If an American conservative from the 20th Century paid 2019 a visit, he or she might be quite perplexed to see a Republican president rallying his party around aggressive protectionism, taking swings at the post-WWII order, and perhaps most surprisingly, championing a federal executive branch with almost limitless power. Indeed, “Trumpism” and “conservatism” have very little in common. Are we witnessing the full-scale redefinition of the right in American politics — or do classical conservative principles still resonate? What are the prospects for the Buckley/Reagan brand of conservatism that challenged deficits and debt, embraced free trade and strong international alliances, and imagined the best from limited government? And if those prospects are not so good, what kind of conservatism is growing in America now, and what does the next generation of conservative thinkers want for America’s future?
