Ej Auction

Understanding President Trump’s relationship with the Heritage Foundation

EJ FAGAN: Thanks for having me on.

DETROW: Before we get to everything that’s happening right now, is there one specific moment you could point to where The Heritage Foundation starts to make the shift from a Mitt Romney/George W. Bush-style conservative organization to fully embracing the current MAGA Republican Trump-era party?

FAGAN: I can. Although I’d say, you know, I don’t think they ever were truly on the George W. Bush/Mitt Romney side.

FAGAN: I think it was the Newt Gingrich/Ronald Reagan side.

DETROW: Yeah. So what’s the best way to think about the relationship right now between Heritage and the Trump administration? So much focus was made of Project 2025. But what’s the way to think about how they’re interacting with each other? Who’s taking cues from who?

DETROW: Like, what’s the chicken-and-egg way to think about this? Was this Heritage seeing what Trump’s inner orbit wanted to do and putting policy scaffolding around it, or was it suggesting, like, if you get back in office, start here, here’s some ideas?

FAGAN: I think there’s less policy scaffolding than Heritage would want you to believe right now. The bargain that Heritage has been making, really since about 2022 or so, is that they’re willing to be the lowest common denominator, right? They’re willing to be the organization that enables a more authoritarian Republican Party.

DETROW: What’s one or two specific examples you would point to?

FAGAN: . He’s publishing what are essentially blog posts praising Donald Trump, calling him a genius for tariffs, right? That’s a real shift, and it’s a shift away from what we traditionally think of a Ronald Reagan conservatism at Heritage.

DETROW: And I think you’ve touched on this here and there, but what do you think the role of a think tank is in a world where the people in charge don’t have much respect for expertise?

The dangerous thing is that they’re still an influential organization, and so they’ve replaced the real policy wonks with enablers. And I think that’s really – if I were, you know, someone who’s concerned about the conservative policy world, I’d be very concerned about that. I think that it’s actually – in some ways, they’re both their strongest and their weakest right now.

DETROW: That is E.J. Fagan, political science professor and author of the book, “The Thinkers: The Rise Of Partisan Think Tanks And The Polarization Of American Politics.” Thank you so much.

FAGAN: Thanks for having me.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Ej’s Auction Appraisal

Ej’s Auction Appraisal, located in Glendale, AZ, offers a vibrant platform for buying and selling diverse items through regular auctions. The company specializes in a wide range of collectibles, antiques, and unique pieces, showcasing everything from classic cars to fine jewelry.

With a commitment to transparency and a passion for auctioneering, Ej’s Auction Appraisal hosts specialty auctions every Friday and allows for public previewing before each event. Their engaging auction environment is designed to ensure that everything must sell, providing an exciting experience for both buyers and sellers alike.

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