A lavishly decorated conference room stocked with coffee, filled with men in dark suits with credentials, is a common sight in Washington. What makes the event held at the Mayflower Hotel, organized by the young Center for the American Way of Life, stand out from the others is the inscription on the door: "Lies of the Ruling Class".
"American elites are unenlightened, incompetent and unqualified," he says Michael Anton, former advisor Donald Trump for national security, during the first panel. United in favoring economic nationalism, a limited foreign policy, and limited immigration, many of the self-proclaimed national conservatives attending the event see the "threat" to the United States from the left as existential. All of them, however, are full of self-confidence.
In November, Republicans expect to regain majorities in one or even both houses of Congress, so conservatives hope to transform some of the energy of the burgeoning movement into some of that political power. Exhilarated by the election of Donald Trump, but also disappointed by his failure to turn unusual instincts into concrete moves, they are focused on shaping a new conservative elite and agenda. Committed like-minded and former Trump administration officials are busy creating think tanks and advocacy organizations to create policy and, most importantly, staff for the new right wing of the Republican Party.
Conservatives have long relied on such organizations to "formulate concepts, strategies and policies that elected officials can implement when in positions of power," he says. Matthew Continetti, researcher and author of the history of the American right at the conservative American Enterprise Institute. Long before it is Ronald Reagan elected president, think tanks like the Heritage Foundation and magazines like National Review promoted a generation of Republicans who embraced free markets, social conservatism, and a foreign policy based on self-reliance. They created careers for young conservatives - and provided staff to White House human resources managers and congressional chiefs of staff who sought ideologically close associates.
But the unexpected election of Mr. Trump was not preceded by the process of building institutions that would be in line with his "America First" instinct. Instead, to fill cabinet positions, Trump has depended on institutions like the Heritage Foundation, where a large number of experts are not in favor of him. The Republican Party in Congress dealt with other priorities, such as tax cuts. A group of dissidents in the Republican Party who have experience and connections in Washington, such as lawyers, proved to be the most effective in preparing new policies. Robert Leithitzer which Continetti believes has proven to be one of the most efficient in the administration. The new right, buoyed by Trump's victory, realized that it needed new institutions. The Claremont Institute, which is based in California, is one of the institutions that took the first significant steps. She quickly became famous thanks to individuals associated with her coming to Trump's defense. One of them is Mr. Anton. others, John Eastman, is the legal theorist behind Trump's attempt to retain power beyond the 2020 election. The Institute has a scholarly journal, the Claremont Review of Books, and a Capitol Hill center near other New Right institutions. A couple of streets away is the headquarters of the conservative Hillsdale College, where Anton teaches. The house of a former Trump adviser is also nearby Steve Bannon which gathers figures from the world of the new right and supports national conservatives abroad like Matteo Salvini in Italy.
Currently, the ideas of the new right are being promoted by a small group of journals. “American Affairs,” a quarterly magazine whose first issue came out in 2017, defends pro-industry policies and rejects the free market of conservatives of the past; he represents a good example of the use of state power by the new right, for the purposes of reshaping the economy and society. "First Things" and "American Conservative" are older magazines, but they represent the majority religious and nationalist thinking.
"First Things" published essays supporting a pro-family welfare state and banning abortion.
"The American Conservative" argued for limited American involvement in the war in Ukraine. Their small circulation does not fully match their importance in guiding the debate and giving New Right thinkers a chance to improve their reputation.
In order to implement the ideas of the new right, a large number of new analytical centers were created. One of the more advanced is "American Compass", formed in 2020.
"There was an empty space in the institutional framework for presenting new ideas in a rigorous way", claims the founder Oren Cass. He is not a supporter of Donald Trump, whose actions from 2020 he otherwise considers impeachable offenses. Mr. Kass is more focused on detailed proposals in favor of the Republican Party's turn toward statism, which have proved influential in legislative circles.
Last year, Sen With Romney proposed a universal child allowance with the aim of reducing the poverty rate and encouraging family formation. In many ways, the proposal has the characteristics of an idea that came from the organization "American Compass", but Mr. Kass and his colleagues criticized the lack of incentives to work. The new bill submitted on June 15 also included conditions related to wages. Another proposal of the analytical center, according to which councils of workers in the company would be formed instead of unions, was taken up by the senator Marco Rubio. Former Trump administration officials have also created various organizations not only to promote policies, but also possibly to wage a culture war. The America First Institute for Public Policy and the Center for American Renewal stamp reports on the right's greatest fears, with the Center for American Renewal also preparing funds for school boards to suppress lectures on critical race theory.
"America First Legal", founded by Steven Miller, otherwise a former Trump associate, is leading proceedings against the Biden administration before the court, mainly for everything to do with loosening the rules on the entry of migrants.
These institutions of the new right are perhaps the most loyal to Trump personally. The Center for Rebuilding America has hired Jeffrey Clarke, a former official at the US Department of Justice, whom Trump tried to install as attorney general to help him stay in power. After the FBI raided Clark's house on June 22, Russ Vaught, president of the COA and former Trump director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, labeled the search as "the criminalization of politics."
The power of the people
Whether the policies will become a reality or not depends on attracting and promoting personnel, especially younger ones. One of the most important efforts in attracting young staff has been made through the National Conservatism Conference, which has been organized annually since the time of the Trump administration. This conference attracted not only New Right thinkers, but also many ambitious politicians such as senators Josh Holley i Ted Cruz. The opportunity to meet some of the biggest names of the new right made the conference very popular among young conservatives. Enthusiasm is particularly visible in some older conservative institutions that serve youth and activists, including Turning Point USA and the Conservative Political Action Conference, which have moved closer to Trump to maintain their influence.
The Claremont Institute has alumni who are very prominent in the conservative movement. But the American Moment project, launched in February 2021, aims to identify and train young conservatives for careers in Washington. "We are looking for people who share our beliefs and motivation to include them in the struggle," says the president of the organization, Saurabh Sharma.
The money for such initiatives comes in part from donors who have been investing in conservative causes for a long time, such as the Bradley, DeVos and Scaife foundations. Institutions with a longer tradition will fight for these funds: with the election of a new president, the "Heritage" foundation is turning to the rhetoric and positions of the new right, partly to preserve access to donors; while organizations established in Trump skepticism may lose prominence in the party but remain exceptional fundraisers.
The New Right has also proven to be flexible in mobilizing new donors. Peter Till, a capitalist and one of Trump's earliest supporters, became a donor to the National Conservative Conference. Two Silicon Valley philanthropic organizations, The Hewlett Foundation and the Omidyar Network, have allocated hundreds of millions of dollars to various organizations to develop alternatives to market-oriented policies. American Affairs, American Compass and American Moment each provided a portion of this money.
The true effectiveness of all these activities will come into greater focus after the November elections, which may give Republicans a majority in both houses of Congress. If that happens, the party may need over 1 new recruits, and the new right wants to provide most of those recruits. They will spread ideas, help draft legislation and fill executive branch positions for the next Republican president.
A stumbling block for the New Right could be its relationship with Donald Trump. Many political geeks are ambivalent about his continued involvement in Republican Party political activities; they are more concerned with the long-term aspects of their movement's development. GOP voters' loyalty to the unpredictable former president may dampen New Right elites' hopes of electing a more disciplined successor, such as the Florida governor Ron de Santis. In any case, whoever becomes president from among the ranks of the new right, an army of supporters awaits him in Washington.
Translation: Boris Lipovina
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