This year, in celebration of William F. Buckley Jr.’s 100th birthday, we come together to honor his vision of a free and ordered society and to reflect on the enduring relevance of our shared values—past, present, and future. To launch the WFB100 centennial year, National Review Institute hosted the 2025 Ideas Summit and welcomed over 250 friends of National Review to Washington D.C. to discuss how we will advance American conservatism.
Videos from the Ideas Summit are available here.
Here are some highlights for the Ideas Summit panels.
Day 1:
NRI’s own Alexander Norton III sang the National Anthem
Welcome: Advancing American Conservatism: Rich Lowry remarked that the tension between populism and classical liberalism isn’t new. NR’s ideas, however, are “active elements changing our world as we speak.”
Rich Lowry opens the Ideas Summit
American Conservatism: Past, Present, and Future: Matthew Continetti said that the Republican Party is in the best shape it’s been in 100 years. The conservative agenda is robust, especially in the states. Things like abortion, gun rights, income tax, etc.
(L to R) Rich Lowry, Matthew Continetti, and Charles Kesler
The 2025 Political Landscape: Caroline Downey commented on legacy media: “Progressive media is hemorrhaging viewers. They can’t bank on the ‘resistance’ audience anymore.” Audrey Fahlberg remarked on her time with President Trump on Air Force One, noting Trump is far more accessible than Biden ever was. All panelists weighed in on who they thought the 2028 Democrat and Republican presidential candidates would be.
(L to R) Philip Klein, Audrey Fahlberg, Jim Geraghty, and Caroline Downey
China’s War for Indo-Pacific Dominance is Already Underway: Admiral Phil Davidson remarked that “Taiwan is not the endgame. The goal is to replace the U.S. as the world’s leading power.”
Thérèse Shaheen and Admiral Phil Davidson
Noah Rothman and Aayan Hirsi Ali on the clash of cultures
Conservative Roots: Personal Reflections from the Buckley-Bozell Media Legacy: Brent Bozell II and Frank Meyer were famous for their timeless debate on fusionism and the relationship between freedom and virtue. Though they had vicious disagreements, they were the best of friends.
Michael Brendan Dougherty and Brent Bozell III
Protecting Faith & Free Speech in a Secular Society: David Bahnsen overviewed the importance of the relationship between economic liberty and religious liberty. Rabbi Meir Soloveichik observed that only in the U.S. are citizens covenantal members of their country and their congregations, and Alliance Defending Freedom’s Kirsten Waggoner advocated for the inculcation of virtue through our mediating institutions such as the family.
(L to R) Carrie Severino, Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, Kristen Waggoner, and David Bahnsen
The Ongoing Perils of Communism with Elizabeth Spalding
Larry Perelman on his new book American Impresario about WFB
A special panel for students on breaking into journalism featuring (L to R) Haley Strack, Dominic Pino, Kayla Bartsch, and Caroline Downey
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp with Jim Geraghty at the James L. Buckley Dinner
A special live recording of The Editors Podcast
Day 2:
(L to R) Dominic Pino, Amity Shlaes, David Hahnsen, and Pat Toomey on the Case for Capitalism
The Price of Retreat: What Happens When America Steps Back from Global Leadership: Douglas Murray remarked, “The issue is, you want America to remain the world’s superpower, and you don’t want to be involved in the world. This is a problem.”
Charlie Cooke and Douglas Murray
Buckley’s Bold Critique: God and Man at Yale and the Battle for Academic Freedom: Michael Knowles said, “Harvard University is instituting a remedial math course because the creme de la creme of American students can’t do basic algebra… I think the buzzword of what we’re looking at moving forward is standards.”
Rich Lowry and Michael Knowles
A Conservative Vision for America: What the Nation Can Learn from Florida: Governor DeSantis remarked, “One of the things I do as a leader is I take it upon myself to protect Floridians from the pathologies of the Left. We don’t cede any ground to the Left.”
(L to R) Jim Geraghty, First Lady Casey DeSantis, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
The National Review Institute’s 2025 Ideas Summit was a phenomenal success! We hope you will join us at the Breakers in Palm Beach in November for a toast to Bill’s 100th and the continuing work of National Review. For more National Review Institute events, please click here.
In celebration of William F. Buckley’s Jr.’s centennial year, NRI has launched WFB100. This website hosts the latest on all things WFB: an extensive timeline of his life, articles from the NR archive, centennial events, an annotated bibliography, and special topical articles on key aspects of Bill’s legacy such as music, sailing, and the conservative movement. You should visit and return to WFB100 as the website will continue to feature the latest news and articles on all things related to Buckley’s centennial year. Check out NRI’s latest book, Knight Errant: the Enduring Legacy of William F. Buckley Jr., here.