For media inquiries or to book Mr. Olsen for an interview, contact Josh Britton at jbritton@eppc.org or 202-715-3493.
Click here to view the full archive of Mr. Olsen’s writings at The Washington Post.
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Henry Olsen, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, studies and provides commentary on American politics. His work focuses on how America’s political order is being upended by populist challenges, from the left and the right. He also studies populism’s impact in other democracies in the developed world.
Mr. Olsen is an opinion columnist for The Washington Post, where he writes daily pieces focusing on politics, populism, foreign affairs and American conservative thought. He is also the author of The Working Class Republican: Ronald Reagan and the Return of Blue-Collar Conservatism and The Four Faces of the Republican Party, co-authored with Dante Scala.
Mr. Olsen was previously an editor at UnHerd.com and a regular contributor to American Greatness, City Journal, and World Magazine. Mr. Olsen’s work has been featured in many prominent publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, National Review, The Guardian, and The Weekly Standard.
His predictions of the 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018 elections were particularly praised for their remarkable accuracy. In the 2016 campaign, he accurately identified the factors fueling the rise of Donald Trump early in the race, and his election-eve predictions were among the most accurate of any major analyst or commentator.
Mr. Olsen has worked in senior executive positions at many center-right think tanks. He most recently served from 2006 to 2013 as Vice President and Director, National Research Initiative, at the American Enterprise Institute. He previously worked as Vice President of Programs at the Manhattan Institute and President of the Commonwealth Foundation.
Mr. Olsen started his career as a political consultant at the California firm of Hoffenblum-Mollrich. He then worked with the California State Assembly Republican Caucus before attending law school. He served as a law clerk to the Honorable Danny J. Boggs on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and as an associate at Dechert, Price & Rhoads. He has a B.A. from Claremont McKenna College and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School, where he served as Comment Editor for the University of Chicago Law Review.
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PUBLICATIONS
The Unemployment Numbers Are Terrifying. But We Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet.
Published in The Washington Post on April 2, 2020
Republicans May Finally Be Socially Distancing Themselves From Libertarianism
Published in The Washington Post on March 30, 2020
The Coronavirus Is Hurting Millions of People. But There’s One Person Who Could Benefit.
Published in The Washington Post on March 26, 2020
We’re Not Killing the Economy Over the Coronavirus. We’re Putting It Into a Coma.
Published in The Washington Post on March 25, 2020
Let’s Be Honest. Impeachment Hurt Trump’s Response to Coronavirus.
Published in The Washington Post on March 23, 2020
Republicans Need to Go Bigger on Coronavirus. Much Bigger.
Published in The Washington Post on March 20, 2020
Why It’s So Important That America’s General Election Occurs on Time
Published in The Washington Post on March 18, 2020
Big Government Is About to Get Really Popular
Published in The Washington Post on March 17, 2020
The Joe Biden at Sunday’s Debate Should Terrify Donald Trump
Published in The Washington Post on March 16, 2020
How Trump Should Take on Joe Biden
Published in The Washington Post on March 11, 2020
Why the GOP Didn’t Unite Against Trump the Way Democrats Have Against Sanders
Published in The Washington Post on March 9, 2020
Why a Biden-Klobuchar Ticket Can Beat Trump
Published in The Washington Post on March 5, 2020
Elizabeth Warren Persisted — and Broke the Progressive Cause in the Process
Published in The Washington Post on March 4, 2020
Democrats Essentially Have a Three-Person Race Now
Published in The Washington Post on February 26, 2020
Establishment Democrats Still Fundamentally Misunderstand Bernie Sanders
Published in The Washington Post on February 25, 2020
Trump’s Trip to India Could Be His Most Important Foreign Policy Visit Yet
Published in The Washington Post on February 24, 2020
Forget ‘Minnesota Nice.’ Amy Klobuchar’s Rage Is Exactly What She Needs Right Now.
Published in The Washington Post on February 20, 2020
Ignore the Signals. Bloomberg Isn’t a Sound Investment.
Published in The Washington Post on February 19, 2020
Don’t Bet Against Joe Biden Just Yet. He Has an Ace up His Sleeve.
Published in The Washington Post on February 18, 2020
Hold on to Your Hats. The Democratic Race Could Get Very Messy.
Published in The Washington Post on February 13, 2020
Trump’s Budget Proposal Shows How Badly We Need Bipartisan Compromise
Published in The Washington Post on February 11, 2020
Trump’s Address on His Acquittal Showcases Why People Hate Him. And Love Him.
Published in The Washington Post on February 6, 2020
We’ve Seen This Trump Before. It’s Never Lasted Long.
Published in The Washington Post on February 5, 2020
Conservatives Owe Rush Limbaugh a Debt of Gratitude
Published in The Washington Post on February 4, 2020
Brexit Is Finally Happening. Now the Hard Part Begins.
Published in The Washington Post on January 31, 2020
Trump Has Turned the Israel-Palestinian Peace Process Into a Real Estate Deal
Published in The Washington Post on January 29, 2020
Why Those Who Oppose Abortion Continue to Fight
Published in The Washington Post on January 24, 2020
And So Begins an Impeachment Trial That Will Change No One’s Mind
Published in The Washington Post on January 21, 2020
The New Trade Deal With China Could Be the Calm Before the Storm
Published in The Washington Post on January 15, 2020
Trump Has Had a Lot of Policy Successes. You Just Don’t Hear About Them.
