The Kevin Roberts Show

Heritage President Kevin Roberts shares some of his favorite moments from interviews with those in the fight to take back education from the grasp of the radical Left. Through conversations with Governors Ron DeSantis and Doug Ducey, Chris Rufo, Tiffany Justice, and more, Kevin discusses the fraudulent, woke propaganda disguised as curricula, punitive COVID-era mask and vaccine mandates, and powerful K-12 bureaucracies that envelop public education. Kevin and guests underscore great strides made in the education sector and the rise of school choice—a program that empowers parents to choose the best educational option for their kids.

The grueling house fight for a speaker made one thing clear: Americans have had enough of the self-preserving politicians emanating from the Swamp. It is time to restore self-governance to the American people. Congressman Bob Good (VA-5) sits down with Kevin to discuss his new legislation—the PISTOL Act—that fights back against Biden's assault on the Second Amendment, countering corruption in DC, and the role of Congress in protecting life in a post-Dobbs America.

What are the defining differences between libertarianism and conservatism? The Mises Institute’s Jeff Deist joins Kevin for a thought-provoking discussion into the nuances of libertarian policy, understanding economics, and the role of humanity and faith in the public square. A former member of Ron Paul’s congressional staff and a leading light in the libertarian movement, Jeff Deist currently serves as President of the Mises Institute; a libertarian nonprofit think tank. Deist takes particular interest in private legal systems and private money as tools for radically decentralizing political power.

In a post-COVID era, parents are more aware of the Left’s influence over academia. Their demand is loud and clear: quality, transparency, respect, and choice. The Left’s extreme ideologies have taken root in school policies, practices, and curricula. What does the future hold for education in America and how can the conservative movement fight back against education indoctrination? This National School Choice Week, Dr. Keri Ingraham joins the show to discuss the importance of breaking the K-12 education monopoly, the necessity of school choice, and equity in education. A former classroom teacher, coach, and school administrator, Dr. Keri Ingraham currently serves as Fellow and Director of the Discovery Institute’s American Center for Transforming Education where she focuses much of her work on educational freedom and parent empowerment.

An American optimist, Rusty Reno joins Kevin to discuss how the Left’s crusade for social engineering is hurting our country by reengineering basic American principles and pushing a woke social agenda that fails to allow everyday Americans to flourish. Declining religiosity in the United States has made American culture susceptible to the Left’s utopian idealism. It has allowed the politics of imagination to overshadow the fundamental philosophy of politics and helped progressivism flourish. A bold, conservative policy agenda rooted in tradition, however, can change the trajectory of American superiority for the years to come. For over a decade, Rusty Reno has shared his systematic and moral theology at First Things, a conservative, Christian journal. As the current editor, he aims to share the voices of religiously serious people who want to shape the future of our country.

Americans have had enough of the empty rhetoric emanating from the Swamp. From the lack of fiscal restraint to the suffocating influence of the administrative state, Americans are counting on the conservative movement to hold Congress accountable with a strong legislative agenda. As both the Republican Study Committee and The Heritage Foundation enter their 50th years, join us for an exclusive ceremony as former RSC Chairman Jim Banks officially “passes the gavel” to the RSC's new Chairman, Kevin Hern.

If the Left had their way, Americans would replace moms, dads, and community with government. Brad Wilcox joins Heritage President Kevin Roberts to refute the Left and cultural elites’ misguided skepticism about the role of the family in American society and highlight ways to strengthen future generations with American traditions. Brad Wilcox has committed his career to understanding the causes and consequences of family change in the United States and around the globe. His research has focused on how marriage, parenthood, and religion influence societies and individuals’ quality of life. Wilcox has been recognized for his work by the American Sociological Association Religion Section and his research has been featured in outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Atlantic.

To what extent should the Republican party be organized behind “MAGA” principles? Henry Olsen joins Heritage President Kevin Roberts to analyze the current state of the GOP and what we can expect from an already tumultuous 118th Congress. Henry Olsen, is a Washington Post columnist and a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. His work focuses on how America’s political order is being upended by populist challenges from the left and the right. He also studies populism’s impact on other democracies in the developed world.

