Meet the far-right think tank chair spending millions to defeat 'the woke regime'

Founded by the late Harry V. Jaffa, a former speechwriter for then-Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-AZ) back in 1979, the Claremont Institute was once a very mainstream conservative think tank. But in recent years, Claremont has taken a far-right ultra-MAGA turn — repeatedly praising former President Donald Trump, promoting Christian nationalism and arguing that democracy and traditional conservatism have outlived their usefulness.

In 2021, Claremont's American Mind website published a controversial essay by senior fellow Glenn Ellmers, who wrote, "Most people living in the United States today — certainly more than half — are not Americans in any meaningful sense of the term." Ellmer's piece was slammed as dangerous and troubling by many Never Trump conservatives, including writers for The Bulwark.

Claremont remains fully committed to Trump and the MAGA agenda. In an article published Tuesday, The Guardian's Jason Wilson details Claremont Chairman's Thomas Klingenstein's activities as a GOP megadonor and his efforts to put Trump back in the White House.

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Klingenstein, according to Federal Election Commission figures reported by Wilson, has contributed more than $10 million to Republicans in 2024.

"Klingenstein has been one of Claremont's largest donors for decades," Wilson explains. "As the Institute has made its hard-right, pro-Trump drift in recent years, Klingenstein has continued to publicly describe U.S. politics with extremist rhetoric, calling it a 'cold civil war,' and has encouraged right-wingers to join the fight to defeat what he calls 'the woke regime.' His spending puts him at the forefront of a class of donors who are explicitly supporting more extreme and polarizing politics in Trump's Republican Party."

The Guardian reporter adds, "The largesse has already dwarfed his contributions in previous election seasons. The money has gone exclusively to Republicans, and has included seven-figure donations to at least four pro-Trump PACs in recent months."

Wilson notes, however, that Klingenstein's donations to the GOP in 2024 may be more than $10 million — as FEC data obtained by The Guardian only reflects donations made as of early July.

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"His heightened giving has coincided with Claremont's embrace of Trumpism, which writers — including Laura Field — have argued has transformed it from a respected conservative think tank into a propaganda juggernaut that envisions a radical remaking of the U.S. along far-right lines," Wilson warns. "The Guardian has reported extensively on the Claremont Institute's ties to radical far-right politics. Claremont's president is one of the senior figures there who are members of the shadowy Society for American Civic Renewal (SACR), an exclusive, men-only fraternal order which aims to replace the U.S. government with an authoritarian 'aligned regime.' Claremont has also provided direct funding for SACR."

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