registration closed —Wednesday, Dec. 17

William F. Buckley’s conservative revolution and the rise of Trump

 The Silurians Press Club guest speaker for its Dec. 17 luncheon is Sam Tanenhaus, celebrated author of Buckley: The Life and Revolution That Changed America,  the widely praised biography of William F. Buckley Jr.

Tanenhaus will offer insights on how Buckley’s influence transformed political discourse and helped lead to the turbulent politics of today. 

"...in important respects Mr. Trump is heir to Mr. Buckley. A self-described 'radical conservative' and 'counterrevolutionary,' Mr. Buckley had an appetite for disruption quite like Mr. Trump’s..."— Sam Tanenhaus, Opinion,

New York Times, June 1, 2025

Tanenhaus' biography vividly captures Buckley all his facets and phases. He also has uncovered the darker trail of Bill Buckley’s many exploits...

Tanenhaus will be in conversation with  John Avlon, podcaster, former CNN anchor, Daily Beast editor, and former Democratic congressional candidate.

Book cover: Buckley biography, author Sam Tanenhaus. Photo of man on right.

Ten years before his death in 2008, Buckley chose Sam Tanenhaus to tell the full uncensored story of his life and times.


Buckley granted Tanenhaus extensive interviews and exclusive access to his most private papers. Thus began a deep investigation into the vast and often hidden universe of Buckley and the modern conservative revolution

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Tanenhaus vividly captures Buckley all his facets and phases: founding editor of National Review, syndicated columnist, Emmy-winning TV debater, best selling spy novelist, ally of Joseph McCarthy and Barry Goldwater, game-changing candidate for mayor of New York, mentor to Ronald Reagan. 


Tanenhaus also has uncovered the darker trail of Bill Buckley’s many exploits:secret partnerships with Southern segregationists, hcampaign to free a self-confessed murderer from death row, CIA missions in Latin America, collusions with Watergate felon Howard Hunt and Buckley’s struggle in his last years to hold together a movement coming apart over the AIDS epidemic, culture wars, and the invasion of Iraq, even as his own media empire was unraveling.