Ross Douthat on Trump, Mysticism and Psychedelics
About this episode
Ross Douthat discusses his book Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious and the mystical currents running through Trump-era politics. He stands by his 'man of destiny' reading of Trump: surviving January 6, prosecution, and assassination attempts has convinced allies Trump rides a historical wave, dissolving the internal resistance that checked his first term. He frames the administration as a braid of Christian and pagan impulses — JD Vance versus Elon Musk — and offers a persistent pagan-figure reading of Trump, criticizing the cruelty toward the powerless as anti-Christian. On belief, he argues materialism can't account for the order of the universe or persistent mystical experience, and organized religion channels it safely; Klein pushes back on institutional corruption. Douthat warns psychedelics are a dangerous shortcut to spiritual contact. Klein reveals his own frightening Jewish mystical experience.