: The New MAGA History: How Trump, JD Vance, and the Right Are Redefining What It Means to Be American

    The Sunday Interview: The New MAGA History: How Trump, JD Vance, and the Right Are Redefining What It Means to Be American
    2026/03/08
    Host Annika Brockschmidt sits down with historian Thomas Zimmer for a wide-ranging conversation about the politics of history in the age of Trumpism—and why Zimmer ultimately decided to leave the United States after years teaching at Georgetown and return to Germany with his family. Reflecting on the increasingly hostile climate for scholars and public commentators, Zimmer discusses how harassment, threats, and the broader erosion of democratic norms shaped that decision. From there, the conversation turns to a deeper historical question: how the Trump administration and its intellectual allies are attempting to reshape the story Americans tell about their past. Brockschmidt and Zimmer analyze recent speeches and rhetoric from figures like Donald Trump, JD Vance, Marco Rubio, and Senator Eric Schmitt, arguing that the contemporary right is moving away from the traditional language of American ideals toward a vision rooted in ancestry, heritage, and “blood and soil” nationalism. They place this rhetoric in historical context, tracing the long-running conflict between civic and ethnic visions of American identity—from the nation’s founding through the Civil Rights era and into today’s MAGA movement. The result, they argue, is not simply partisan messaging but a broader political project aimed at redefining who counts as a “real” American and rolling back the pluralistic aspirations that emerged from the civil rights revolution. Subscribe for $3.65: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter: ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠ Order American Caesar by Brad Onishi: ⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠ Donate to SWAJ: https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 時間 1 分
  • Weekly Roundup: Trump’s Iran War? MAGA Divisions, Epstein Distraction & End Times Politics

    Weekly Roundup: Trump’s Iran War? MAGA Divisions, Epstein Distraction & End Times Politics
    2026/03/06
    In this episode of Straight White American Jesus, Brad Onishi and Dan Miller break down the Trump administration’s military action against Iran and the political and religious rhetoric surrounding the conflict. They examine the contradictions in Republican messaging, with some officials describing the action as a war while others insist it is not. Brad and Dan also discuss the lack of a clear public justification similar to what preceded previous conflicts like Iraq and Afghanistan, the internal divisions within the MAGA coalition over foreign intervention, and the growing criticism coming from prominent conservative voices. The conversation also explores how Christian nationalist rhetoric is being used to frame the conflict, with several political and religious leaders describing the situation in explicitly religious terms or invoking biblical responsibility toward Israel. Brad and Dan contrast these narratives with dissenting voices within conservative and Catholic circles who oppose military escalation. The episode also turns to the Texas primary results, including James Talarico winning the Democratic Senate nomination, record Democratic turnout, and the high profile Republican runoff between John Cornyn and Ken Paxton. Together, these developments highlight ongoing fractures within the Republican coalition and shifting political dynamics heading into the next election cycle. Subscribe for $3.65: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter: ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠ Order American Caesar by Brad Onishi: ⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠ Donate to SWAJ: https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 時間 2 分
  • Reign of Error 007: Birth Control, Bathrooms & Biblical Patriarchy: The War on Gender and Reproduction

    Reign of Error 007: Birth Control, Bathrooms & Biblical Patriarchy: The War on Gender and Reproduction
    2026/03/05
    Sarah Posner sits down with New York Magazine senior writer Sarah Jones to unpack the accelerating assault on transgender rights in Kansas and beyond. They trace how a new Kansas law retroactively invalidating updated gender markers on driver’s licenses fits into a broader, decades-long Christian right strategy—one that cloaks theological convictions in the language of “common sense” and “biology.” From spiritual warfare rhetoric in statehouses to Supreme Court signals about religious motivation, Posner and Jones explore how anti-trans legislation operates as both a wedge issue and a cornerstone of a hierarchical gender ideology rooted in patriarchy, biblical literalism, and political calculation. They connect these state-level efforts to federal actions under Trump—from executive orders to agency guidance on bathroom bans—and examine how figures like Pete Hegseth and his mentor Doug Wilson frame masculinity, authority, and power. The conversation widens to consider how anti-trans politics intersects with abortion criminalization, punitive theology, and the rise of pronatalism across MAGA and NatCon spaces. They analyze the confirmation hearing of Surgeon General nominee Casey Means, whose blend of anti–birth control rhetoric, “sacred fertility” language, and pseudoscientific wellness ideology has sparked backlash—even from Christian right influencers like Erick Erickson, who denounced her as dabbling in witchcraft. Posner and Jones probe the uneasy coalition between evangelical patriarchy and MAHA-style new age conspiracism, asking whether this radicalized right-wing alignment can outlast Trump—or simply mutate into something more extreme. The episode closes with Posner’s Anti-Doom segment, highlighting federal judges—some Trump-appointed—who are forcefully pushing back against unlawful immigration enforcement, reminding listeners that the constitutional order still has defenders. Sarah Jones is an award-winning senior writer for New York Magazine, where she covers religion and national politics. She serves on the editorial board of Dissent Magazine, and was previously a staff writer for The New Republic. Her first book, Disposable: America's Contempt for the Underclass, is available now from Avid Reader Press. She is based in Brooklyn. Disposable by Sarah Jones: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Disposable/Sarah-Jones/9781982197438 Creator: Sarah Posner: https://www.sarahposner.com/ Producer and Engineer: Dr. Ger FitzGerald Executive Producer: Dr. Bradley Onishi Production Assistance: Kari Onishi Generous funding provided by the Henry Luce Foundation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    51 分
  • It's in the Code ep 182: “So, That’s a Warrior?”

