American Greatness is a right-of-center news and opinion website aligned with populist or nationalist conservatism. The outlet emerged in 2016 when Donald Trump won the Republican presidential nomination and says it is not tied to any candidate or party. It accuses the pre-2016 conservative movement of having lost its way on issues such as immigration, trade, and foreign policy. ¹

Background

American Greatness is a nationalist conservative news and opinion website established in 2016. It claims to be the “voice of the next generation of American Conservatism,” claiming the American conservative movement has “lost its way.” ^{2 3}

The American Greatness website claims to receive about 2.4 million visits per month. ⁴

The editors of the website wrote a declaration of their independence from the conservative movement in July 2016, claiming to represent the next generation of American conservatism. They declared the movement cannot attempt to relive the politics of 40 years ago. ⁵

The American Greatness editors wrote the outlet is not affiliated with the Journal for American Greatness but says the defunct publication was its inspiration. ⁶

Principles

American Greatness describes its “Greatness Agenda” as focusing on prioritizing American interest above all else, particularly on policy matters of immigration, international trade, and foreign policy and national security matters. ⁷

In its founding editorial in July 2016, American Greatness accused the conservative movement of “intellectual stagnation and a tiresome policy orthodoxy” with too much focus on the word “conservative” and too little on “America.” ⁸

While the outlet’s name sounds similar to the “Make America Great Again” slogan of former President Donald Trump, the American Greatness editors asserted, “We are not political partisans” and “we can be neither vindicated nor embarrassed by the personal successes or failures of any candidate or collection of them in this or any other election year.” ⁹

Commentary and Reporting

After Donald Trump lost his 2020 re-election bid, American Greatness assistant editor Pedro Gonzalez said the 45^th president strayed from the populism that got him elected in 2016 and that by the end of his presidency had governed like an establishment Republican. ¹⁰

In 2021, the website published an unsubstantiated story based on anonymous sourcing alleging that South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) was having an extramarital affair with former Trump campaign advisor Corey Lewandowski. ¹¹ Noem denied the claims, for which other journalists had found no solid evidence. ¹²

American Greatness published articles challenging the mainstream media’s account of the January 6, 2021, riot in which Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to prevent the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 Electoral College win. ¹³ One article raised questions about whether an FBI sting operation played a role in the riot. ¹⁴ The outlet has also covered the alleged mistreatment of prisoners charged with crimes allegedly related to the riot. ¹⁵

Leadership

Chris Buskirk is the publisher and editor of American Greatness. He has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, The Spectator, USA Today, the Hill, and the New Criterion. Buskirk has also been a contributor to Fox News, NPR’s Morning Edition, the PBS Newshour, and MSNBC. He is the author of Trump vs. The Leviathan and co-author of American Greatness: How Conservatism, Inc. Missed the 2016 Election & What the Establishment Needs to Learn. ¹⁶

Ben Boychuck is the managing editor of American Greatness. Boychuck is a former columnist for the Sacramento Bee and Tribune Media and has also written for City Journal, Investor’s Business Daily, the Riverside Press-Enterprise in California, and the Claremont Review of Books. ¹⁷

Julie Ponzi is a senior editor for American Greatness. She was previously director of academic programs at the Claremont Institute and taught American politics at Azusa Pacific University. She has written for the Claremont Review of Books, the Online Library of Law and Liberty, the Columbus Dispatch, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and the Washington Times. ¹⁸

1. The Editors. “Our Declaration of Independence from the Conservative Movement.” American Greatness. July 21, 2016. https://amgreatness.com/2016/07/21/declaration-independence-conservative-movement/
2. The Editors. “Our Declaration of Independence from the Conservative Movement.” American Greatness. July 21, 2016. https://amgreatness.com/2016/07/21/declaration-independence-conservative-movement/
3. Polumbo, Brad. “American Greatness smears South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem with anonymous sources and no evidence.” Washington Examiner. September 30, 2021. Accessed October 22, 2021. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/american-greatness-smears-south-dakota-gov-kristi-noem-with-anonymous-sources-and-no-evidence
4. “American Greatness.” Ad Fontes Media. Accessed October 22, 2021. https://adfontesmedia.com/american-greatness-bias-and-reliability/
5. The Editors. “Our Declaration of Independence from the Conservative Movement.” American Greatness. July 21, 2016. https://amgreatness.com/2016/07/21/declaration-independence-conservative-movement/
6. The Editors. “Our Declaration of Independence from the Conservative Movement.” American Greatness. July 21, 2016. https://amgreatness.com/2016/07/21/declaration-independence-conservative-movement/
7. The Editors. “Our Declaration of Independence from the Conservative Movement.” American Greatness. July 21, 2016. https://amgreatness.com/2016/07/21/declaration-independence-conservative-movement/
8. The Editors. “Our Declaration of Independence from the Conservative Movement.” American Greatness. July 21, 2016. https://amgreatness.com/2016/07/21/declaration-independence-conservative-movement/
9. The Editors. “Our Declaration of Independence from the Conservative Movement.” American Greatness. July 21, 2016. https://amgreatness.com/2016/07/21/declaration-independence-conservative-movement/
10. “American Greatness editor on how Trump’s abandonment of populism affected 2020 election.” The Rising. The Hill TV. December 3, 2020. Accessed October 22, 2021. https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/528623-american-greatness-editor-on-how-trump-abandonment-of-populism-affected-2020
11. Polumbo, Brad. “American Greatness smears South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem with anonymous sources and no evidence.” Washington Examiner. September 30, 2021. Accessed October 22, 2021. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/american-greatness-smears-south-dakota-gov-kristi-noem-with-anonymous-sources-and-no-evidence
12. Fugleberg, Jeremy. “Fugleberg: How the Noem-Lewandowski Rumors Became News.” Bemidji Pioneer. Bemidji Pioneer, October 8, 2021. https://www.bemidjipioneer.com/opinion/columns/7228445-Fugleberg-How-the-Noem-Lewandowski-rumors-became-news.
13. Kelly, Julie. “New Capitol Video Contradicts Justice Department, Media Narrative on January 6.” American Greatness. October 18, 2021. Accessed October 22, 2021. https://amgreatness.com/2021/10/18/new-capitol-video-contradicts-justice-department-media-narrative-on-january-6/
14. Kelly, Julie. “Was January 6 Part of the FBI’s ‘Operation Cold Snap’?” American Greatness. October 14, 2021. Accessed October 22, 2021. https://amgreatness.com/2021/10/14/was-january-6-part-of-the-fbis-operation-cold-snap/
15. Kelly, Julie. “Federal Judge Finds DC Jail Officials in Contempt, Demands Civil Rights Inquiry.” American Greatness. October 13, 2021. Accessed October 22, 2021. https://amgreatness.com/2021/10/13/federal-judge-finds-dc-jail-officials-in-contempt-demands-civil-rights-inquiry/
16. “Meet the Team.” American Greatness. Accessed October 22, 2021. https://amgreatness.com/meet-the-team/
17. “Meet the Team.” American Greatness. Accessed October 22, 2021. https://amgreatness.com/meet-the-team/
18. “Meet the Team.” American Greatness. Accessed October 22, 2021. https://amgreatness.com/meet-the-team/