The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour

Guests: Sam Knecht & Allison Ellis

Host Scot Bertram talks with Sam Knecht, professor emeritus of art at Hillsdale College, about how American art reflects the American character and the new Hillsdale College online course American Paintings. And Allison Ellis, founder of Mount Titano Media, discusses the power of rhetoric and her new edited collection of important American speeches, FINDING OUR WORDS: Words That Made America.

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Guests: Joseph Postell, Todd Starnes, & Korey D. Maas

Host Scot Bertram talks with Joseph Postell, associate professor of politics at Hillsdale College, about the conservative counter-revolution against the bureaucratic state as detailed in his book Bureaucracy in America: The Administrative State’s Challenge to Constitutional Government. Todd Starnes, commentator, author, and radio host, discusses h...

Guests: Alex Marlow & Eric Hutchinson

Host Scot Bertram talks with Alex Marlow, editor-in-chief of Breitbart News, about the weaponization of America’s legal system against Donald Trump and Marlow’s new book Breaking the Law. And Eric Hutchinson, associate professor of classics and chairman of the Collegiate Scholars Program at Hillsdale College, gives an introdu...

Guests: Victor Davis Hanson & Oren Cass

First, we hear excerpts from Victor Davis Hanson’s address on the subject of living an honorable and virtuous life, given at Hillsdale College's 2025 commencement ceremonies. Hanson is the Wayne and Marcia Buske Distinguished Fellow in History at Hillsdale College and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. And host Scot Bertram talks with Oren Cass, chief economist at America...

Guests: Charles N. Steele, Daniel Gullotta, & Benedict Whalen

Host Scot Bertram talks with Charles N. Steele, director of the Center for Commerce and Freedom and associate professor of economics at Hillsdale College, about the economic fallout of proposed Universal Basic Income (UBI) policies. Daniel Gullotta, assistant professor at The Ohio State University’s Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society, ...

Guests: Richard Samuelson & Erik J. Larson

Host Scot Bertram talks with Richard Samuelson, associate professor of government at Hillsdale College’s Washington, D.C. campus, about his recent essay on James Madison and the importance of republican principles. And Erik J. Larson, author of The Myth of Artificial Intelligence: Why Computers Can’t Think the Way We Do, gives a brief history of the development of artificia...

Guests: Salena Zito & Christopher Matsos

Host Scot Bertram talks with Salena Zito, political reporter for the Washington Examiner, about the political ramifications of the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump and her new book, Butler: The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for America’s Heartland. And Christopher Matsos, chairm...

Guests: Matthew Spalding & Robert R. Riley

We revisit two previously aired interviews for this special Independence Day episode. Host Scot Bertram talks with Matthew Spalding, vice president of Washington Operations and dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale in D.C., about Thomas Jefferson's influence on the Declaration of Independence. And Robert R. Reilly, director of the Westminster Institute, gives...

Guests: Bradley Watson & Michael Walsh 

Host Scot Bertram talks with Bradley Watson, associate professor of government at the Van Andel Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale in D.C., about progressive jurisprudence and the growing crisis of constitutionalism. And Michael Walsh, journalist and screenwriter, discusses the nature of warfare and his new book A Rage to Conquer: Twelve Battles That Changed the Course o...

Guests: Clare Morell & Benedict Whalen

Host Scot Bertram talks with Clare Morell, fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and director of EPPC’s Technology and Human Flourishing Project, about the long-term effects of smartphone use on children and her new book The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones. And Benedict Whalen, associate professor of English at Hillsdale Colle...

Guests: Ronald J. Pestritto & Christopher J. Scalia

Host Scot Bertram talks with Ronald J. Pestritto, professor of politics and Charles and Lucia Shipley Chair in the American Constitution at Hillsdale College, about Hillsdale’s new online course, “The Federalist.” And Christopher Scalia, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, gives a defense of fiction and discusses his new book 

Guests: Adam Kissel & Christina Lamb Chakalova

Host Scot Bertram talks with Adam Kissel, visiting fellow for higher education reform in the Center for Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation, about the decline of American Ivy League colleges and universities and his new co-authored book Slacking: A Guide to Ivy League Miseducation. And Christina Lamb Chakalova, assistant professor of art at Hillsdale College, continues...

Guests: Bradley Birzer & Jason L. Riley

Host Scot Bertram talks with Bradley Birzer, professor of history and Russell Amos Kirk Chair in American Studies at Hillsdale College, about the writings and enduring legacy of Ray Bradbury. And Jason L. Riley, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, discusses the ramifications of affirmative action initiatives in the black community and his new book, Th...

Guests: Josh Hammer & Mickey L. Mattox

Host Scot Bertram talks with Josh Hammer, host of The Josh Hammer Show and senior editor-at-large at Newsweek, about Israel’s role in the Middle East and his new book Israel and Civilization: The Fate of the Jewish Nation and the Destiny of the West. And Mickey Mattox, Flack Family Foundation C...

Guests: Kevin Portteus, Daniel J. Mahoney, & Brent Cline

Host Scot Bertram talks with Kevin Portteus, professor of politics and director of American Studies at Hillsdale College, about how the American Founders viewed the question of birthright citizenship and a recent essay he wrote on the subject. Daniel J. Mahoney, senior fellow at the Claremont Institute and senior writer at Law & Liberty, dis...

Guests: Andrew Klavan & Colin Brown

Host Scot Bertram talks with Andrew Klavan, author and host of The Andrew Klavan Show, about making beauty out of the world as it is and his new book, The Kingdom of Cain: Finding God in the Literature of Darkness. And Colin Brown, recent graduate of the Van Andel Graduate School of Statesmanship at Hillsdale College, discusses his doctoral the...

Guests: Joe Concha & Derek Stauff

Host Scot Bertram talks with Joe Concha, author and Fox News contributor, about the strategy behind President Donald Trump's winning campaign and his new book, The Greatest Comeback Ever: Inside Trump's Big Beautiful Campaign. And Derek Stauff, associate professor of music at Hillsdale College, gives an overview of the musical function and history of the organ.

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Guests: Dana Perino & Benedict Whalen

Host Scot Bertram talks with Dana Perino, co-host of Fox News’ The Five and America's Newsroom and former White House Press Secretary, about the lessons she's learned over the course of her career and her new book I Wish Someone Had Told Me . . .: The Best Advice for Building a Great Career and a Meaningful Life. And Benedict Whalen, associate...

Guests: Richard Samuelson & George H. Nash

Host Scot Bertram talks with Richard Samuelson, associate professor of government at Hillsdale College’s Washington, D.C. campus, continuing their conversation around the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States. This week, they discuss the battle at Lexington and Concord. And George H. Nash, American historian and chronicler of American conservatism, discus...