Laura Field chronicles the rise of the 'New Right,' a network of academics and intellectuals who provide ideological fuel for Trumpism. Unlike earlier intellectual conservatism, which claimed to defend liberal democratic institutions, this cohort views those institutions as irredeemably corrupt. Field profiles key figures including the Claremont Institute scholars who declared America was already in a crisis justifying extraordinary measures, the Catholic integralists who reject separation of church and state, and the post-liberals who have abandoned classical liberal commitments entirely. She shows how these thinkers construct narratives that justify authoritarian responses to what they characterize as an existential emergency. Field, a political theorist who has engaged these figures in debate, writes with both scholarly rigor and moral clarity. She distinguishes between conservatives with whom meaningful disagreement is possible and those who have abandoned the premises of democratic discourse. The book serves as both a warning and a resource, helping readers understand the intellectual infrastructure behind political developments that might otherwise seem inexplicable. This is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the ideas animating the American right.