But whether those who contributed to the presidential campaigns will achieve the policies they sought to advance will be determined as it always has been—in the daily work of grassroots advocates across the globe who toil between elections to influence their neighbors, their neighborhoods, and ultimately their nations.
Hundreds of philosophically inspired nonprofit organizations will work in the months and years ahead to advance or block parts of the Trump administration’s new agenda. Their work is a reminder that being an engaged citizen does not begin or end with political campaigns. Their continuous advocacy and activism in the long-term “battle of ideas” is what actually shapes each nation’s economic—and therefore political—future.
As a libertarian-leaning classical liberal, I see an opportunity in our present moment to focus on how downsizing big government and returning to fiscal responsibility can bring peace and prosperity. But we also must face the threat of those who seek to advance economic nationalism. Historically, it has been the wrong move to trust governments to punish some economic actors through tariffs while rewarding others through subsidies.
While the incoming administration rattles its saber-threatening tariffs, classical liberals need to answer this populist cry with a reminder—anchored in sound economic principles and rigorous research—that a level economic playing field, with the government playing only the smallest of roles, should be our ideal. Adam Smith got it right nearly 250 years ago when he advocated for “the obvious and simple system of natural liberty” that tends to create prosperity when the government provides only “peace, easy taxes, and a tolerable administration of justice.”
To this end, I’m proud to cheer on nearly 600 think tanks around the world that are aligned with Smith’s worldview. Last month, a wide cross-section of these organizations gathered in New York City to discuss their work here in the United States but also in countries such as Argentina, India, and Ukraine.
These organizations operate independently and flourish because of private philanthropy—not taxpayer dollars. Each of these groups works to change the Overton Window (what is considered “politically feasible”) in the direction of limiting government and trusting free people and a voluntary society. For instance, the reform agenda of President Javier Milei in Argentina would be unthinkable but for Argentine academics such as Alberto Benegas Lynch and think tanks such as Instituto Libertad y Progreso, which kept classical liberal concepts alive during the dark days of Peronism.
When you consider the size, funding, and effectiveness of these organizations compared with the big-government or outright totalitarian forces they are aligned against, they are clearly punching above their weight class. The international community of pro-liberty think tanks has a combined budget of about $850 million and a combined staff of roughly 4,200 people. About one-third of them reside in the United States, with others admirably bringing free-market ideas where they are even more desperately needed—Burundi, Lebanon, and Venezuela among them. If even a fraction of the $11 billion spent on political advertising this election cycle were directed their way, the worldwide effects of such an investment would be transformative for those working daily to advance economic and political freedom.
Too many Americans are engaged only in politics—only in four-year cycles—and spend the intervening years shaking their heads at cable news reports and TikTok posts. They fail to recognize that the battle of ideas never stops. Thomas Jefferson was right when he warned that “the natural progress of things is for liberty to yield, and government to gain ground.”
Those who understand the vital need for individual liberty and the value of peaceful exchanges among free people must stop confining their hopes to presidential election outcomes. There is a world of opportunity out there—or, at least, there could be with more support.