Ronald Reagan biographer Craig Shirley referenced a recent interview, saying that Donald Trump may be ushering in a new form of conservatism as a guest today on Breitbart News Daily with Stephen K. Bannon.
Shirley adds that Trump is “kind of evolving on the road and that’s interesting to see as an historian. He hasn’t fully fleshed out his Republicanism, or his Conservatism. So, it remains to be seen what final permutation it’s going to take.”
Shirley said that he thinks Ted Cruz could likely reassemble the old so-called Reagan coalition to beat Hillary, while adding that Trump’s “developing” conservatism, which he termed “Trumpism” could likely also beat her and perhaps even more handily.
Shirley said Trump is not in the mold of a traditional populist Federalist type of Conservative. “He doesn’t talk about the individual as much as Reagan did, or say Ted Cruz does. But he does talk about things that are very interesting in terms of the 21st century.” In that sense, Shirley seemed to be suggesting it could be time for a “new” conservatism in line with where Trump appears to be heading.
Shirley recently authored “Last Act: The Final Years and Emerging Legacy of Ronald Reagan“.
The entire interview can be heard below.