The Origins of the New Right – And its Future

The conservative movement has reached a definitive turning point in 2022. We can clearly see the emergence of a new right forming before our very eyes. The political process which ignited anew with onset of the Trump era is maturing, and a whole new crop of leaders are grabbing the proverbial baton, furthering and deepening the ideological and intellectual strands of the movement. The old Republican Party, which despite winning some electoral victories, has been on life support for years now. The energy of the grassroots, and now more and more of new elected officials, is giving way to a new nationalist, conservative populism which, in a very positive way, is bigger than Donald Trump.

To understand the evolution of the grassroots conservative movement of today, it’s informative to go back to the 1990s. At the time, America felt wholly triumphant. The Cold War was won, communism was vanquished, and the economy was awash in easy cash of the dot com era. Of course, there were many deep problems in America–spiritual, moral, and economic to name a few–but the patina of optimism of the 90s made them much harder to see.

Politically, Republicans and Democrats still bickered and engaged in partisan fighting, but there was little doubt in the fundamental beliefs of globalism and secularism. The desirability of open trade, mass immigration, and the assurance of America as the world’s police force were never seriously questioned. And why would they be? America was top dog. It was the end of history, and we were the winners. McDonald’s and Nikes for everyone. Anyone who feels different “goes voluntarily into a madhouse,” as Nietzsche would say.

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