Who holds the power now? The new think-tanks whispering in Trump's ear

Economic nationalists and populists are sidelining conservative stalwarts and reshaping Republican policy.

- Bhagyashree Garekar

WASHINGTON - The traditional conservative think-tanks that have shaped the contours of Republican administrations are being elbowed out in plain sight by a new breed of policy shops that are more closely aligned with Donald Trump's "America First" agenda.

The old guard were neoconservatives and free market devotees, espousing principles such as small government and fiscal prudence, and staffed by scholarly analysts who maintained a formal distance from the Republican Party.

Replacing them are economic nationalists and populists who regard the orthodox right-wing principles as deadweight and are combative defendants of Trump in the media.

Unquestionably at the top tier of think-tanks which have Trump's ears is the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), a congregation of Cabinet secretaries and other figures from his first term. They channel his agenda: restricting immigration, imposing tariffs and pushing for America's military superiority.

The AFPI is a newbie among policy shops, a three-year-old toddler compared with the other right-of-centre landmarks. The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) is 81 years old, the Heritage Foundation is 51, and Hoover all of 105.

Some of Trump's new appointees come from AFPI. Its chairperson Linda McMahon, the co-chair of Trump's transition team, is his pick for education secretary. Its president Brooke Rollins is his nominee for agriculture secretary. Ms Pam Bondi, chosen by Trump to be his attorney-general, has also worked closely with AFPI.

The other think-tank in Trump's orbit is American Compass, founded in 2020 as part of the "conservative labour movement" that advocates reshoring of supply chains, trade protectionism and labour policies with the purpose of boosting wages for American workers.

It won notice for a detailed road map for rescinding China's most-favoured-nation trade status and implementing a new tariff structure to reduce US dependence on Chinese imports.