Press Release
| Dear George, President Trump’s historic victory, sweeping every battleground state and winning the popular vote, reflects a strong resonance with the American people on the campaign’s core issues. The results provide a decisive mandate to address pressing national challenges. The Claremont Institute has long advocated for a return to the principles of the American Founding and the defense of the American way of life. Those principles and that way of life have been under siege by progressive ideology and policy from above and social erosion from below. President Trump, Vice President Vance, and this new administration have a golden opportunity to focus on the vital issues that will drive a constitutional restoration. The re-legitimizing of our elections by bringing order to processes and new secure infrastructure is a high priority. We must thoroughly investigate the anomalies and COVID-driven corruption of the 2020 election, the 2020 U.S. Census, and conduct a full audit of the 2024 election at all levels. The best time to call for a comprehensive examination of American elections is right after you win one decisively. The 2005 Baker-Carter Commission on U.S. elections could serve as a model. Many tens of millions of Americans don’t trust the fairness of national elections. Whatever their reasons, this strong current of public sentiment must not be ignored if we want to re-knit the social and civic fabric in America. Equally important is taming the unelected, out-of-control bureaucracy that intends to operate as a shadow government to undermine President Trump and the sworn constitutional duty to the American people he wishes to perform. There are many procedural changes to be made, but the quickest and easiest path to reform is reduction. We must focus on decommissioning the majority of the administrative state and re-constitutionalizing the rest. We have lived with an unconstitutional “4th branch” of government for nearly a century, to the detriment of the rights, lives, and livelihoods of rich and poor alike. Enough. There is a litany of abuses these bureaucrats and their apologists must answer for, but a good place to start is the gross overreach during the COVID-19 pandemic. We must evaluate how state and federal officials violated the rights of Americans, ran roughshod over the separation of powers, and did general violence to constitutional republicanism. Progressivism revealed its arrogant and brute force authoritarianism in those dark days and there should be no “moving on” until restitution has been made to the American people and a new transparency is gained into the functions of the administrative state. If this renewed Republican party desires to ensure future electoral success and safeguard the rights of Americans, the Trump administration must use this mandate to tackle immigration head-on. Rather than amnesty, comprehensive immigration reforms should prioritize the speedy return of illegal aliens to their countries of origin, a robust system of employer sanctions for illegal workers, and a 10-year “net-zero” policy of immigrant importation. In all this, we wish to secure liberty for ourselves and our posterity. Reviving federalism and constitutional self-government is our path to combating the current authoritarianism of the Left and protecting ourselves against potential future incursions. Reforming our state-level education programs is another key to achieving this goal and one to which Claremont is devoting significant institutional resources. President Trump’s mandate represents a critical moment in the fight to preserve America’s Founding principles and renew the promise that our forefathers saw in this great land almost 250 years ago. The road ahead will demand courage, clarity, and unwavering commitment to constitutional order, freedom, and the integrity of our Republic. The Claremont Institute has stood for the teaching, defense, and application of these principles for 45 years. We now stand ready to support this vision and work alongside all those committed to restoring America’s rightful course. The Claremont Institute stands ready to lead the restoration of the American way of life. With your support, we can make a lasting impact over the next four years and beyond. |
| Thank you for standing with us to protect the ideals we hold dear. With gratitude, |
| Ryan WilliamsPresident, The Claremont Institute |
| The mission of the Claremont Institute is to restore the principles of the American Founding to their rightful, preeminent authority in our national life. |
The views expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal Florida.
