Christopher Buskirk | |
|---|---|
 Buskirk at the 2021 Turning Point Action Student Action Summit | |
| Born | 1968or1969(age 56–57) |
| Alma mater | Claremont McKenna College |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for | 1789 Capital, Rockbridge Network |
| Children | 4 |
Christopher Buskirk is an American conservative media figure, writer, and venture capitalist. He is known for his connections to Donald Trump and the MAGA movement, including through Rockbridge Network and 1789 Capital, both of which he co-founded.
Burkirk was born in 1968 or 1969 to American parents on a military base in Germany. [1] He grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, and worked at his father's insurance businesses. [1] He studied political science and government at Claremont McKenna College, where he was an intern and Claremont Institute Publius Fellow. [1] [2] [3] [4] However, he did not receive his master's degree, instead beginning his career in finance. [1] [5]
During Buskirk's early career, he focused on creating several businesses. Among them was an investment firm called Buskirk Capital. [5] [6] He focused on this until around 2015, when he sold most of his businesses and began focusing on a career in political writing ahead of the 2016 elections. [1] [7]
Since 2015, Buskirk has written for American Compass , [8] The American Mind , [9] [10] Compact Magazine, [11] The Critic, [12] The Hill , [13] The New Criterion , [14] The Patriot-News, [15] The Spectator , [16] [17] The Telegraph , [18] USA Today , [19] and The Washington Post . [2] [20] He has been a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times since 2018. [21] [22] He has also been interviewed on Channel 4 News, [23] The Charlie Kirk Show, [24] [25] Grand Canyon Times, [26] Conservative Conversations (a podcast by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute), [27] Economic War Room, [28] Maganomics (posted by the Donald Trump YouTube channel), [29] NPR , [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] and the Salem News Channel . [35] He has contributed to PBS News Hour and Fox News , [2] [36] [37] [38] including a Fox News podcast called The Positive Populist. [39] Most of his articles are opinion pieces about American conservative politics, and he has served as an expert on the American political landscape in relation to Donald Trump. [40]
In early 2016, Buskirk established a blog called American Greatness with the intent to provide an alternative to "legacy conservative media." [41] He has been editor and publisher since its inception. [2] [22] The site has been called "Trumpist", [42] and Media Matters has characterized American Greatness as "far-right and nationalist" and criticized Buskirk for platforming white nationalists through his shows and publications. [43]
Buskirk is the author of multiple books, published through conservative publishing companies like Encounter Books and Regnery Publishing. He wrote Trump vs. The Leviathan (2018) [44] and America and the Art of the Possible (2023), [2] and he co-authored American Greatness: How Conservatism, Inc. Missed the 2016 Election & What the Establishment Needs to Learn (2017) [2] [45] and Blinders: How the Experts Missed the Biggest Election Upset in American History (2017). [46]
He hosts a podcast called Downstream Politics, [47] had an AM radio show with Seth Leibsohn, and ran a podcast called The Chris Buskirk Show, hosting guests like JD Vance and Roger Kimball. [48] [49] [50] He has spoken at the Aspen Ideas Festival, [2] [51] at Turning Point USA events, [7] [52] and at the 2019 and 2021 National Conservatism Conference, [4] [53] and attended a dinner with Jair Bolsonaro when he was president of Brazil. [43] [54] [55]
In 2019, Buskirk and JD Vance co-founded the Rockbridge Network, which helped fund Trump's presidential campaign and ran get-out-the-vote operations for the 2024 presidential election. [56] [57] [58]
In 2022, Buskirk co-founded conservative venture capital firm 1789 Capital with Omeed Malik and Rebekah Mercer. [59] Buskirk currently serves as CIO of the firm. [60]
In 2025, Buskirk and several business associates became co-founders of the Executive Branch, a MAGA-aligned club in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. [61] [62] [63] [64]
Buskirk describes himself as a conservative and has published numerous articles in support of Donald Trump and the MAGA conservative movement. [17] He once defined American conservatism as "the belief that human nature is immutable, is knowable in its most important distinctiveness, that legitimate government exists to secure the life and property of its citizens, to protect the family, the church, and to enable them to exercise authority within their rightful domains." [65] He has stated that he believes conservative government should center around "government, family, [and] church", which he describes as "the pillars of civilization." [65] He often intertwines his religion (Presbyterian) and his political views, and he has connections with the Christian Dominionism movement, which leads to some labeling him a "TheoBro". [66] [67] One of these connections is through American Reformer, where he is a member of the board. [68] [66] [69]
Buskirk has spoken in support of Bitcoin, characterizing it as an "apolitical network" that can be used to solve problems with the economy. [70]
Buskirk and his wife, Gina Buskirk, live in Paradise Valley, Arizona. [71] [72] They have four children. [1] [73] In 2010, the Buskirks co-founded a Scottsdale, Arizona-based prepared food business called Gina's Homemade. [73] [74] [75] [76] [77] The business specialized in Italian cuisine, especially cheeses and cakes, based on recipes from Gina's family. [78] [79] Gina's Homemade became Gina At Home in 2014 and sold goods to restaurants and retailers, including Whole Foods Market. [74] [76]
Buskirk has said that he is Presbyterian and attends a Presbyterian church. [80] [81] [82]
He is a confidant of Peter Thiel. [83]