It was difficult to define conservatism even before Donald Trump launched his presidential bid. But since he took his seat behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, longstanding irresolution and disagreement have degenerated into disarray and internecine conflict. If conservatives agree on anything now, it is that they face a practical, ideological, and moral dilemma.
For this, the first national issue of the Washington Examiner magazine, we invited nine prominent writers to answer the question: “What does it mean to be a conservative in the age of Trump?” Each contributor to this symposium regards himself or herself as a conservative, but a Venn diagram of their positions would show scant overlap and wide divergence.
For Larry Arnn, president of Hillsdale College, Trump preeminently understands that the most important conservative idea today is the need to conserve America itself, for “if we [continue] politically in the direction of the previous three decades, we [will] lose our country.” David French, senior fellow at the National Review Institute, writes that “the conservative in the age of Trump is … wandering the uncomfortable wilderness without a tribe.” Author David Frum, an astringent critic of the president, answers that to be a conservative in this epoch is “to feel culturally powerless,” while Mollie Hemingway, senior editor at the Federalist, argues that conservatism “is about rejecting [the] rigged system” that so long controlled Washington. Erick Erickson, James Antle, Henry Olsen, Sen. Ben Sasse, and Alexandra DeSanctis add their analysis to the symposium.
The tectonic political shift wrought by Trump underlies almost every Washington question and alliance. Our second big feature examines how it has forged a bond between the ideological enemies, Sens. Rand Paul and Lindsey Graham. They are 180 degrees apart on America’s role in the world, yet they’ve worked together to challenge Trump on the U.S. alliance with Saudi Arabia. Both were intensely hostile to Trump in the presidential primaries, and both of their campaigns went down in flames. But, for widely divergent goals, each has ingratiated himself with the president to change policy in the Middle East.
I also want to draw your attention to our new Life & Arts section, where we explore such diverse issues as the propriety and popularity of “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” the tribulations of a novice bow hunter, a cold shoulder from a Kremlin apparatchik, the yearning for the next Game of Thrones installment, and the rising generation of brilliant young quarterbacks barging into the NFL playoffs. Also see the Your Land section, the Personal Finance section, and our weekly obituary, starting with the extraordinary life of Simcha Rotem, the last known survivor of the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
Welcome, and happy reading!
