Some conservative academics hope to install an authoritarian “Red Caesar” as the country’s leader — at least, according to The Guardian.
In a recent article for The Guardian, Jason Wilson claimed Hillsdale College associate professor of politics Kevin Slack and lecturer in politics Michael Anton were pushing a “far-right dictatorship” under the guise of “Red Caesarism.” This is blatantly false.
The Constitution, Republicanism, and Red Caesar
“I nowhere called for it,” Anton said in a phone interview. “I favor constitutional government. I favor the original Constitution. I favor what the founders gave us.”
Anton, a senior fellow at the Claremont Institute and former official in President Donald Trump’s administration, said he came up with the term “Red Caesarism” in his 2020 book The Stakes: America at the Point of No Return. He said he wrote on the idea while speculating about the consequences of continuously poor governance, though he ultimately supports republican government.
“I would strongly prefer we protect that and continue to preserve that. But you can’t assume just because you want something that you’re going to get it,” Anton said. “People on the left and in the ruling elite more generally are taking the United States in very dangerous directions.”
Anton said “Caesarism” was only one of seven possible future scenarios — eight including the continuation of current trends — about which he speculated in his book. And “Red Caesarism” is only one form of “Caesarism.” While he described these possibilities, he refrained from making predictions or endorsements.
