The president of the United States is a member of the Republican party, the political movement most often associated with conservatism. But many have argued that he doesn’t fit the mold of what it actually means to be a conservative in the classical sense.
For example, where Republican politicians have sought for decades to minimize federal interference in states and local communities, President Trump has sent federal troops to police protesters in cities.
But the party they point to as an example of its baseline doesn’t seem to exist anymore, given the strength of Trump’s influence on his fellow politicians. As the Republican National Convention begins, conservative thinkers are considering the direction of their movement, and in some cases asking if this is where they were headed all along.
Which raises the question, what does it mean to be a conservative in contemporary American society? Is it a coherent political philosophy?
We talk to younger voters about that question and more.
We addressed similar questions when we broadcast from the Conservative Political Action Conference. Find that conversation here.
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