Heritage President Kevin Roberts shares moments from a few of his favorite interviews from 2022. This week’s guests: Daron Babcock, a “social entrepreneur,” is the CEO of Bonton Farms, one of the largest urban farms in the United States nestled in a once-forgotten and crime-ridden neighborhood in South Dallas. Yoram Hazony is chairman of the Edmund Burke Foundation, host of the National Conservatism Conference, president of the Herzl Institute and author of the new book, “Conservatism: A Rediscovery.” Glenn Ellmers, Ph.D. is a senior fellow with the Claremont Institute and a visiting research fellow with Hillsdale College. Delano Squires is a research fellow in the Richard and Helen DeVos Center for Life, Religion, and Family at The Heritage Foundation, and a contributor to Blaze Media and BlazeTV’s Fearless with Jason Whitlock podcast.

The state of conservatism at home and abroad is under attack with little consensus on ways to advance our ideas and objectives. Still, conservatives remain a powerful voice both in Washington D.C., and across the United States. Former Heritage President Dr. Ed Feulner joins Kevin to dig into the importance of politics and policy as 21st-century conservatives evaluate the effectiveness of American society and longstanding institutions. Ed shares his perspective on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) while serving as chairman for Governor Glenn Youngkin’s commission responsible for appointing board members to state universities, “In some of the world’s greatest universities, woke is everywhere. We’re all in favor of more opportunity, but equity implies everyone will turn out equal and it has become more of a leveling down.”

Today’s message is clear: our principles were made for this moment. Heritage President Kevin Roberts is joined by the Conservative Partnership Institute’s Rachel Bovard for a robust discussion on what we can glean from conservative icons like Ronald Reagan while adapting to the current political environment, all with one goal: to take our country back. Rachel Bovard has over a decade of experience fighting for conservative policies in Washington. Beginning in 2006, she served in both the House and Senate in various roles including as legislative director for Senator Rand Paul. Rachel went on to serve as policy director for the Senate Steering Committee under the successive chairmanships of Senator Pat Toomey and Senator Mike Lee, where she advised Committee members on strategy related to floor procedure and policy matters.

It is clearer than ever: American institutions are in decay, and something needs to be done about them if we are going to save this country. The good news is that Americans still value competent leadership. Chris Rufo joins Kevin to tackle the pressing issues our country faces: conservatives winning elections, rebuilding decaying institutions, and developing new institutions to meet the demands of modern America. Christopher Rufo is a senior fellow and director of the initiative on critical race theory at the Manhattan Institute. He is also a contributing editor of City Journal and writes on the issues of critical race theory (CRT), gender ideology, and urban decay.

In a special episode of “The Kevin Roberts Show,” Kevin joins the Liz Wheeler Show to discuss the dangers of the so-called “Respect for Marriage Act,” and Heritage’s new education freedom report card. When it comes to education and school choice, how free is your state? Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts joins the Liz Wheeler Show to discuss Heritage's Education Freedom Report Card and how Americans can use this new tool to effect change in their home states. Kevin and Liz also discuss how to stop initiatives like Chuck Schumer’s so-called “Respect for Marriage Act” from restricting the religious freedom of Americans everywhere.

Could liberal cities be a catalyst for developing conservative citizens? Nate and Kevin dive into the concept of countercultures, building parallel institutions at the state and local level, and what the future of the movement looks like in the hands of “Gen Z Conservatives.” Plus, Nate gives an inside look at his investigation into Major League Baseball’s support of radical gender ideology through their “Pride Nights.” Guest: Nate Hochman is a writer at National Review and a 2021-22 Robert Novak Fellow at the Fund for American Studies. His work has appeared in print and online in The American Conservative, City Journal, The Claremont Review of Books, National Affairs, National Review, The New York Times, and numerous other outlets. He was a 2021 Publius Fellow at the Claremont Institute.

