The Chaotic Trump-RFK Libertarian Convention

The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast

https://youtu.be/LJ20jmhEE7s Podcast audio: In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Nikos Sotirakopoulos discuss the Libertarian Party’s (LP) convention, especially the speeches by Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and what it reveals about the nature of the libertarian movement. Among the topics covered: Why chaos in the Libertarian Party is a result of disunity about what liberty even is; Why the one point of unity in the LP is their stance against Israel’s war in Gaza; How the libertarian movement’s lack of a coherent positive ideology led to the LP’s decision to invite Trump and Kennedy; How the LP’s acceptance of Kennedy despite his advocacy of statist policies reveals the libertarian movement’s lack of a coherent set of pro-freedom policies; How Trump’s convention speech reveals a willingness to support anarchistic authoritarianism within the LP; How Americans who believe in liberty are betrayed by the LP. Recommended in this podcast are the New Ideal Live episodes “Libertarian Apologists for Putin” and “Libertarianism: Big Tent or Big Mess?” ARI has a philosophical mission, and as such its function is to analyze current events from that framework. Given our 501c3 status, our function is not to advocate for or against particular candidates. The podcast was recorded on May 30, 2024. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here.