Conversations with Bill Kristol

A senior editor at The Weekly Standard, Andrew Ferguson is one of America’s leading writers and journalists. In this Conversation, Ferguson reflects on his career, including his work on American politics and culture, his time as a speechwriter for President George H.W. Bush, and his start in journalism at the American Spectator. Ferguson and Kristol also discuss higher education, the state of the conservative movement, and the changing norms of our politics and culture from the early 1990s to the present.

National Review senior editor Jonah Goldberg discusses President-elect Donald Trump and how conservatives might think about their task during Trump’s presidency, in this, his second Conversation with Bill Kristol. Goldberg and Kristol also reflect on the state of liberalism and conservatism today, and consider some trends in the broader culture—e.g., political correctness, the rise of social media, celebrity politicians—and how they might affect the conservative movement in 2017 and beyond.

In his eleventh Conversation, Harvey Mansfield discusses Donald Trump's election and how political philosophy can inform our understanding of Trump. Mansfield and Kristol also discuss what Trump’s victory reveals about American politics and our parties.

Brookings Institution Senior Fellow William A. Galston shares his perspective on American politics today, including the factors that led to the election of Donald Trump, the state of our parties after his election, and the prospects for the Trump presidency. A former senior aide to President Clinton, Galston considers the significance of the 2016 elections for the Democrats and outlines potential conflicts between what he calls “pro-growth progressives” and “populist progressives” within the party. Galston also describes his work with President Clinton and reflects on Clinton’s political gifts.

In this brief and timely conversation, Elliott Abrams and Bill Kristol reflect on the dictatorship of Fidel Castro, its record of brutality and repression, and the romanticization of the Castro regime by certain figures of the Left. Abrams then considers how the Trump administration might take advantage of this opportunity to change American policy toward Cuba, for the benefit of the U.S. and for the Cuban people.