The Heritage Foundation, long hailed as the powerhouse of conservative policy in Washington, just lost nearly its entire legal and economic teams in one fell swoop. Over a dozen key staffers packed up and headed straight to Advancing American Freedom, the outfit run by former Vice President Mike Pence.
It’s an outright rebellion against the direction Heritage has taken under President Kevin Roberts. And it’s a very good thing for Heritage and for America.
What sparked the mass departure? On the surface, it’s tied to Roberts’ October decision to stand by Tucker Carlson after Carlson hosted Nick Fuentes, a figure known for ugly views on history and race. Roberts declared, “The Heritage Foundation didn’t become the intellectual backbone of the conservative movement by canceling our own people or policing the consciences of Christians, and we won’t start doing that now.”
He later apologized, but the damage lingered, with board members resigning and critics piling on.
Yet dig a little deeper, and the real story emerges. These departing experts—folks steeped in traditional free-trade economics and global engagement—have chafed for years as Heritage shifted toward the America First agenda. Roberts has steered the think tank to embrace tariffs, push back against endless foreign entanglements, and focus on rebuilding the industrial heartland that global deals left behind. Project 2025, Heritage’s blueprint that shaped much of President Trump’s current administration, reflected that populist turn.
The staffers jumping ship prefer the old ways: open markets that flood America with cheap imports, even if it hollows out factories in Ohio and Pennsylvania. They align with Pence’s group, which remains staunchly anti-tariff and committed to the pre-Trump GOP playbook. Pence himself has said these newcomers fled what he calls “big-government populism” and any tolerance for fringe voices. But voters spoke loud and clear in recent elections—they want policies that put American workers and communities first, not endless trade deals that benefit multinational corporations.
Heritage isn’t crumbling; it’s refining itself. Roberts quickly named replacements, like promoting Jay Richards and bringing in fresh talent committed to the mission. The foundation continues hiring fighters, such as Tiffany Justice from Moms for Liberty, who stand for parents and families against woke bureaucracies. This purge clears out those who never fully bought into the movement that elected Trump twice.
Look at the bigger picture: the Republican Party has changed. The base demands leaders who fight for secure borders, fair trade that protects jobs, and a foreign policy that doesn’t drain treasure overseas. The exodus to Pence’s shop reveals who still clings to the establishment line—the one that gave us decades of stagnant wages for the working class while elites profited.
Some whisper that powerful donors, uncomfortable with the new direction, pulled funding and encouraged the walkout. Others point to jockeying for influence in a post-Trump era, with 2028 already looming. Whatever the backstage maneuvers, the result is clear: Heritage emerges leaner, more aligned with the grassroots energy that redefined conservatism.
American families face real struggles—closed plants, opioid-ravaged towns, military shipped off to distant lands. They don’t need more lectures on the virtues of globalism from think-tank veterans. They need action that revives Main Street and honors the dignity of work. Heritage, under Roberts, chooses that path.
In the end, this shake-up proves the populist wave isn’t fading—it’s forcing the holdouts to find their own corner. The future belongs to those who listen to the people, not the donors in corner offices. Heritage stands ready to lead there, unapologetically.
JD Rucker discussed this much more on the latest episode of The JD Rucker Show.
