On Thursday’s edition of WarRoom, Dave Brat sat in with Matthew Taylor—filmmaker, artist, and longtime D.C. local—for a strikingly hopeful conversation about the American cultural revival underway. At the heart of it? A return to tradition, truth, beauty, and a culture that affirms rather than criticizes.

"We’ve spent the last century deconstructing everything,” Brat said bluntly. "Critical Theory has torn apart the Judeo-Christian West—what once stood for the good, the true, the beautiful.” Instead of building people up, modern culture, shaped by these ideologies, has led many into disillusionment, confusion, and unhappiness. "Culture no longer represents harmony—it represents chaos.”

Enter President Trump.

Matthew Taylor, who has roots in Alexandria and deep ties to the cultural fabric of D.C., sees something new and inspiring taking shape. "It’s rare that we have creative capital coming into this city,” he said. "But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity where a president has come in and said: these institutions matter. What they show, and what they display—that matters.”

Taylor explained that the seeds of societal values are planted at the top—in institutions like the Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian. These cultural giants don’t just entertain; they shape what Main Street believes is good, normal, or even possible. "Art is at the top,” Taylor said. "It trickles down to Main Street culture.”

That "trickle-down” effect—so often dismissed in economics—is foundational in culture. And Taylor believes President Trump gets it. "He’s a former New Yorker. He loves Broadway. He loves beautiful culture. He loves art. And now he’s investing in making sure the institutions that shape our national soul are aligned with pro-American, pro-family, pro-beauty values.”

And it’s not just aesthetic. Taylor and Brat both agreed that cultural renewal is directly tied to national strength—things like worker productivity, fertility, and civic unity. "When people are surrounded by ugliness, by art that hates the country, by media that attacks tradition—they lose hope,” Brat noted. "That’s when you see social decay, low birthrates, broken families, and drug abuse. But when a culture uplifts, people flourish.”

Taylor pointed to real signs of this turnaround already taking root in D.C. "Ambassador Ric Grenell is doing amazing work,” he said, beaming. "I haven’t seen the Kennedy Center in such good shape in years.” He also praised grassroots cultural leaders like Raheem Kassam, who are sparking pro-American movements even through restaurants and local spaces.

As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, Taylor says the stakes couldn’t be higher—but neither could the hope. "This president sees culture as the main battlefield,” Taylor explained. "And he’s not just defending it. He’s rebuilding it.”

His message to young people and families is clear: go see it for yourself. Visit your monuments. Go to federally funded museums. Pay attention to what your institutions are saying—or failing to say. "The culture is shifting back toward truth and beauty,” Taylor said. "And it’s happening under this president.”

To follow his work and the broader movement, Taylor encouraged viewers to find him on Instagram or the new social platform Intale, where he shares updates and visions for the future.

In the end, Brat summarized it well: "We’re rebuilding the soul of the nation. And when we get the culture right—work, family, even faith—they all come back into alignment.”

America’s cultural compass may have swung too far off course in recent decades, but if this conversation is any sign, it’s now pointing toward something far more noble: truth, beauty, and enduring purpose.

For more context, watch this WarRoom segment from Thursday’s WarRoom:

"To see a president not only take interest in but also attend institutions of art truly means a lot.” M. A. Taylor On The Kennedy Center Takeover