Conservatism’s Sharpest Voices, Curated Weekly | ISI’s Intercollegiate Review brings you the best in serious conservative thought.
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CATEGORY: POLITICS (8 MIN)
“Reshaping American Politics:” Trump’s Second Term
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When we live through events that will later become a regularly cited part of history, it can be hard to recognize those events’ significance while they’re happening. But many Americans currently believe that the tenure of President Donald Trump, now in his second term in office, will have a significant historical impact. Some commentators call that impact destructive. Others vigorously disagree.
In The American Mind
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, Dan McCarthy, editor-in-chief of Modern Age and ISI’s Vice President for the Collegiate Network, delivers his take on the first 100 days of Trump’s second administration. McCarthy argues that Trump’s time in office has been tremendously successful for conservatives. In fact, he says Trump has “done more for conservative principles in that small span of time than the last two Republican presidents, the Bushes, did in their combined 12 years in the White House.”
McCarthy points to the history of conservatives in the White House. He believes they largely failed to bring about lasting change either because they had the wrong people around them or because they were the wrong people themselves. In contrast, McCarthy lauds Trump’s work as reinvigorating to the traditional Constitutional model of separation of powers and as destructive to the long-standing progressive bureaucracy.
McCarthy sees Trump as having brought conservatives face-to-face with the practical consequences of the policy changes they’ve supported for many years. As he puts it, “Donald Trump has always forced the American Right to stop daydreaming and confront reality.” That’s exactly what McCarthy believes has happened in Trump’s first 100 days.
Read more of McCarthy’s piece here
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Read Now
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Weekly Poll
Do you agree with the way President Trump has handled his first 100 days in office?
[A] Strongly agree
[B] Agree
[C] Unsure
[D] Disagree
[E] Strongly disagree
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RESULTS: 5/1/2025
Do you support President Trump’s efforts to enforce university compliance with federal law?
[A] Yes - 80%
[B] No - 14.3%
[C] Unsure - 5.7%
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CATEGORY: POLITICS (12 MIN)
Trump v. Newsom: Changes in California
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Our nation’s most populous state has faced its share of difficulties over the past few years. Wildfires and drought devastated portions of California, while unemployment and the departure of many residents continue to dog the state’s economy. Many conservatives place blame with Governor Gavin Newsom, whom they believe has grossly mismanaged his position of leadership.
For National Review
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, Will Swaim praises the Trump administration’s effects on the state of California, especially in countering the efforts of the state’s governor. Swaim does not agree with all of Trump’s moves during his time in office so far this year, but he credits the President’s flurry of activity with moving California “toward something approaching sanity.”
Swaim points to a few areas to highlight his point. A major policy issue in California is illegal immigration along its border with Mexico. And since Inauguration Day, Swaim says, a large migrant center reported receiving no new migrants —something Swaim calls “cause for celebration.”
In another major issue, Newsom indicated his support for a bill that would prevent school staff from telling parents about their children’s “sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression” without the child’s consent. Swaim criticizes this incursion on parental rights and notes that Trump’s Department of Education has launched an investigation into the bill.
Swaim also describes Trump’s move to appoint Bill Essayli as attorney for the Central District of California. Swaim believes Essayli will root out corruption in the well-funded welfare programs that fail to produce any real results in California’s major cities. In addition, Essayli said he would “look immediately into state and local sanctuary programs that violate federal law.”
Read more in Swaim’s article here
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Read Now
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CATEGORY: VIDEO
Dana Gioia on Becoming a Poet, Teaching Poetry, and the Future of the Arts
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Dana Gioia joins us in Studio 53 ahead of ISI’s 18th Annual Gala for Western Civilization to explore the deep currents of poetry, culture, and creativity in a time of rapid change.
In this exclusive conversation
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, Gioia reflects on:
How he became a poet and found his voice
Why poetry still matters in education
The enduring power of the arts in shaping culture
What AI can and can’t replicate about human creativity
Whether you're a longtime lover of verse or curious about poetry's place in the modern world, this interview offers a rich and personal glimpse into one of America's most distinguished literary minds.
Watch Now
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CATEGORY: HISTORY (23 MIN)
The Federalist Papers: Preserving
Our Past
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Conservative legal scholars and historians have held the Federalist Papers in high esteem for a long time. But Lin-Manuel Miranda re-launched them into the public view with his hit musical Hamilton—“Non-Stop,” which closes Act I, describes how John Jay wrote only 5 of the papers, James Madison wrote 29, and Alexander Hamilton churned out the other 51.
For this week’s article from the Modern Age
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website, we turn to the late George W. Carey, who laid out the reasons why conservatives have honored the Federalist Papers and should continue to honor them, while summarizing the criticism of the works from liberal scholars. Progressives, according to Carey, argue that the Constitution did not do enough to secure a popular government. Some have even gone so far as to say that the Constitution and its defense in the Federalist Papers “betrayed” the ideals embodied in the Declaration of Independence.
After addressing these attacks, Carey described the lasting value of the Federalist Papers, especially their prescient description of human nature. Carey did not see Publius’s view of humanity as merely negative, despite the well-cited line: “If men were angels, no government would be necessary.” Carey reminded readers that in regard to human nature, the authors wanted to avoid “flattering its virtues or exaggerating its vices.” They believed in “virtue and honor.”
Carey concluded with a lesson for today’s globalists. “Publius’s concern with existential reality, his awareness of the intractable nature of man and the need to make adjustments to it, stand in sharp contrast to the euphoric expectations frequently associated with every advance of ‘liberal democracy,’” he wrote.
Read Carey’s piece here
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on the Modern Age website.
Read Now
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Thought of the Day:
“The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed.”
- Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist Papers
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