Claremont Institute

The Claremont Institute is an American conservativethink tank based in Upland, California. It was founded in 1979 by four students of the Straussian political theorist Harry V. Jaffa. The institute publishes books and other periodicals and operates fellowship programs that have included prominent conservative figures. Ryan P. Williams has served as president since 2017, and Thomas D. Klingenstein has chaired the board of trustees since approximately 2010.

The institute became an early and influential defender of Donald Trump and has been described by The Daily Beast as having done more than any other organization to build a philosophical case for Trump's brand of conservatism. It played a significant role in the first Trump administration and received the National Humanities Medal from Trump in 2019. Following the 2020 presidential election, senior fellow John Eastman assisted Trump in trying to overturn the election results, including attempting to persuade Vice President Mike Pence to reject the electoral count, and he spoke at the January 6, 2021, rally preceding the Capitol attack.

The institute has attracted substantial criticism. Commentators have cited its fellowship grants to figures associated with conspiracy theories, essays questioning the citizenship eligibility of political figures, and publications by authors affiliated with far-right networks as evidence of its drift toward the political fringe.