RECOMMENDED READING
In the United States, the political right is undergoing a significant transformation. Once dominated by Reagan economics—characterised by free trade and deregulation—the movement has increasingly adopted policies focusing on the working class, opposing globalisation, pursuing protectionism and imposing tariffs on foreign trade. At the heart of this shift is Oren Cass, chief economist at the American Compass think-tank and author of The Once and Future Worker.
This week, Mark Leonard talks with Cass about his intellectual journey, the differences between the “New Right” and traditional conservatives and the economic agenda reshaping American conservatism. Together, they discuss what a pro-worker trade policy can look like and why family is central to Cass’s political vision.
What does this new conservatism mean for US domestic and foreign policy? How does the conservative working class policy differ from Bernie Sanders’s vision? And how do these intellectual debates shape Trump’s administration?
Recommended Reading
Why National Conservatism Needs Worker Power
At the second National Conservatism conference, Oren Cass discusses the importance of worker power to the future of conservatism.
Trumpism Gives Grand Old Party an Identity Crisis
American Compass’s Oren Cass talks with the Times of London about the vein of pro-worker conservatism that is emerging out of Trumpism.
Seven Questions for Oren Cass on the New Conservatism
TAC’s Jordan Bloom interviews Oren Cass about the launch of American Compass and the future of American conservatism.
