Commentary is America's premier monthly magazine of opinion: General, yet Jewish. Highly variegated, with a unifying perspective.Listen to The Commentary Magazine Podcast, along with more than 40 other original podcasts, at Ricochet.com. No paid subscription required.
Commentary editors discuss recent controversies in MAGA-land, from Donald Trump's pardons and attacks on figures like Leonard Leo to shocking appointments like Paul Ingrassia. They analyze Trump's non-conservative, transactional approach to politics and the complicity of the servile Republican Party. The conversation also delves into RFK Jr.'s questionable health report and the alarming implications of AI-generated 'slop' appearing in government documents, highlighting a decline in principle across the political spectrum.
Today Robert Pondiscio joins the podcast to discuss the progressive sabotage of K-12 schooling and talk about his article in the June issue of COMMENTARY, "How Wokeness Destroyed an Education Miracle." Give a listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The media efforts to make Americans oppose Trump's anti-illegal efforts are running straight into the buzzsaw of common sense. So too with efforts to portray the distribution of food aid in Gaza. Give a listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Well, it took him long enough, but Donald Trump has now decided Vladimir Putin doesn't want peace. Who knew? Um...a lot of people? Plus, what's this about how Israel needs to wrap it up already? Give a listen. And don't forget to subscribe to the podcast anywhere you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this special holiday episode, Matt Continetti and I sing the praises of the brilliant Disney Plus series Andor and explain how it remains compelling even when it plays around with political themes that might be offensive to some of us. Give a listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jonathan Schanzer joins the podcast to talk about efforts to combat the possible wave of anti-Jewish violence in America that might be triggered by the murders at the Capital Jewish Museum and whether the Trump administration's bludgeoning of Harvard is a wise strategy. Give a listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Noah Rothman joins the podcast this morning to talk about the horrors in DC last night and how they connect to the increasing embrace of violence on the left after 2015—which accelerated after the George Floyd killing and is now manifesting itself not only in the assassination of a health-care executive by new radical folk hero Luigi Mangione but now in the deliberate targeting of a Jewish event at a Jewish site by a berserk far leftist. Give a listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit meg...
Mark Halperin joins the podcast today to talk about the continuing fallout from the Biden revelations, whether the "big beautiful bill" will pass, and whether Donald Trump's announcement of a new missile-defense system passes the smell test. Give a listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today Eliana Johnson joins us as we try to figure out what the real story is behind Joe Biden's tragic cancer diagnosis. And we discuss the media's group effort to look away, yet again. Give a listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The horrible news about Joe Biden's cancer diagnosis—coming as it did amid the release of a new book about his infirmity as president—raises even more questions about who knew what and when. Give a listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Democrats complain about oligarchs but are the party of the rich. Democrats talk about Trump as a pathological liar but are exposed having lied about Biden's infirmities. How are they going to compete with the energy of the GOP when they seem not to understand themselves? Give a listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dan Senor joins the podcast to discuss his remarkable June COMMENTARY cover story, "The Future of American Jewry After October 7." But first we talk about Trump's Middle East trip, Iran, Israel, and other stuff. Give a listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The president gave a major speech in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday that had uncomfortable echoes of Barack Obama's "apology" address in 2009—and with the same target: The idea that America should represent Western civilization and fight for it in the world. Give a listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tevi Troy joins us today to talk about his article, "In Praise of Big Pharma," but first we talk about Trump's trip to the Middle East and whether Israel will ever make its final push into Gaza. Give a listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today we talk about the U.S.-China tariff rollback, Trump's plan to reduce drug prices, the ongoing negotiations with Russia, Iran, and Hamas, and the appearance of daylight between the U.S. and Israel. And finally we get into Trump's desire for a Qatari airplane and the multiple emoluments-related disasters that may lie ahead for the administration. Give a listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today's podcast welcomes the American pope, questions the value of deep-dish pizza, reminisces about old baseball days, and then gets serious about campus misbehavior. Give a listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jonathan Schanzer joins us to talk about the Houthis, Israel, Iran, Qatar, dangerous negotiations, the universities, and side business deals. Give a listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If you had a war between India and Pakistan on your 2025 bingo card, congratulations—because nobody else did, including the Trump administration. What are the possible consequences, and how will they interfere with Trump's trip to the Middle East in the coming days? Give a listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Why is the president talking about putting tariffs on foreign films instead of attacking California's liberals and the way their management of the state is destroying the entertainment industry there? We talk about this and about just how crazy the month of May is going to be in the Middle East. Give a listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
John is out for the day, but the rest of us take up Donald Trump's wide-ranging appearance on Meet the Press, New York's hit piece on John Fetterman, and what to do about the undeterred Houthis. Give a listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The signing of a mineral deal with Ukraine represents a new turn in the Trump administration's handling of the war there and Russia's recalcitrance—is it a good turn or a bad turn? And we examine the media misreporting of the circumstances around the attempted deportation of an anti-Israel and anti-Semitic green-card holder. Give a listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How are we to evaluate Trump's first 100 days—border, foreign policy, war on liberalism, etc? Give a listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Congratulations to Donald Trump on the results in Canada, which seem to have turned entirely on him and turned against him at the same time. He says he runs the world, and sometimes when you do, you run aground. Thus begins our conversation on his first hundred days. Give a listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The fights that have erupted during the first hundred days of the Trump administration have not only set the agenda for the White House going forward. They will literally be the fights Trump will be fighting until his tenure is over, as every action is met with a response in court. Give a listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
COMMENTARY's tech columnist, James B. Meigs, joins the podcast today to talk about the important lawsuit lost by Greenpeace and what it means for leftist activism going forward, and about new developments and needed developments when it comes to the exploration of space. Give a listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Bret Stephens joins the podcast to dissect Donald Trump's declining poll numbers, attributing them to self-inflicted wounds on unexpected issues like tariffs. The discussion explores Trump's policy missteps, economic impacts, and the broader implications for both domestic and international politics, including insights on Europe and Israel.
Journalist Jonathan Foreman joins the podcast today for a deep look at his seminal May 2025 COMMENTARY lead article, "The Untold Story of How Israel Failed on October 7." We also begin by discussing the belly-up nature of the Trump "I'll end the Russia-Ukraine war in a day" fantasy. Give a listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The larger goals of the Trump administration are threatened by incompetent execution. The problem is that for many, making policy stick isn't as important as making a stink. What to do? Give a listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Messes at the Pentagon, at the State Department, at Treasury, at the Department of Justice, and with tariff policy—can this administration survive itself, let alone survive the liberal media and the counterstrikes against Trump? Give a listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
