For the second time in three years, AEI, in partnership with the Manhattan Institute and Hoover Institution, brought together scholars and community leaders dedicated to solving problems and sharing research contributing to the advancement of black Americans. Watch highlights from the speakers here.

The speakers at Old Parkland made clear that the GOP has an opportunity to genuinely realign the country with a policy agenda dedicated to addressing decades of Democratic failure in minority communities. But it’s not clear if Donald Trump is capable of taking advantage of that opportunity. Ramesh Ponnuru explains why a second Trump term is at risk of being ineffectual.

The specific policies the Trump campaign has articulated, such as the 10 percent across-the-board tariff, could harm the new voters the party is hoping to attract. Analyzing these policies, Desmond Lachman assesses the potential economic consequences of a second Trump term.

Most notably, by ruling out entitlement reform, Trump has prevented efforts to address the United States’ unsustainable debt burden. In a new proposal to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation’s 2024 Solutions Initiative, AEI economics scholars Joseph Antos, Andrew G. Biggs, Alex Brill, and James C. Capretta show that the US can still achieve long-term fiscal stability by reducing the federal debt without sacrificing growth—if policymakers act now.

This need for fiscal responsibility need not hamstring the urgent need to rebuild our national defense against geopolitical rivals. In testimony before the House Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs, defense expert Mackenzie Eaglen demonstrates how increasing defense investments now and reforming Pentagon procedures can create a long-term cost-saving transformation.