# Bill Kristol

> Bill Kristol spent four decades as a top operative and editor of the American right - chief of staff to Dan Quayle, founding editor of The Weekly Standard, co-architect of the Project for the New American Century - before becoming one of conservatism's most prominent defectors. Today he runs Defending Democracy Together and is editor-at-large of The Bulwark, where the man once called 'Dan Quayle's brain' now spends his days arguing against the movement his family helped invent. In May 2026 he registered as a Democrat.

- **Role:** Editor-at-large at The Bulwark; Director of Defending Democracy Together
- **Organizations:** The Bulwark, Defending Democracy Together, Republican Voters Against Trump, Republicans for the Rule of Law, Republican Accountability Project, The Weekly Standard (founder), Project for the New American Century (co-founder), Conversations with Bill Kristol
- **From:** New York City, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Secondary, Collegiate School, Manhattan, BA in Government (magna cum laude), Harvard University, PhD in Political Science, Harvard University
- **Known for:** Founded and edited The Weekly Standard (1994-2018), a defining magazine of the American right, Played a leading strategic role in defeating the Clinton health care plan in 1993-1994, Co-founded the Project for the New American Century, an influential foreign-policy think tank

## Career timeline

- **1970** — White House intern during the Nixon administration (summer)
- **1979-1983** — Taught political science at the University of Pennsylvania
- **1983-1985** — Faculty, Harvard Kennedy School of Government
- **1985-1988** — Chief of staff to Secretary of Education William Bennett (Reagan administration)
- **1989-1993** — Chief of staff to Vice President Dan Quayle (George H.W. Bush administration)
- **1993** — Chaired the Project for the Republican Future; led the fight against the Clinton health care plan
- **1994** — Founded The Weekly Standard with John Podhoretz, funded by Rupert Murdoch
- **1997** — Co-founded the Project for the New American Century with Robert Kagan
- **2008-2009** — Op-ed columnist for The New York Times
- **2014** — Launched Conversations with Bill Kristol, a long-form interview program
- **2018** — After The Weekly Standard folded, helped found Defending Democracy Together
- **2020** — Founded Republican Voters Against Trump; endorsed Joe Biden
- **2023-present** — Editor-at-large at The Bulwark
- **2026** — Registered as a Democrat (May 15, 2026)

## Achievements

- Founded and edited The Weekly Standard (1994-2018), a defining magazine of the American right
- Played a leading strategic role in defeating the Clinton health care plan in 1993-1994
- Co-founded the Project for the New American Century, an influential foreign-policy think tank
- Built Conversations with Bill Kristol into an archive of 300+ interviews and ~9 million views
- Became a central organizer and funder of the Never Trump movement
- Harvard Institute of Politics fellow

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Officially registered as a Democrat, completing a decade-long migration from Republican to independent to Democrat.
- **2026-04** — Publicly backed expanding the Supreme Court, arguing Democrats must meet 'force with force.'
- **2025-03** — Interviewed by PBS FRONTLINE on the rule of law and the second Trump administration.
- **2024-11** — Endorsed Kamala Harris after backing Nikki Haley in the Republican primary.

## Links

- Website: https://conversationswithbillkristol.org/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/BillKristol
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmA54XhpFJWyw_Bsj1jYsMw
- Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/billkristolbulwark.bsky.social

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/bill-kristol
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-02