NatCon Day 2: Meet the Power Players of the Trump Administration
Members of The Review were lucky enough to be invited to attend the 2025 National Conservatism Conference, or NatCon, in Washington D.C.
As the second of a three-part series, the following brief hopes to summarize the key takeaways of NatCon.
We heard from speakers within the Trump Administration, prominent intellectuals, and popular journalists. This is what happened on Day 2:
First, we heard from the opening speakers:
Kristen Waggoner (President of Alliance Defending Freedom)
Waggoner spoke about how we must fight global censorship and the imperative that holds in our society.
Dir. Russ Vought (Director of the Office of Management and Budget)
Director Vought explained his process of dismantling the bureaucracy from inside the Office of Management and Budget. With his team, he stated that he is heading the deconstruction of the administrative state after planning his return for four years.
Director Vought previously served in the same position in the first Trump administration (2021-2025). He claimed that his first tenure, gridlocked by entrenched bureaucratic opposition, inspired and informed his explosive strategy for his second tenure.
Tom Homan (White House Border Czar)
Homan spoke about the successes of immigration policy within Trump’s administration. He said that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under his leadership accomplished its goals of securing the border, conducting mass deportation operations, and finding missing children.
Amb. Jamieson Greer (United States Trade Representative)
Greer spoke on the importance of building an American First trade policy, shifting away from previous neoliberal and free trade doctrines. He supported the refinement of a production economy, arguing that its steady support of a middle class and hard work make it fit for a conservative society.
Albert Mohler (President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)
Mohler spoke about how the center truth of the Conservative Movement’s vision must be rooted in religion (Christianity) and morality.
We then broke into 3 panels:
“Politics Doesn’t Stop at the Water’s Edge”
Jeremy Carl (Chair)
Anna Wellisz
Paul Gottfried
Stefan Tompson
“Border Security and American Sovereignty”
Fr. Calvin Robinson (Chair)
Mark Krikorian
James Uthmeier
John Fonte
Auron Macintyre
“The Bible and American Renewal”
Don Sweeting (Chair)
Josh Hammer
Timon Cline
Chase Davis
William Wolfe
We attended “Politics Doesn’t Stop at the Water’s Edge”, where we heard about topics in foreign policy, like how the United States should prioritize building a closer relationship with a rising Poland, as Stefan Tompson, founder of Visegràd 24, argued. Other panelists warned about the prevalence of the “deep state” in foreign policy decision-making, touted regional alliance-building as a means against U.S. rivals, and contrasted interventionist and isolationist doctrines.
This panel illustrated another divide within the national conservative movement—this time featuring rivaling opinions upon a spectrum of isolationism to interventionism.
Then, we heard from the next panel of Plenary speakers:
Dir. Tulsi Gabbard (Director of National Intelligence)
Director Gabbard called for transparency from the intelligence community. She touted her record as the Director of National Intelligence, declassifying and releasing several vital documents and scandals.
She warned against the forces of deep state actors within the intelligence community, and how it must be dismantled in order to move forward as a movement.
Mike Benz (Executive Director of Foundation for Freedom Online)
Benz criticized censorship online and documented how he and his organization work to prevent it.
Mike Davis (Attorney and President of the Article III Project)
Davis argued that many U.S. courts, under the stewardship of “liberal” judges, are committing judicial sabotage. He called on the conservative movement to combat it by empowering the Supreme Court and the president.
Dir. Jay Bhattacharya (Director of the National Institutes of Health)
Director Bhattacharya spoke on the importance of free speech in science. Specifically, he talked about his experience during the Pandemic, when he stated that schools should not have been closed.
Breaking into panels again, we had the option to attend:
“The Trump Doctrine”
Daniel McCarthy (Chair)
Victoria Coates
Michael Brendan Dougherty
Arta Moeini
Kurt Schlichter
“Mobilizing Capital for National Renewal”
Ed Corrigan (Chair)
Austin Bishop
Ryan Williams
Nate Fischer
John Backiel
“Artist as Nation Builder”
Colin Moran (Chair and Speaker)
Jonathan Keeperman
Jacob Collins
Justin Shubow
We attended the “Mobilizing Capital for National Renewal” panel, where panelists discussed issues in domestic economic development. Nate Fischer, the CEO of New Founding, spoke on the importance of investing in and building American institutions in the Digital Age. Other panelists discussed the importance of capital as an enabler of conservative businesses and reindustrialization.
Notably, Ryan Williams, president of the Claremont Institute, shifted the conversation from financial capital to human capital, arguing that improvements in education must be made to invest in the workers of tomorrow.
Today was a star-studded day where we heard from several rising politicians in the Republican Party. From Gabbard to Homan, we received an inside look into the Trump Administration and its power players. After the day’s conclusion, the editorial board prepped for the final session, where we would hear from figures like Steve Bannon and Sen. Josh Hawley!
Disclaimer: All takeaways were gathered from on-the-record speeches made by the conference’s speakers.
About the Author
Luca Desanto is the Lead Campus Reporter for The Michigan Review. He is an undergraduate at the University of Michigan, an analyst at Ascent Consulting Group, and the Business Officer of Michigan Men's Rugby.
