John Ganz

Nation columnist John Ganz is the New York Times best-selling author of When the Clock Broke: Con Men, Conspiracists, and How America Cracked Up in the Early 1990s. He writes the Unpopular Front newsletter on Substack, and his work has appeared in The Washington Post, Harper's Magazine, Artforum, the New Statesman, and other publications.

Donald Trump and Roy Cohn at a press conference.

Donald Trump’s Long Con Donald Trump’s Long Con

Trump’s “Art of” trilogy may be full of willful exaggeration but the books also reveal how the 1980s and ’90s formed his dog-eat-dog worldview. 

Apr 7, 2025 / Books & the Arts / John Ganz

Mark Zuckerberg, Lauren Sanchez, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai, and Elon Musk during Trump’s presidential inauguration in the rotunda of the US Capitol.

This Is What Government by Electronic Plebiscite Looks Like This Is What Government by Electronic Plebiscite Looks Like

Today’s tech oligarchs want the appearance of public acclaim for their deeply elitist vision of society—while maintaining a docile and cooperative public.

Feb 10, 2025 / Column / John Ganz

DJ Cassidy performs against a rural-themed backdrop at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Party Under Country: Dissecting the Democratic Malaise Party Under Country: Dissecting the Democratic Malaise

The party continues to operate in an overcredentialied fever dream in the face of an America becoming ever more red in tooth and claw

Nov 15, 2024 / John Ganz

Newt Gingrich and Bob Dole at a circus on Capitol Hill, 1995.

Can the Origins of Today’s Right Be Traced to the 1990s? Can the Origins of Today’s Right Be Traced to the 1990s?

While some might remember the 1990s as an era of good feelings, Nicole Hemmer's Partisans argues that this period coincided with the rise of a more combative conservative movement.

Nov 29, 2022 / Books & the Arts / John Ganz

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