    It's in the Code ep 182: “So, That’s a Warrior?”
    2026/03/04
    Josh Hawley informs us that one of the distinctive roles men are called to play is that of “warrior.” But what, exactly, makes a warrior? What are the distinctively masculine “warrior virtues” men are called to live out? It turns out that Hawley’s answers to these questions are not what we might expect. In fact, it’s not clear what, precisely, makes a “warrior” at all. Listen to this week’s episode as Dan explains. Subscribe for $3.65: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter: ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠ Order American Caesar by Brad Onishi: ⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠ Donate to SWAJ: https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    39 分
  • MAGA Christians Are Split Over Iran

    MAGA Christians Are Split Over Iran
    2026/03/03
    MAGA Christians are splitting over Donald Trump’s strike on Iran, with high-profile voices like Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson, and Marjorie Taylor Greene arguing the move betrays “America First” principles. For them, foreign intervention—especially on behalf of Israel—undermines the nationalist, anti-entanglement ethos that fueled Trump’s rise. Some Catholic and post-liberal thinkers, including Edward Feser and Sohrab Ahmari, have also criticized the action as strategically incoherent and politically dangerous. This wing of the coalition views the conflict not as a divine mandate but as another costly overseas engagement that risks American lives without clear national benefit—raising fresh questions about Trump’s alignment with the movement he leads. At the same time, influential charismatic leaders such as Lance Wallnau and Sean Feucht interpret the Iran conflict through an apocalyptic lens, tying it to biblical prophecy, Purim imagery, and end-times theology. Rooted in strands of premillennial evangelicalism, this faction sees Israel as central to God’s unfolding plan and views confrontation with Iran (ancient Persia in biblical narrative) as prophetically significant. The result is a theological and political fracture inside MAGA: one camp prioritizes nationalist restraint and geopolitical realism, while the other embraces a providential vision that frames war as part of a larger divine drama. How Trump navigates this divide could shape not only his coalition’s unity but the future direction of Christian nationalism in American politics. Subscribe for $3.65:⁠ ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter:⁠ ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠⁠ Order American Caesar by Brad Onishi:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠⁠ Donate to SWAJ: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    23 分
  • The Sunday Interview: Survivors Speak: Christian Nationalism, Patriarchy & Doug Wilson (Pamela Brown of CNN)

    The Sunday Interview: Survivors Speak: Christian Nationalism, Patriarchy & Doug Wilson (Pamela Brown of CNN)
    2026/03/01
     In this episode of Straight White American Jesus: The Sunday Interview, Brad Onishi speaks with CNN Chief Investigative Correspondent Pamela Brown about her new documentary examining Christian nationalism, the rise of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC), and the growing influence of Idaho pastor Doug Wilson. Brown discusses her viral interview with Wilson, her reporting from Moscow, Idaho, and how Christian Reconstructionist theology is gaining mainstream political visibility. The conversation explores Christian nationalism’s connection to classical Christian schools, patriarchal theology, and its alignment with contemporary conservative politics. The documentary also centers the voices of survivors who left CREC-aligned and other Christian nationalist communities. Women share firsthand accounts of spiritual abuse, rigid gender hierarchy, and authoritarian church structures that made leaving extraordinarily difficult. Brown and Onishi examine how movements promising certainty, biblical order, and “traditional values” have expanded in the wake of COVID-19 and cultural polarization. This interview offers critical insight into Christian nationalism, church and state debates, religious extremism, and the future of American democracy. Subscribe for $3.65: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter: ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠ Order American Caesar by Brad Onishi: ⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠ Donate to SWAJ: https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    54 分
  • Weekly Roundup: State of the Union Fallout: ICE Expansion, Christian Nationalism & Retribution Politics

    Weekly Roundup: State of the Union Fallout: ICE Expansion, Christian Nationalism & Retribution Politics
    2026/02/27
     In this episode of Straight White American Jesus, Brad Onishi and Dan Miller break down the spectacle and subtext of the recent State of the Union. While the speech itself felt predictable—long on grievance, short on substance—the real story lies in what surrounded it: questions about presidential mental acuity, the resurfacing of Epstein-related controversies, renewed attacks on Hillary Clinton, and escalating federal retaliation against so-called “blue states” like Minnesota. Brad and Dan explore how retribution politics, culture war theater, and the weaponization of “fraud” narratives are shaping the administration’s strategy—often at the expense of basic governance and public trust. Then the focus sharpens. With ICE planning a $38 billion expansion of detention infrastructure, Brad and Dan confront what they argue is the normalization of a nationwide network of camps—and the Christian leaders defending it. Analyzing figures like William Wolfe and Kevin Roberts, they expose the theological sleight of hand at work: “order” elevated above human dignity, “our people” defined in narrowing ethnic and national terms, and violence reframed as righteousness. This isn’t abstract theology—it’s a moral justification for mass detention and exclusion. The episode names it plainly and challenges listeners to reckon with what kind of Christianity, and what kind of country, is being built in its name. Subscribe for $3.65: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter: ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠ Order American Caesar by Brad Onishi: ⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠ Donate to SWAJ: https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 時間 7 分
  • It's in the Code ep 181: “It’s Not About Sacrifice”

    It's in the Code ep 181: “It’s Not About Sacrifice”
    2026/02/25
    Josh Hawley argues that men are called to be fathers, and that fatherhood is defined by sacrificing oneself. But is it? Should it be? Why does high-control religion demand “sacrifice,” and how does Hawley’s account of masculinity reinforce these demands? How does he use this demand for sacrifice to demonize those who don’t share his social vision? And how do appeals to sacrifice mask the interests that lie behind his vision of masculinity? So many questions—take a listen to this week’s episode to hear the answers. Subscribe for $3.65: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter: ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠ Order American Caesar by Brad Onishi: ⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠ Donate to SWAJ: https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    40 分