Know Your Enemy From Neocon to Never-Trump (w/ Bill Kristol)
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Mar 23, 2026 
Bill Kristol, editor-at-large and founder of The Bulwark and former Weekly Standard leader, reflects on his shift from neoconservative insider to small‑l liberal Never-Trump critic. He discusses neoconservatism's origins, debates over Iraq and Straussian influence, the rise of Trumpism, failures of the conservative movement to contain populism, and his views on regime change and recent Iran policy.
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How The Weekly Standard Exposed Conservative Splits
- Founding The Weekly Standard revealed early differences between neoconservatives and other conservatives after debates over interventions like the Balkans.
- Kristol recalls losing subscribers when the paper defended Clinton's intervention, showing a practical split with social-conservative readers.
The Cold War Kept The Right United
- The Cold War united a diverse American right and suppressed long-standing isolationist and nativist strains.
- With the Soviet threat gone, those fissures re-emerged and reshaped post-Cold War conservatism into competing internationalist and nativist currents.
Neoconservatism As Reaction To The New Left
- Kristol traces his neoconservative roots to reacting against the New Left, not traditional Southern conservatism.
- He emphasizes sympathy for immigrants, Israel, and liberal democratic ideals as formative influences.
