‘Anti-Trump activist’: Conservative groups tear apart ex-Romney adviser’s attempt to influence MAGA agenda

A prominent economist trying to influence the economic policies of the incoming Trump administration is facing criticism from civil rights groups who donate to his organization and past criticism of President-elect Trump’s agenda.

Oren Cass, who worked on both of Mitt Romney’s presidential campaigns, is the founder and chief economist of American Compass, a conservative think tank that has engaged many prominent Republican lawmakers in Congress.

Over the past year, Cass’s philosophy has reportedly gained traction in some pro-Trump circles, but a number of conservatives have opposed his growing influence and are concerned that his policies will undermine Trump’s agenda based on his past anti-Trump remarks. In a May 2021 interview, Cass likened Trump to an “earthquake” because he believed Trump was “a disaster in many ways.”

“The self-proclaimed ‘Conservative’ Oren Cass and his American Compass are not, and will never be, a legitimate voice in Republican policy circles. CNBC’s Joe Kernen got it right when he called them ‘bombshells, quacking uniparty progressivism.’ And their sponsorship only proves that,” Club for Growth President David McIntosh told Fox News Digital.

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“As American Compass continues to stay in business thanks to generous donations from left-wing organizations like the Hewlett Foundation and the Omidyar Network, the Club for Growth is proud to stand with President Trump and the vast majority of Republican voters who support real conservative policies. , such as the proposals described in Our Foundation’s latest “Freedom Forward Policy Handbook,” including: tax cuts, spending cuts to reduce deficits, deregulation to boost American manufacturing, America-first energy policies, school choice and labor freedom,” he continued.

A significant portion of American Compass’s funding comes from several foundations linked to liberal causes, including nearly two million dollars from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Omidyar Network, which provided 11% of American Compass’ funding and is led by a founder described as “notable for funding groups in loose clothing targeting former president Donald Trump and his supporters.”

American Compass is also associated with the “Reimagining Capitalism Partners” fund, which includes the Center for American Progress, Groundwork Action linked to the Sixteen Thirty Fund, the Progressive Caucus Action Fund, Tides Advocacy and Demos, social think tank.

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Cass’s group also received more than $200,000 from the Rockefeller Foundation, a multibillion-dollar foundation that has invested in several left-wing causes, including major environmental groups and “Imagining America,” “a coalition of colleges involved in the development of left-leaning curricula, according to the Capital Research Center .

The San Francisco Foundation, which has funneled hundreds of millions of dollars to far-left groups, he gave $100,000 in the American Compass.

When Fox News Digital pressed Cass on his organization’s funding and criticism from opposition parties, he slammed “tax fanatics” for criticizing his organization.

“American Compass stands for limited government and a commitment to paying for the government we have rather than leaving our children with the bill,” Cass told Fox News Digital. “Taxists can push for bigger deficits if they want to, but the Conservatives are under no obligation to follow them down the drain.”

President-elect Trump during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden Nov. 16, 2024 in New York City. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

In addition to the money American Compass has received from left-wing groups, its advisory board includes many Democrats, including Ganesh Sitaraman, who served as a senior executive at the Center for American Progress and has been a longtime adviser to Sen. Elizabeth Warren. , D-Mass., from his 2012 Senate campaign.

Matt Stoller, director of research at the American Economic Liberties Project, which has received at least $500,000 from George Soros’ Foundation to Promote Open Society and at least $230,000 from the Omidyar Network Fund, is on an advisory board and has donated tens of thousands of dollars to Democrats.

Tom Hebert, director of competition and regulatory policy at Americans for Tax Reform, blasted Cass as an “anti-Trump activist” in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“The American people have returned Donald Trump to the White House with a strong economic mandate: cutting taxes, reducing job-killing regulations and promoting labor freedom. Oren Cass founded American Compass as a ‘post-Trump’ organization and opposes Trump’s economic agenda. All levels , even calling Trump’s historic tax cuts a ‘costly failure,’” Hebert said.

“Cass is not a conservative. He is an anti-Trump activist that MSNBC is quick to discredit Trump’s second agenda.”

In addition to Hebert’s quote, Americans for Tax Reform published a piece in July titled, “Who Said It, Oren or Warren?” The piece points to the tax plans of Sen. Warren and Cass’ American Compass, both published last month and featuring numerous quotes from Warren and Cass, asks readers to identify the source of each quote.

In this June 1, 2018, file photo, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., speaks at the 2018 Massachusetts Democratic Party Convention in Worcester, Mass. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

“The Warren plan wants Democrats to refuse to extend Trump’s tax cuts,” the piece said. “The proposed budget released by Oren Cass’ American Compass, which describes itself as ‘the CEO of a healthier and more responsive post-Trump Conservative movement,’ calls for the full expiration of Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, will raise the level of corporations so that the level preferred by the Biden’s 28%, and supports Warren’s call for a financial transaction tax.”

Americans for Tax Reform he continued to call American Compass is “left-wing” and said Cass was “the leader of American Compass’s tax hike” in a different position than earlier this year because of his opposition to Trump’s tax cuts.

Cass was ridiculed earlier this year after he went on CNBC and suggested that lowering taxes and the corporate tax rate “is not sustainable,” adding, “There’s nothing concrete about that … a completely ridiculous idea.”

The clip quoted Richard Stern, who serves as director of the Heritage Foundation’s Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget, in Cass, saying, “[Cass on] CNBC this morning defends the union’s attempt to steal your money and put it in their hands – and freeze income for new and small businesses. With ‘friends’ like these, who needs socialists.”

In a C-SPAN interview over the weekend, Cass praised some aspects of the Trump administration, saying the United States has “made a lot of progress” by implementing a “very aggressive trade policy and dealing with China.” He also praised the Trump-Vance administration for some of the Cabinet’s choices, including calling Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., “Good” chosen by the State Department because of his work to raise the alarm about China “our biggest enemy.”

He added that he hopes the administration will have “a labor policy that is more focused on the interests of workers,” pointing to comments by Vice President-elect JD Vance that trade and labor are “the heart of our economic policy.”

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Although Cass has praised Trump, he has long criticized Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, calling them a “costly failure” and saying Trump faces “inevitable obsolescence” and adding in September 2020 that Trump is “still not building an intellectual foundation.” , there is no institutional infrastructure and no policy agenda.”

After Trump won the 2024 election, Cass continued to express opposition to Trump’s tax policy.

“Well, I think today we have politics where both candidates are going around talking about how they’re going to cut taxes for everybody,” Cass told PBS Nov. 10. “And, of course, everybody likes tax cuts. But I don’t think those are the things that will change our economy for the better.”

In an interview earlier this year, Cass said that one of the things he thought was “most encouraging” to him was that there were no “little Trumps” and that he was “very encouraged” by the Republican leaders they saw behind Trump. .