What America Forgot About the Declaration | Michael Auslin

Hoover Institution historian Michael Auslin joins Chris Clements to talk about his new book, National Treasure: How the Declaration of Independence Made America—and what Americans have lost by losing touch with their own history. Before getting to the book, Chris and Michael compare notes on Virginia politics, the changes in Washington, D.C., the growth of democratic socialism at the local level, DOGE, USAID, and why political movements become more attractive when historical perspective disappears. Then they turn to the Declaration itself: what Thomas Jefferson originally wrote, what Congress changed, the founders’ complicated relationship with slavery, why Auslin considers George Washington the greatest of the founders, and the religious ideas woven into America’s founding. The conversation closes on a larger point: understanding the contradictions, compromises and achievements of the founding gives Americans a very different perspective on the political fights of 2026. Michael Auslin National Treasure: How the Declaration of Independence Made America — Official book page at Simon & Schuster Buy on Amazon — https://a.co/d/0j5pfpZ1 Hoover Institution — https://www.hoover.org/profiles/michael-auslin? The Patowmack Packet — https://patowmackpacket.substack.com/ LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelauslin/?isSelfProfile=false X — @michaelauslin #MichaelAuslin #DeclarationOfIndependence #america250 #foundingfathers #PrattPodcasting Follow Light Beer Dark Money: Website https://lightbeerdarkmoney.com/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LightBeerDarkMoney/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lightbeerdarkmoney/ X https://x.com/LBDMshow LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/light-beer-dark-money/