If you spent the last twenty years reading The New York Times, you probably have a very specific image of David Brooks. He’s the guy in the blazer. The "reasonable" conservative. The man who looks at a salad bar and sees a sociological divide in America. But lately, things have gotten weird. If you follow the breadcrumbs of his recent columns—especially the stuff from late 2025 and early 2026—you’ll see a man who isn’t just flirting with the other side.
He’s basically living there.
The chatter about David Brooks on the left isn't just some Twitter conspiracy. It’s a real, documented shift in how one of America’s most influential pundits views the world. In 2024, he flat-out admitted he finds himself "rooting for the Democrats about 70 percent of the time." He even said he was "almost all the way to joining" the party. For a guy who started his career at the Weekly Standard and The National Review, that’s a massive pivot.
But is he actually a leftist? Honestly, it’s complicated.
The "Whig" Who Lost His Party
Brooks often describes himself as a "Burkean" or a "Whig." Think Alexander Hamilton, not Barry Goldwater. He likes institutions. He likes order. He likes the idea that we’re all part of a grand, historical project. The problem is that the modern Republican Party—the one defined by MAGA and institutional disruption—doesn't really want any of that.
When the Right started attacking the FBI, the courts, and even the peaceful transfer of power, Brooks felt like a man without a country. In a series of 2025 columns, he argued that the Right has actually "stolen the game" of the radical left. He sees MAGA as a revolutionary movement that wants to tear things down, which is exactly what he used to hate about the 1960s radicals.
By default, this has pushed him into the arms of the establishment Democrats.
He’s not necessarily there because he loves high taxes or radical wealth redistribution. He’s there because he thinks the Democrats are currently the only ones interested in keeping the lights on in the "American Experiment." It’s a marriage of necessity, not necessarily a shared soul.
Why the Left Still Doesn’t Trust Him
You’d think progressives would be throwing a parade for him. They aren't.
If you look at critiques from outlets like Common Dreams or CorpGov.net, the sentiment is basically: "Thanks, but no thanks." Why? Because Brooks still views poverty through a "cultural" lens. In late 2025, he wrote a piece called "Why I Am Not a Liberal," where he basically argued that the Left doesn't understand the importance of character and traditional values in fixing social ills.
Progressives find this condescending. To them, poverty isn't a lack of "character"—it’s a lack of cash and systemic support. When Brooks talks about "soul-craft" and "moral formation," a lot of people on the left hear it as a way to blame the poor for their own problems while ignoring the structural failures of capitalism.
The Major Disconnects
- Economics: Brooks still worries about "economic individualism" and debt. He’s not a fan of the "Big State" in the way a Bernie Sanders supporter might be.
- Social Fabric: He’s obsessed with loneliness and isolation (the core theme of his 2024 book, How to Know a Person). He thinks we need more "illuminators"—people who see others deeply—to fix politics. The Left thinks we need better laws and unions.
- The "Elite" Label: Brooks admits he’s part of the "educated elite." This makes him a target for both the populist Right and the anti-elitist Left.
David Brooks on the Left: A Tactical Alliance?
Let's be real. Brooks hasn't suddenly become a socialist. In his September 2025 column, he was quite explicit about why he rejects the "Liberal" label. He thinks the Left has a "nihilistic" streak that underestimates the importance of faith and traditional manners.
Yet, he’s a regular on PBS NewsHour and continues to be the "moderate" voice that liberals love to cite when they want to show they’re open-minded. This creates a weird dynamic. He is on the rightward edge of the leftward tendency. He occupies a space that basically doesn't exist in the current two-party system: a pro-institution, pro-social safety net, socially traditional moderate.
What Most People Miss About His Evolution
The most interesting thing about the 2026 version of David Brooks isn't his voting record. It's his focus on "Public Theology." He’s spent a lot of time lately at conferences like ARC in London, getting booed by conservatives for calling out Trumpism as a "moral disaster."
He’s arguing that democracy is being destroyed not just by bad policy, but by "dark passions"—anger, fear, and a loss of the conviction that we owe each other anything. When he talks about being "broken open" by suffering, he sounds more like a monk than a political analyst.
This is where he actually aligns with some parts of the Left. Both Brooks and the modern progressive movement are deeply worried about the "atomization" of society. They both see that people are lonely, angry, and feeling unseen. They just have wildly different prescriptions for the cure.
Actionable Insights: How to Navigate the New Political Center
If you’re trying to make sense of the current political landscape, watching the trajectory of David Brooks on the left tells you three things about where we are in 2026:
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- Labels are dying. The old "Left vs. Right" binary is being replaced by "Institutionalist vs. Disruptor." Brooks has chosen the institutions.
- Culture is the new economy. We are spending less time arguing about tax brackets and more time arguing about how we treat each other in public spaces.
- The "Middle" is lonely. Being a moderate today doesn't mean you're liked by everyone. It often means you're heckled by both sides.
To really understand this shift, start looking at "communitarian" writers who bridge the gap. Look into Phillip Blond or the "Red Tory" movement in the UK. They offer a blueprint for the kind of "Socially Conservative, Fiscally Socialist" vibe that Brooks is slowly gravitating toward.
Don't just read the headlines. If you want to see where Brooks is going next, pay attention to his writing on "Moral Formation." That’s where the real battle for the American center is happening right now. Read his work on the "illuminator" vs. "diminisher" mindset and try applying it to your own political discussions. It might not change your vote, but it’ll definitely change how you argue on Facebook.