Yesterday, I posted about “Red Caesar” – a far-right thought that advocates for an authoritarian leader who would rule outside constitutional norms. This ideology proposes a strongman political solution to perceived systemic problems in the United States, specifically targeting what proponents see as “deep state” dysfunction.
Former Trump national security advisor Michael Anton, in his book “The Stakes: America at the Point of No Return,” weighed the possibility that civic decay might bring us to the point in the cycle of regimes at which an authoritarian leader, like Augustus Caesar, could seize the reins of power.
In the Claremont Institute’s American Mind, Casey Wheatland wrote, “Any sober observer who has not decided against the possibility in advance will acknowledge that rule by strongman is one eminently possible outcome of our current downward trajectory.”
He added, “All this talk about Red Caesar has been spurred by the fact that republican, constitutional government has already been eroded if not entirely discarded.
Wheatland, a Claremont fellow and associate professor at New College of Florida, argued, “Far from being anti-American autocrats, then, those on the Right who raise the possibility of a Red Caesar are working in the same intellectual tradition as our founding fathers, who recognized that a republic lacking virtue and the rule of law will not long endure.”
IMPORTANT CONNECTIONS
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ pick to be the new chair of the University of West Florida, Scott Yenor, is closely tied to the Claremont. The Boise State professor has written 41 articles for American Mind. Yenor is also a Washington Fellow at The Claremont Institute’s Center for the American Way of Life.
- Wheatland was hired at New College in the fall of 2024, about 15 months after DeSantis’ board appointees began to remake the small liberal college into the Hillsdale College of the South.
DIG DEEPER
Key Characteristics of Red Caesar:
– Inspired by Julius Caesar’s autocratic leadership model
– Seeks a post-Constitutional leader who can “restore the strength of his people”
– Primarily discussed in right-wing intellectual circles, especially those associated with the Claremont Institute
Proponents argue that traditional democratic processes have failed and only an authoritarian leader can address complex societal challenges. The concept reflects a growing disillusionment with democratic institutions among SACR and other segments of the American right wing.
Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash
NOTE: We have been notified by the attorney for the Claremont Institute. Ryan Williams of Claremont and Yenor are not co-founders of SACR, and Michael Anton is not involved in “any way shape or form.” We deleted that reference from the post.
However, documents do show that Yenor was listed in the Articles of Incorporation as a member of the Board of Directors for the Boise/Meridian chapter of SACR. SACR Meridian Articles of Incorporation.