Donald Trump

Disraeli's Romanticism, Trump's Nationalism

Were Disraeli reincarnated as a Republican politician, our establishment would very likely find him as distressing as they currently find Trump. Continue Reading »

16 Sep 2016

The Conservative Lawyers versus the Never Trumpers

by Hadley Arkes

I yield to no one in my recoil from Donald Trump. But for anyone who shares the perspectives of the Republican Party, far more is involved here than aversion to an implausible candidate. A conservative should have an interest in repealing and replacing Obamacare, a program that tends inexorably to the political control of medicine. Continue Reading »

16 Sep 2016

Does the Goldwater Comparison Really Hold Up?

by Geoffrey Kabaservice

Goldwater by 1964 was the unquestioned leader of the emerging conservative movement. Trump, by contrast, has channeled a populist impulse that has yet to become a movement. It’s true that his candidacy has resonated deeply with a segment of the population and has similarities with other right-wing, anti-immigrant movements in Europe. But at this point he heads a personal, candidate-centric campaign. Continue Reading »

13 Sep 2016

Goldwater Déjà vu

by Russell E. Saltzman

Whatever variety of outsider populism Trump awakened, he’s walked all over it. His collapse in early polling heralds a Republican debacle. Nothing like it has happened since Goldwater. Continue Reading »

25 Aug 2016

Don’t Feed Trump’s Trolls

by Pete Spiliakos

Baffled conservatives should take the time to talk to real Trump supporters, not internet provocateurs. Continue Reading »

18 Aug 2016

NFP vs. Sex Ed

by The Editors

The First Things Podcast, Episode 4. Also featuring: Catholic voting patterns and women deacons. Continue Reading »

5 Aug 2016

Against Optimism

by Pete Spiliakos

Surely it is less important that a speech be optimistic or pessimistic, than that it be true to the realities of the moment, true to the capabilities of the government, and true to the responsibilities of the citizenry. Continue Reading »

4 Aug 2016