The conservative think tank Hudson Institute is vacuuming up former Trump Administration officials at a rapid pace, becoming the go-to policy shop for Trump loyalists who may want to seek office in the future.
Trump's Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who could be a possible presidential contender in 2024, has just joined the Hudson Institute as a Distinguished Fellow. In 2019, the think tank awarded him with its Herman Kahn Award for his service. Past recipients of that award include Paul Ryan, Nikki Haley, Mike Pence, Benjamin Netanyahu, Rupert Murdoch, and Shinzo Abe.
On Jan. 25, Hudson announced that Trump's Transportation Secretary, Elaine Chao, was rejoining Hudson as a Distinguished Fellow.
Trump's former National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster joined Hudson in 2019 as the inaugural holder of its Japan Chair.
Tim Morrison, Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security in the Trump Administration, is now a Senior Fellow at Hudson. And Jon Lerner, a Republican strategist who has advised former Vice President Mike Pence as well as Nikki Halley, is also a Senior Fellow at the think tank.
Hudson's former President and CEO Ken Weinstein was nominated by President Trump to be the US Ambassador to Japan, but he never received a full Senate confirmation vote.
John Walters officially became the President and CEO of Hudson on Jan. 1, 2021.
In related think tank news, Trump's former OMB Director Russ Vought has announced the creation of a new think tank and related lobbying arm.
Meanwhile, think tankers from the "ABC" think tanks are flooding into the Biden Administration.
Update: Mike Pompeo and former National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien will co-chair a new, monthly seminar-style roundtable discussion to consider and advance policies that maintain a balance among the world's great powers that is favorable to America's national interest. The first meeting will be on March 2, 2021.
