Who decides what makes someone a conservative?
The Republican Party? Fox News? Donald Trump? I say none of them.
Conservatism is bigger than any party, politician, or media personality. Yet some voices in the movement have appointed themselves its gatekeepers.
You’ve heard the lines.
Disagree on foreign policy? You’re not a real conservative.
Support tariffs over free trade? You’re abandoning conservative principles.
Question the Republican establishment? You’re a populist, not a conservative.
Who gave them that authority?
Conservatism has never been a single set of beliefs. Like liberalism, it is a family of views. They often clash.
That is why America First populism deserves a place within conservatism. Its emphasis on national sovereignty, economic independence, and restraint abroad isn't a rejection of conservative principles. In many respects, it's a return to ideas that were part of American conservatism long before Trump entered politics.
A Broad Tradition
At its core, conservatism is about preserving the principles, traditions, and institutions that sustain a society. For American conservatives, those often include constitutional government, individual liberty, family, faith, personal responsibility, national sovereignty, and respect for the rule of law.
They just don’t agree on which principles come first.
A libertarian wants government out of the economy. A traditionalist wants it to protect cultural values. A neoconservative may favor military intervention overseas. An America First populist may oppose it.
All of them sit inside the tradition. Why treat America First populists differently?
Take tariffs. One conservative believes free trade creates the greatest prosperity. Another believes protecting American manufacturing is key to economic independence.
The question isn't whether government should always do more or always do less, but whether its actions are consistent with constitutional limits and the long-term interests of the nation.
We should debate which approach works, not who gets to call themselves conservative.
Older Than Trump
Some people think Trump invented America First. He didn’t. He just brought the ideas back into the forefront of Republican politics.
In the 1800s, Republicans such as Abraham Lincoln backed protective tariffs to encourage American industry.
Senator Robert A. Taft of Ohio, a leading Republican conservative of the mid-1900s, warned against large overseas military commitments. He also warned that they could expand federal power at home.
Today, America First populists ask similar questions. Why should taxpayers finance military commitments around the world? Why risk American lives in conflicts that don’t clearly serve our national interests?
These questions have roots in conservative thought. The movement today is not a copy of the old one. Not every policy tied to it is conservative. But many of its priorities aren't new at all. They're ideas that have been part of American political thought for generations.
Reform Is Not Betrayal
Conservatives preserve institutions. But what if an institution stops serving the principles it was built to protect? What if an institution isn't working for We the People?
If it becomes bloated and unaccountable, demanding reform doesn’t make you less conservative. Sometimes reform is how you preserve what the institution was meant to protect.
The same goes for the Republican Party. The party is a political organization. Conservatism is a philosophy. They overlap, but they’re not the same thing. Too many people forget that.
For decades, certain views on trade, foreign intervention, and globalization have been closely associated with mainstream conservatism. What if those policies aren’t delivering what Americans were promised?
Free trade still has serious defenders on the right. Others have watched their own communities change and want a different approach. Both are making conservative arguments, and both say they are fighting for what is best for the American people.
Should conservatives be barred from questioning these policies? No. Defending conservative principles shouldn’t mean defending every policy that carries the conservative label.
Populism Alone Isn’t Conservative
Populism, at its core, sets ordinary citizens against powerful or disconnected elites. It exists on both the left and the right, so the label alone doesn’t make it conservative. The principles behind it are what count.
If America First populists advocate for national sovereignty, constitutional government, accountable leadership, and stronger communities, why should they be shut out of conservatism? They shouldn’t.
But they don’t get a free pass. If someone claims to defend the Constitution while backing violations of constitutional rights, they deserve criticism. If someone demands accountability but excuses abuses of power by a favorite politician, that’s a problem. The same standards apply to establishment conservatives.
Conservatism should be about principles, not personalities.
No Gatekeepers
America First populism doesn't have to agree with every position of the Republican establishment to be conservative. Its commitment to national sovereignty, economic independence, constitutional government, and a restrained foreign policy has roots that predate Donald Trump.
Conservatives should debate whether these policies work, whether they uphold our principles, and whether they serve the American people. But disagreement alone doesn't give anyone the authority to declare an entire movement outside the conservative tradition.
So who decides what makes someone conservative?
Not Fox News. Not the Republican establishment. Not Donald Trump.
Conservatism is bigger than any one faction, and America First populism deserves its place within that tradition.