Pat Buchanan

Patrick Joseph Buchanan (born November 2, 1938) is an American paleoconservative author, political commentator, journalist, and perennial presidential candidate whose career has spanned more than six decades. Born in Washington, D.C., to a Catholic family with Irish, English, Scottish, German and Southern roots, Buchanan grew up surrounded by a large sibling crowd and a lineage that included Confederate veterans, a background he has often invoked in public speeches. He earned a B.A. in English from Georgetown University in 1960 and a master’s in journalism from Columbia University in 1962, where his thesis on Canada‑Cuba trade foreshadowed his early interest in foreign‑policy issues.

After graduating, Buchanan entered the newsroom of the St. Louis Globe‑Democrat, quickly rising to assistant editorial page editor and establishing himself as a vigorous defender of Barry Goldwater’s 1964 campaign. He moved into politics as an aide to Richard Nixon, where he coined the term “Silent Majority” and helped craft the president’s hard‑line anti‑communist rhetoric. Following Nixon’s resignation, he served briefly under Gerald Ford before being offered, and ultimately declining, an ambassadorship. In the 1980s he became White House Communications Director for Ronald Reagan (Feb 1985 – Mar 1987), shaping the administration’s messaging on religious liberty and cultural issues.

Buchanan’s media presence exploded through the 1990s with regular appearances on The McLaughlin Group, CNN’s Crossfire, and later on Fox News, where his confrontational style and staunch opposition to free trade, illegal immigration, and what he termed “globalist elites” earned him a loyal following. He co‑founded The American Conservative magazine in 2002 and contributed to a variety of right‑leaning publications. Politically, he ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 1992 and 1996, and as the Reform Party nominee in 2000, championing “disengagement” from international interventions and a return to traditional cultural values. His career has been marked by controversy, including accusations of anti‑Semitism, support for controversial figures, and outspoken critiques of U.S. foreign policy. Despite polarizing views, Buchanan remains a significant figure in the modern conservative movement, influencing later populist leaders and continuing to write and speak on American sovereignty and cultural identity.