Chris Buskirk interviewed Michael Anton ( link ) about his tenure in the Trump Administration. There are a number of interesting things in the interview. But toward the end they talk a bit about Anton’s opinion of Donald Trump. As opposed to the usual disillusionment we typically hear from former administration members Anton is extremely positive about his former boss. Here are the more important ones I gleaned from the audio interview.
“He was just right about the issues that mattered right now and that’s why I supported him.”
“I knew him reasonably well … wasn’t having dinner with him … was a staff guy … but was around him a lot over the course of fifteen, sixteen months.”
“Liked him enormously, respected him enormously … there is a patriotic core to him that burns very hot.”
“He’s in it for the right reason, is doing it for the right reason … he didn’t have to do any of this.”
“He’s governing as President almost purely out of love for this country.”
Both Buskirk and Anton were educated at Claremont-McKenna College and were pupils of Harry Jaffa who was associated with the Claremont Institute. I have found the people associated with the Claremont Institute to be extremely aware of what is currently at stake in our political situation and perceptive about the actual value of the various players on the political landscape.