September 08, 2025

MAGA Is Wrong About AI. Trump Is Right.

1 hour 16 minutes

This week, editors Peter Suderman, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Matt Welch dig into Sen. Josh Hawley's (R–Mo.) speech at the National Conservatism Conference, where he denounced artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies as threats to liberty. They debate why MAGA populists are embracing anti-tech rhetoric, how this mirrors parts of the labor left, and what it means for President Donald Trump's simultaneous push for AI investment and closer ties with Silicon Valley.

Our editors also break down the latest jobs report, analyzing labor force participation, manufacturing losses, and whether tariffs and immigration limits are holding back growth. They then turn to New College of Florida's talk of privatization following its clash with Gov. Ron DeSantis, and what that would mean for university governance. A listener question prompts each editor to explain how they came to identify as libertarian and why the label matters to their work. Finally, the panel examines the Justice Department's move to ban transgender Americans from gun ownership.

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0:00—Does AI threaten liberty?

11:53—AI social anxieties

20:01—Abundance agenda embraces AI

23:40—Trump jobs report raises alarms

32:37—New College of Florida talks privatization

44:31—Listener question on becoming libertarian

52:15—Gun ban for transgender Americans

1:04:33—Weekly cultural recommendations

Mentioned in This Podcast

"Josh Hawley's Anti–Driverless Cars Policy Would Kill a Lot of People," by Jennifer Huddleston

"Google's Industry Dominance Isn't Unprecedented—and It Isn't Forever," by James Czerniawski

"MAGA Economics Is Losing," by Eric Boehm

"A Bad Jobs Report," by Liz Wolfe

"American Manufacturing Needs Relief From Trump's Tariffs," by Eric Boehm

"Major Gun-Rights Groups Oppose the Trump Administration's Idea To Ban Trans People From Owning Guns," by C.J. Ciaramella

"The Proposed Ban on Gun Possession by Transgender People Would Be Neither Legal Nor Constitutional," by Jacob Sullum

"Graham Linehan's Speech Must Be Defended," by Robby Soave

Upcoming Reason Events

Why Europe Can't Get Rich, September 10

The Soho Forum Debate: Melanie Thompson vs. Kaytlin Bailey, September 15

Reason Versus—Mass Immigration Is Good for America, October 2

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