Matthew Schmitz: “Trumpism is the cultural cutting edge and liberal America is racing to catch up.”
Matthew Schmitz argues that Trumpism has become the cultural cutting edge, contrasting with the traditional counterculture defined by the political Left. He suggests that liberal America is struggling to keep up with this shift in cultural dynamics. Schmitz, who identifies as a conservative, navigates both liberal and conservative spaces in his work.
- ▪Matthew Schmitz is the cofounder and editor of Compact magazine.
- ▪He believes Trumpism is now at the forefront of cultural trends.
- ▪Schmitz contrasts his experiences growing up in rural Nebraska with his life in liberal Manhattan.
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Playback speed×Share postShare post at current timeShare from 0:000:00/Preview41Matthew Schmitz: “Trumpism is the cultural cutting edge and liberal America is racing to catch up.”Progressives don’t understand why they’re no longer cool, says the editor of Compact magazineMichael ShellenbergerMay 25, 2026∙ Paid41ShareFor most of the eight decades following World War II, the political Left has defined the counterculture and, by extension, what counts as cool. Beatniks in the 1950s condemned suburban conformity. Hippies in the 1960s rejected the Vietnam War and the gray men running it. Punks in the late 1970s and early 1980s scoffed at Nixon’s “silent majority” and Reagan’s optimistic “morning in America.” Hip-hop in the 1980s and 1990s gave voice to black men angry at white America.
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