Legacy Media Targets Claremont

Dear Friend,

The media doesn’t attack organizations that don’t matter.

As 2025 draws to a close, one fact is undeniable: the escalating media attacks against The Claremont Institute prove we're over the target. Claremont is challenging the progressive establishment where it has entrenched itself most deeply—in ideas, in policy, and in power. The response has been predictable.

In recent years, we have weathered more than 70 coordinated hit pieces from legacy media outlets determined to stop us.

Publications like The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and Slate have made Claremont a constant target for one reason: our work is shaping the direction of the county.

Let them rage. Their fury is proof of our effectiveness.

WHY THEY ATTACK

The first wave of media outrage erupted after Michael Anton’s "Flight 93 Election" essay—a defining moment in the realignment of the conservative movement.

A straight line runs from those early attacks to today.

Most recently, the Left erupted again over Vice President JD Vance’s Statesmanship Award remarks at our 2025 gala. Their outrage had little to do with rhetoric — and everything to do with power. 

They attack because Claremont is shaping:

• The ideas driving the movement
• The policies guiding the administration
• The personnel executing national renewal

Nothing threatens the Left’s institutional control more than a leadership pipeline capable of dismantling it.

PROOF OF EFFECTIVENESS

These attacks are not a liability.

They are confirmation of Claremont's growing influence.

Through our fellowships—Publius, Lincoln, John Marshall, Speechwriters, and Sheriffs—we are training leaders who now shape national policy on:

• Border security
• Higher education reform
• Foreign policy
• Administrative state overhaul
• Constitutional restoration

The Left lashes out because Claremont-trained leaders are dismantling the power structures it depends on — not in theory, but in practice.

THE STAKES AHEAD

As we approach 2026—America’s 250th year—the stakes could not be higher.

Your year-end support ensures that Claremont can advance this work, withstand the attacks, and press forward without hesitation.

The media will continue to smear us.

We will continue to win.

Stand with us before the year ends. Help secure the future of the America we cherish.

With gratitude,

Ryan P. Williams

President, The Claremont Institute

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