How the New Right Failed

The Free Press columnist Ross Douthat examined how the political movement that emerged after Donald Trump's 2016 victory, often referred to as the "new right," positioned itself as being more attuned to contemporary realities compared to traditional conservatism. This new movement initially gained traction through memes and later expanded into podcasts, policy journals, and think tanks. Critics from various ideological backgrounds, including Reaganite conservatives and centrists, argued that this stance was either a bullying assertion or an overconfident claim lacking in experience.

However, Douthat acknowledges that younger perspectives can offer clarity on certain issues, suggesting the new right had valid insights during the late 2010s and early 2020s. This movement claimed to address aspects of American society that previous conservative factions had neglected or failed to adequately preserve.