National Review

U.S. right (establishment/traditional conservative)

Background

Founded in 1955 by William F. Buckley Jr., National Review became the flagship publication of postwar American conservatism, shaping the movement's intellectual identity and famously working to marginalize fringe elements like the John Birch Society and antisemitic factions within the right. In 2015 it reorganized so that National Review, Inc. became a wholly owned nonprofit subsidiary of the National Review Institute, ending its for-profit structure. Rich Lowry has served as editor in chief for decades, continuing the magazine's traditional fusionist conservatism (free markets, limited government, strong national defense, social conservatism). During Trump's first term, National Review took a notably skeptical, sometimes hostile editorial stance (its 2016 'Against Trump' special issue was a landmark break with him), though many individual writers later became more supportive as Trump reshaped the GOP. In his second term, the magazine's coverage is more mixed: it backs many administration policy goals, especially on immigration and deregulation, while criticizing specific actions it views as fiscally irresponsible or threatening to institutional norms, such as press-access restrictions. It remains a leading voice of institutional, ideas-driven conservatism rather than a populist or Trump-loyalist outlet.

Sources

1. National Review Institute - About
2. National Review Institute - Influence Watch
3. National Review (Opinion) Media Bias | AllSides
4. National Review - Bias and Credibility - Media Bias/Fact Check
5. Trump Should Rescind White House Press Ban | National Review

Profile compiled 2026-09-24; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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