Americans have been losing trust in key institutions for nearly two generations. The reality is that those institutions—government, media, corporations, and education—have been in a state of decay for decades, the real-world effects of which are beginning to manifest on increasingly large scales. Dr. Yuval Levin joins today’s episode of The Kevin Roberts Show to detail the origins of the current state of our institutions, why Americans have lost trust in them, and the standards we ought to hold them to. Yuval shares how his experience becoming a US citizen has informed his worldview and helped to forge his career path defending the constitutional principles we hold dear. Yuval Levin, Ph.D., is the Director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). He is the founder and editor of National Affairs and is an opinion writer at the New York Times. Under George W. Bush, Dr. Levin was a member of the White House domestic policy staff and the executive director of the President’s Council on Bioethics.

At Heritage, we’re not afraid to call it how it is: Big Tech is an enemy of the American people. They have essentially unencumbered access to Americans’ personal information, have colluded to censor and de-platform dissenting voices—mostly conservatives—and perhaps worst of all, have partnered with the Chinese Communist Party to develop surveillance technologies to oppress its own people and military technologies that threaten ours. Between the cancel culture mob and foreign adversaries, we must find a way to champion freedom of speech and national security; something much easier said than done. Brendan Carr, commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), gives an insider's perspective on how America is tackling today’s biggest tech issues. Nominated by President Trump, Commissioner Brendan Carr is the senior Republican at the FCC. His goals for the commission include modernizing America’s communication infrastructure, upgrading to 5G, and expanding the skilled labor force.

Today, Americans have more at stake than ever before. The basic rights for which our Founders fought are under attack by the left, and there’s never been more of a need for strong conservative policies. The Freedom Agenda, a bold policy agenda from 48th Vice President Mike Pence, paints a bright picture of what America could be, if we're willing to fight for her. Join us to hear from former Vice President Pence on what policies he believes will save our great nation and why we can't give up the fight for America's future.

In the current political environment, it may seem dubious to believe that one day 330 million Americans could wake up and believe that they’re part of a civil society that recognizes their dignity as a human person. But it’s not impossible. Daron Babcock believes there is hope. Human dignity ought to be the end-all-be-all that guides us. Restoring self-governance and cultivating human flourishing starts with community. Daron and Kevin address the importance of community in restoring lives and why a focus on independence, rather than dependence on decades of failed public programs, has been both the path to success in Bonton, Texas and a model for poverty-stricken cities across the country. Bonton, Texas, a small South Dallas neighborhood has long been plagued by crime, drugs, and gang violence. Daron Babcock shares how a Bonton, where 85% of the men have been to prison, has become a beacon of hope and a model for success. This week’s guest: Moved by his personal beliefs, Daron Babcock couldn’t sit idly by as he witnessed his neighbors in South Dallas be ravaged by institutional inequities. In 2012, he left a successful corporate career and moved from his home in North Dallas to serve inner-city residents of Bonton, Texas with his wife, Theda. Known for crime, violence, and extreme poverty, Bonton needed intervention at the macro-level – something Daron knew was not only necessary but possible. Daron is referred to as a “social entrepreneur,” having started multiple successful social ventures; Bonton Honey Company, The Market at Bonton Farms, a Coffee House, a Farmers Market, and CityBuild Housing to name a few. Of all his ventures, the most notable, though, is Bonton Farms, one of the largest urban farms in the United States nestled in a once-forgotten neighborhood in South Dallas.

America’s cultural institutions have been slowly eroding for decades. Today’s episode of “The Kevin Roberts Show” tackles the erosion of religion in the public square — an institution whose role as a binding agent that creates healthy neighborhoods and communities can’t be understated. Kevin and Tim discuss why social pathologies such as a decline in the nuclear family and a lower birthrate have been slowly progressing, the importance of community life and the role church plays in it, and most importantly, how to solve these issues. Tim Carney is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute where he focuses on religion, civil society, and economic competition. Tim is also a senior political columnist at the Washington Examiner.

