Leonard Leo: The Conservative Fundraiser Remaking American Culture
Release Date: 01/15/2026
Peter Robinson Unbridled
As a long-time chair of the Federalist Society, Leonard Leo played a leading role in bringing half of today's Supreme Court to the Bench. Today, as one of the conservative movement's premier fundraisers and strategists, he has dedicated himself to "crushing liberal dominance" in politics, media, and culture. On today's Unbridled, Peter and Leonard discuss Leonard's formative political experiences, his approach to philanthropy, his fight to gain a foothold for traditional conservatism in movies and TV, and how to find great, affordable wines. Timestamps 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:02:55 -...
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info_outlineAs a long-time chair of the Federalist Society, Leonard Leo played a leading role in bringing half of today's Supreme Court to the Bench. Today, as one of the conservative movement's premier fundraisers and strategists, he has dedicated himself to "crushing liberal dominance" in politics, media, and culture. On today's Unbridled, Peter and Leonard discuss Leonard's formative political experiences, his approach to philanthropy, his fight to gain a foothold for traditional conservatism in movies and TV, and how to find great, affordable wines.
Timestamps
00:00:00 - Introduction
00:02:55 - Leonard Leo’s background
00:05:22 - Why Leo joined the Federalist Society
00:07:01 - “Crushing” Liberal dominance
00:11:28 - The Left and Right operationalizing their views
00:18:18 - Thinking about philanthropy
00:24:10 - What happened to American universities?
00:27:21 - Suggestions for Conservative philanthropy
00:37:44 - Leonard Leo’s funding
00:40:43 - Conservatism today
00:53:59 - Positive cultural changes
01:02:47 - Cards!
Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
Host: Peter Robinson
Peter Robinson Unbridled is a podcast of the Civitas Institute of the University of Texas at Austin
Executive Producers:
Mat Hames
Beth Hames
Researcher: John Masko
Producer: Laura Utt
Editor: Josh Meyers
Post Production: Jacob Estrada
Camera: Josh Harwick, Nathan Jennings
Music by Brandon Shufflebarger