America First Policy Institute (AFPI) is a right-of-center policy think-tank and advocacy organization founded in 2021 by Brooke Rollins and Larry Kudlow, former advisors to President Donald Trump. ¹ The organization develops and promotes right-leaning policy on a broad range of topics.

Background

The America First Policy Institute supports policies of the Trump administration such as prioritizing American interests in foreign policy, promoting free enterprise, and pushing American military superiority. ²

The organization, which started in March 2021, was set to have 35 employees upon launch with a first year budget of $20 million. AFPI President Brooke Rollins has said she expects the budget will double to $40 million by 2022. ³

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, the 45^th president’s daughter and son-in-law who served the Trump administration as advisors, are reportedly advisers to the organizations. ⁴

The AFPI was opened in Arlington, Virginia, and reportedly plans to move to a location near Capitol Hill. ⁵

Leadership

Linda McMahon is the chairwoman of the board for AFPI. She served as Administrator of the Small Business Administration in the Trump administration. She was previously the president and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment. ⁶

Larry Kudlow is the vice chairman of the board of AFPI. He is also the chairman of AFPI’s Center for American Prosperity. He worked in the Trump White House as the director of the National Economic Council. After serving in the White House, he became host of “Kudlow” on Fox Business Channel and “The Larry Kudlow Show” on WABC Talk Radio. Kudlow was the associate director of the Office of Management and Budget during the Reagan administration. ⁷

Brooke Rollins is the president and CEO of AFPI. Formerly the director of the Domestic Policy Council in the Trump White House, she previously ran the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and was at one point the policy director for former Texas Governor Rick Perry (R). ⁸

Doug Hoelscher is AFPI’s chief operating officer. He was previously the director of intergovernmental affairs at the Trump White House. Before that, he was the director of the Iowa Office of State-Federal Relations. He also previously worked in the George W. Bush White House and worked in the Department of Homeland Security. ⁹

Other Trump administration and campaign alumni, such as former Energy Secretary Rick Perry; former Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf; former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe; retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, the former national security adviser for Vice President Mike Pence; former Trump White House spiritual adviser Paula White-Cain; and former NFL player and Trump campaign surrogate Jack Brewer have positions in the AFPI as well. ¹⁰

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6. “About.” America First Policy Institute. Accessed June 11, 2021. https://americafirstpolicy.com/about/
7. “About.” America First Policy Institute. Accessed June 11, 2021. https://americafirstpolicy.com/about/
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