Furious Minds

The story of the radical conservative intellectual movement shaping Donald Trump’s agenda – and how it threatens American freedoms, values, and democracy

Donald Trump is not a big thinker, but his 2016 presidential victory presented a grand opportunity for people who are, and it set off a radicalisation and reconfiguration of the American conservative intellectual world. In Furious Minds, Laura Field, who spent close to a decade in conservative academic circles, chronicles the rise of the New Right – the network of academics, public intellectuals, and influencers who provide ideological fuel to Trumpism. This movement includes figures such as Patrick Deneen, Christopher Rufo, Peter Thiel, and JD Vance. Their agenda is built to last, and it has dire long-term implications for liberal democracy.

The New Right has precedents in American history, but it is distinct for its youthfulness, misogyny, and extraordinary successes – most notably the elevation of Vance to the vice presidency. The movement – which draws together associates of the right-wing Claremont Institute, National Conservatives, Postliberals, and the Hard Right – advocates nationalist economics, tight borders, isolationism, and reactionary social values. It helped to strategise January 6th and created Project 2025. But above all, the New Right is engaged in a vast culture war against modern liberal pluralism. It is determined to harness state power and use it in new, illiberal ways, from college campuses to the international scene – all driven by the fantasy of restoring a pure America.

Incisive and urgent, Furious Minds tells the story of the thinkers of the New Right – and their powerful assault on American freedoms, values, and ideals.

'[An] excellent new book.' – Michelle Goldberg, New York Times

About the Author

Laura K. Field is an associate with the Illiberalism Studies Program at George Washington University and a nonresident fellow at the Brookings Institution. She has written about the New Right for The New Republic, Politico, The Bulwark, and other publications, and holds a PhD in government from the University of Texas at Austin. She lives in Washington, DC.