Revealed: MAGA has a plan to outlive Trump

A controversial theory that states an “aristocracy” is needed to move the country forward is being pushed as the playbook for a post-President Donald Trump MAGA with tech-elites at the center of power, according to the Washington Post.

At the center of this theory is a lesser known "tech elite," Arizona insurance entrepreneur and conservative media Chris Buskirk, who according to the Post, "helms the Rockbridge Network, a secretive organization ... that has established itself as one of the most influential forces in GOP politics."

"With significant funding from tech leaders, Rockbridge aims to equip MAGA to outlive Trump," the Post explains.

The group is gearing up for the midterms and the 2028 presidential election, in which members "hope" Vice President JD Vance — a close ally of tech billionaire Peter Thiel — will be the Republican nominee.

Although Buskirk is much more low-key than Thiel and his more known billionaire buddies, his ties to the Trump world run deep, the Post explains.

1789 Capital, the venture capital firm Buskirk co-founded with investor Omeed Malik, focuses on what the partners call “patriotic capitalism” and now counts Donald Trump Jr. as a partner, the Post says, adding "the pair — along with administration officials and friends — recently launched Executive Branch, a $500,000-a-head membership club for Trump-supporting business leaders to hobnob in D.C."

While some see a direct contradiction to the notion of MAGA elite at the helm a populist movement, Buskirk, the Post says, argues they're "not in defiance of MAGA’s populism."

"Buskirk says the MAGA movement has energized a new generation of stewards for the country," the Post writes.

"His various projects echo what some on the right call 'aristopopulism' and aim to build a bridge between wealthy capitalists and the working-class people they intend to represent, according to interviews with Buskirk and nine other people in his inner circle, profitably reindustrializing the country and tying their interests to that of their base," the Post explains.

Buskirk explains it, saying, "You either have an extractive elite — an oligarchy — or you have a productive elite — an aristocracy — in every society."

And while Buskirk says he was initially skeptical of Trump as he emerged from reality television host to the presidency, "He’s actually been saying the same thing for 40 years! And that’s when I realized, okay, he’s for real. And the people that are saying he is not serious are lying.”

In his book "America and the Art of the Possible," Buskirk argues for "a proper elite that takes care of the country and governs it well so that everyone prospers.”

Oren Cass, chief economist of the conservative think tank American Compass, says that while some still view Trump’s support as “a cult of personality,” Buskirk helms a "powerful ecosystem" that now backs the MAGA movement.

“Chris is the convener of that ecosystem,” he tells the Post.

Malik agrees, telling the Post that Buskirk was “the first mover” to recognize that there were going to be thousands of well-off people who “no longer felt at home in the Democratic Party."

Vance, who became fast friends with Buskirk after being introduced by Thiel, also gave a rousing endorsement in a statement to the Post saying, he's an "original thinker” who saw “before almost anyone” how the “right combination of ideas, organizing and funding can ensure lasting political success for the Republican Party.”

Malik hosted a small fundraiser for Vance at a Palm Beach restaurant during his "long-shot bid" for public office in 2022. Following that, they went to Mar-a-Lago, where Buskirk was having a Rockbridge conference.

"The men spent the week bonding over their rage about what they viewed as online censorship and a feeling that innovation was being stymied in favor of liberal priorities such as sustainability and diversity initiatives," the Post writes.

Critics, however, see Buskirk's movement as "the rise of a group of unelected American oligarchs who are undermining Trump’s promises to benefit working people," the Post writes.

Michael Strain, director of economic policy studies at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute, says "the government’s job is to advance the prosperity of the nation and not the prosperity of wealthy individuals, founders, and executives.”

However, the Post says that interest in Buskirk's group has surged and "the vibe is euphoric."

"Several of the group’s members are billionaires; prominent investors Marc Andreessen and David Sacks are already members," they explain.

Richard Painter, a corporate law professor at the University of Minnesota who served as chief ethics lawyer in the George W. Bush White House, "said this influx of interest in Rockbridge, 1789 and Executive Branch, creates the appearance of a 'pay-to-play' network, of people who are paying to get access to administration officials or the Trump family."

Buskirk insists he knows what will make America actually great, telling the Post that American greatness will only be accomplished “by the intentional cultivation of talented, high-agency people working together in high-trust environments.”