Published in The Washington Post on January 10, 2020
Trump’s Approval Rating Has Already Recovered From Its Impeachment Slump
Published in The Washington Post on January 6, 2020
The Soleimani Assassination Could Have Dangerous Ripples Around the World
Published in The Washington Post
Libertarianism Is Losing Its Grip on Conservative Thought. Good.
Published in The Washington Post on January 2, 2020
Stop Tilting at Windmills, Conservatives. Come up With Actual Health-Care Solutions.
Published in The Washington Post on December 19, 2019
Partisan Impeachment Will Only Add Fire to Our Ideological Warfare
Published in The Washington Post on December 18, 2019
An American Conservative’s Dream, Seen Walking in London
Published in The Washington Post on December 16, 2019
Sorry, Trump Supporters. The Republican Party Needs RINOs.
Published in The Washington Post on December 3, 2019
Conservatives’ Debate over Their Future Is Going to Be Bitter and Fierce
Published in The Washington Post on November 29, 2019
Hong Kong Voters Have Taken a Risk. Trump Should, Too.
Published in The Washington Post on November 25, 2019
Netanyahu Shows Us Why Indicting a Leader Is Bad for Our Democracy
Published in The Washington Post on November 22, 2019
Nothing in the Impeachment Hearings Will Change Anyone’s Minds
Published in The Washington Post on November 15, 2019
Trump Can’t Let up on China Now
Published in The Washington Post on November 14, 2019
The Trump Administration Shows Just How Clueless It Is About the Middle Class
Published in The Washington Post on November 13, 2019
Sorry, Deval Patrick and Michael Bloomberg. You’re Not What the Democratic Primary Is Missing.
Published in The Washington Post on November 12, 2019
The Media Is Missing the Big Story from Tuesday’s Elections
Published in The Washington Post on November 7, 2019
Trump Is Down, but Far from Out
Published in The Washington Post on November 6, 2019
If You’re Scared of Trump’s Foreign Policy, Warren’s Should Terrify You
Published in The Washington Post on November 4, 2019
Republicans Might Regret Pushing Pelosi so Hard on an Impeachment Vote
Published in The Washington Post on October 30, 2019
Baghdadi’s Death Should Have Been a Clear Victory for Trump. It Wasn’t.
Published in The Washington Post on October 28, 2019
Trump Is Blowing His Defense Against Impeachment
Published in The Washington Post on October 23, 2019
Of Course Elizabeth Warren Would Raise Taxes on the Middle Class
Published in The Washington Post on October 21, 2019
Don’t Be Surprised If Sanders Becomes the Kingmaker of the Convention
Published in The Washington Post on October 16, 2019
Why Trump Won’t Lose Many Voters Over Syria
Published in The Washington Post on October 15, 2019
Getting Rid of Columbus Day Entirely Is a Sad Development
Published in The Washington Post on October 14, 2019
Republican Senators Are Right to Resist Impeachment
Published in The Washington Post on October 9, 2019
Trump Is Wrong to Pull Troops From Syria. He’s Right That the United States Is Overextended.
Published in The Washington Post on October 8, 2019
Trump May Be on Shaky Ground. But His Economy Appears Rock-Solid.
Published in The Washington Post on October 4, 2019
This Is Why Trump Is Right to Challenge China
Published in The Washington Post on October 1, 2019
Trump’s Anti-Impeachment Strategy Is Materializing — and It Could Work
Published in The Washington Post on September 30, 2019
The Whistleblower Complaint Doesn’t Do Democrats Any Favors
Published in The Washington Post on September 26, 2019
Trump’s Approval Ratings Are Bad News for Democrats
Published in The Washington Post on September 24, 2019
Trump’s Effort to Court Hispanic Voters Isn’t as Crazy as It Sounds
Published in The Washington Post on September 17, 2019
Calls for Impeaching Kavanaugh Are Damaging Our Democracy
Published in The Washington Post on September 16, 2019
The Three Big Winners of the Houston Debate
Published in The Washington Post on September 13, 2019
The Great Tory Realignment Was Bound to Happen
Published in The Washington Post on September 9, 2019
Ruin or Renewal? Thoughts on America’s Third Century
Published in Law and Liberty on September 3, 2019
Britain Is on the Verge of a Constitutional Crisis
Published in The Washington Post on September 3, 2019
Trump’s New Tax Idea Would Devastate Him Politically
Published in The Washington Post on September 2, 2019
The Burning Amazon Shows Exactly What’s Wrong with the Developed World’s Approach to Climate Change
Published in The Washington Post on August 27, 2019
U.S. Business Leaders Have Taken a Step to Finally Renew the American Social Compact
Published in The Washington Post on August 20, 2019
Yes, Undocumented Immigrants Take Jobs from Americans. Here’s the Proof.
Published in The Washington Post on August 16, 2019
Elizabeth Warren Is Gaining Ground. But Her Path to the Nomination Is Harder Than You Think.
Published in The Washington Post on August 15, 2019
If China Cracks Down on Hong Kong, Trump Should Extend His Tariffs
Published in The Washington Post on August 12, 2019
Republicans Are Howling About Government Spending yet Again. Here’s What They Get Wrong.
Published in The Washington Post on July 23, 2019
Conservatives Are Still Grappling with the Trump Era. And Many Haven’t yet Learned Their Lesson.
Published in The Washington Post on July 22, 2019