America’s institutions of education need to be reclaimed both for the sake of students and for the future of the republic. Now is the time for conservatives to go on offense and reclaim the institutions we once trusted to educate and empower future generations, let alone the survival of our civilization. Dr. Pavlos Papadopoulos, assistant professor of humanities at Wyoming Catholic College, sits down with Kevin to discuss why American education systems are in such disarray and unresponsive to the needs of both parents and the country. Pavlos explains the chief differences between a correct and deficient regime and identifies areas where conservatives are complacent when it comes to higher education. Pavlos Papadopoulos Ph.D. is an assistant professor of humanities at Wyoming Catholic College where he specializes in philosophy, trivium, and the classics. Dr. Papadopoulos uses his expansive knowledge of early western philosophy in his analysis of current events and the direction America is heading. Subscribe to The Kevin Roberts Show: https://bit.ly/3BDW8wu Listen: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/36iuBoS Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3wwFQV6

In a live recording of "The Kevin Roberts Show," Mollie Hemingway, Editor in Chief of The Federalist, shares her thoughts on the state of the conservative movement, why Americans should be concerned about the weaponization of the administrative state, and the role of the "propaganda press" in today's political landscape.

As the mayors of New York, DC, and Chicago are just beginning to learn, Biden’s open-borders agenda is putting Americans across this country at risk every day; turning every town into a border town. The ongoing catastrophe at the border is far from being contained, and without strong, well-defined borders no nation can exist. With 30 years of bipartisan experience, Rodney Scott shares insight on how Biden’s radical open-borders agenda is fueling our national opioid epidemic, putting more money in the hands of cartels and human traffickers, opening the border to terrorists and national security threats, and preventing ICE from deporting most of those here illegally — even convicted violent criminals and gang members. Rodney Scott, a three-decade veteran and 24th Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol joins today’s episode of The Kevin Roberts Show. Serving as Border Patrol Chief under both the Trump and Biden administrations, Scott has keen insights on what policies succeed and fail at the southern border. Rodney is currently a Senior Distinguished Fellow for Border Security at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and has spent his career tirelessly fighting cartels and traffickers, and learning best practices for keeping our southern border secure. Subscribe to The Kevin Roberts Show: https://bit.ly/3BDW8wu Listen: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/36iuBoS Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3wwFQV6

In his remarks to the third National Conservatism Conference on September 12, 2022, Heritage President Dr. Kevin Roberts argues that Three mortal threats besiege the West: • The Stalinist cult of Wokeism; • The Chinese Communist Party’s genocidal regime in Beijing, and; • The globalist, technocratic elite that profits off both by surveilling, de-platforming, and dehumanizing anyone who resists their pharisaic tyranny. Kevin shares that his conservative worldview was forged in childhood — his hometown of Lafayette, Lousiana, and his own family besieged by the early signs of our nation’s social decay, volunteering for Pat Buchanan’s presidential campaign, and ultimately forging a future in academia. As the current President of the Heritage Foundation, Dr. Roberts closes with a question — a rallying cry: "What time is it in America? It’s time to fight, just like it’s always been." Subscribe to The Kevin Roberts Show: https://bit.ly/3BDW8wu Listen: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/36iuBoS Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3wwFQV6

The future of this country rests upon making sure each and every child has an opportunity to succeed. It is clearer than ever: American education has flatlined. It is also evident that states, fulfilling their role as the laboratories of democracy, are making great strides in raising the quality of and access to educational opportunities. Today’s episode of The Kevin Roberts Show celebrates Arizona’s second place standing in Heritage’s Education Freedom Report Card and what it took Governor Doug Ducey and the legislature to set the gold standard for education freedom in the United States with their recent adoption of universal school choice. Learn more about the Report Card: Heritage.org/ReportCard Governor Doug Ducey was elected as Arizona's 23rd governor in 2014 and re-elected in 2018 with more votes than anyone in state history. He is a former businessman and CEO of Cold Stone Creamery who also serves as Chairman of the Republican Governors Association.

Get an inside look into Kevin’s analysis of the growing energy within the conservative movement and the game plan for taking back our country. In today’s episode of The Kevin Roberts Show, we give you a throwback to President Roberts’ interview on Federalist Radio Hour from October 2021. Then-CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation and incoming president of the Heritage Foundation, Kevin Roberts sat down with John Daniel Davidson of the Federalist Radio Hour to discuss his plans to lead the nation’s most influential think tank. A fifth-generation educator, Kevin has years of experience as a teacher, professor, headmaster, and president. Having led Wyoming Catholic College, he became nationally known for rejecting federal loans and grants that were contingent on the compromise of the school’s Catholic values. Immediately prior to Heritage, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, the nation’s largest state-based think tank.