Libertarians Should Consider Donald Trump’s Offer

The Libertarian Party was in the national spotlight as they held their party convention over Memorial Day Weekend to nominate their Presidential Candidate. It was not the candidates themselves that drew the national interest and media attention, but rather the guest speakers that were lined up to deliver speeches.

Former Republican Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy delivered a speech and then sat for a short debate with Dave Smith and Clint Russell. RFK Jr also delivered a speech and then attempted to gain the Libertarian nomination to run for president, but was eliminated on the first ballot with less than 3% of the vote.

The most notable guest appearances would be a keynote speech from former congressman Ron Paul, as well as a speech from the 45th President of the United States Donald Trump.

Donald Trump and Joe Biden were both sent invitations to attend the Libertarian Party national convention to specifically address the concerns of Libertarians. Donald Trump accepted while Joe Biden did not.

As some mainstream outlets reported, Trump was met with boos while delivering his remarks. He was however also met with cheers and applause. It depended on what he was saying. Libertarians tend to respond case by case to ideas.

Trump seemed to receive his loudest boos when he stated he was endorsed by the NRA (for those who are confused here, Libertarians generally do not believe the NRA is pro gun enough, and tend to support other organizations like Firearms Policy Coalition or National Association for Gun Rights).

Trump received his biggest ovation when he promised to commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht who is serving life in prison for creating the Silk Road site. The crowd applauded and chants of Free Ross erupted in the auditorium while attendees waved Free Ross signs.

Ross Ulbricht responded on X (formerly Twitter) thanking Trump and expressing optimism that he may get a 2nd chance at freedom.

Trump’s commitment to commuting the sentence of Ross was part of an olive branch he was extending to Libertarians, as well as promising to include Libertarians in cabinet positions in his Administration should he win the 2024 election. He came to the convention to court Libertarians for their support. While Trump’s reception had mixed reactions, Libertarians would be wise to give it further consideration.

Everyone who was sitting in that room listening to Trump speak, and many others who watched online had a choice candidate running for the Libertarian nomination that they supported. Only one of those who ran received the nomination, and the nominee was Chase Oliver (the furthest left candidate who ran).

Many in the Libertarian Party believe that children should not be subject to gender transitioning practices such as hormones or reassignment surgeries. The belief that right leaning Libertarians have is that adults can make these decisions for themselves, but children cannot consent to this as they can’t grasp the risks or permanent implications. Chase has refused to come out against children being transitioned or kept apart from drag queen story hours, which is likely a bridge too far for many of the Libertarians who supported other candidates.

For those of you who are now open to reconsidering support of Donald Trump, the rest of this piece is for you.

Donald Trump is offering Libertarian wins on a Federal level that likely will never be achieved by the Libertarian Party. The clemency of Ross Ulbricht is a win for the cause. Involving Libertarians in his administration is a win for the cause. It gives Libertarians (for the first time ever) a seat at the table and an open invitation to give the Overton Window a gigantic push.

There are only 2 paths towards a Libertarian order. The first is the black pill; an entire collapse of society with the hope that Libertarians will fill that vacuum (when in reality those vacuums don’t tend to be filled by peace and cooperation, but rather the most sinister thing to fill it). The second is through incremental changes, the general order in which things move. If one recognizes change happens in increments, then it should be recognized that Libertarian influence is vital in moving towards a Libertarian order. This vital thing is being offered.

Libertarians tend to get stuck in ideological purity contests, with arguments of theory and Libertarian dogma determining who is the best Libertarian. Libertarian accomplishments have been determined by who wins what debate on whose podcast or YouTube channel.

Freeing Ross Ulbricht is a better achievement than winning an argument that few people watched which resulted in no change. Having a seat at the table and influencing policy into the ear of the President is an achievement.

If you think Republicans cannot effect change, ask yourselves what the Libertarian Party would look like today if Ron Paul 2008 and 2012 never happened. It would only be a shell of its current self. Almost every Trump supporter today who did not support Ron Paul when he ran all look back and say “Yes, Ron Paul was right.” It was a matter of Ron Paul Republicans being ahead of their time who made their way into the Libertarian Party. The others are catching up, and they’re asking us to help get them up to speed.

Ron Paul was right, and we have their attention. We can bring some of our ideas to fruition, and every single one we do would be a win we otherwise would never have achieved on our own. Prove Libertarian ideas work in practice rather than arguing in theory, and give those ideas staying power. There probably will never be a chance like this again.