Michael Heise, founder and former chair of the Libertarian Party Mises Caucus, announced his support this week for Republican nominee Donald Trump in the presidential election. Heise said he would continue to support down-ballot Libertarian candidates.
Writing for Dissident Media, an online publication he founded this year, Heise stated that he is backing Trump in light of the Libertarian Party’s increased influence over the past two years. He added that his support for Trump marks “a first,” noting that he previously wrote in Ron Paul’s name during the 2008 and 2012 election cycles, voted for Gary Johnson in 2016, and supported Jo Jorgensen in 2020.
“For the most part, I’ve rejected the ‘voting for the lesser evil’ argument, understanding that the core problems that ail the country—like the Federal Reserve and fiat currency, which keep us on a collision course with disaster as we continually print away the dollar’s value, and the forever wars—are bipartisan,” wrote Heise. “Something big would have to happen to shake me from that stance. Well, in this election, several big things have happened.”
Heise added that he remains deeply involved with the Libertarian Party and intends to continue supporting its down-ballot candidates, including for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, where he lives.
Notably, Pre-General Reports filed with the Federal Election Commission show that Heise continues to work for the Libertarian National Committee as recently as this month for services related to outreach and activism.
Explaining his support, Heise highlighted Trump’s “learning from past mistakes” and pointed to a “burgeoning Unity Movement” around Trump that he views as “the biggest opportunity for Libertarians ever.” He cited figures like Elon Musk, former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as key contributors to this Unity movement for their individual influences.
Within this coalition, Heise noted that Trump has made key promises that resonate with Libertarian priorities, such as considering a libertarian for a cabinet position, eliminating the Department of Education, and pardoning figures like Ross Ulbricht. According to Heise, these promises reflect an openness from Trump to government accountability, anti-war policies, and personal freedoms.
Heise also commended Libertarian National Committee Chair Angela McArdle, attributing the Libertarian Party’s inclusion in the movement to her leadership and coalition efforts. He praised her shared view that political parties should be “vehicles to be used for whatever utility they offer in advancing the cause of liberty,” not “ends in and of themselves.”
While Heise acknowledges that he still has concerns regarding Trump, particularly on spending, Israel, and Iran, he’s confident that Trump would be more committed to peace than Kamala Harris, whom he criticizes as a figure representing “the very worst aspects of modern liberalism, wokism, the corporate press, and neoconservatism.”
Heise also encouraged libertarians and broader movement supporters outside the Libertarian Party to join the party and attend its 2026 national convention, cautioning that without active engagement, there is no guarantee the changes implemented by these efforts over the last few years will remain otherwise.
Notably absent from Heise’s article was any mention of Libertarian Party nominee Chase Oliver.
Now that Michael Heise has time, he should visit Lemberg, the birthplace of Ludwig von Mises. What could be more appopriate for the head of the “Mises” Caucus?
Lemberg is now Lviv. It was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire when Mises was born. It is now part of Ukraine. It has been targeted by Russian missiles on several occasions. Since Michael Heise has apparently not read more than a few words written by Ludwig von Mises, maybe digging through the rubble will teach him what Mises knew about Russian aggressiveness.
https://calibertarianreport.com/2022/03/18/birthplace-of-ludwig-von-mises-under-attack/
“Honestly? Good. He did the right thing IMO. Sometimes a person needs to be realistic instead of idealistic, and accept the imperfect but possible against both the better but impossible AND the way more imperfect but equally possible.”
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Notably this take is incongruous with your stated view that Harris ought to bow out and endorse Stein.
The only way I see those views coexisting is if you believe the narrative that Stein helps Trump win. That’s not nearly as obvious as you and a lot of people think, for a variety of reasons.
I see Trump as preferable to Harris, but it may be that your goal is actually to help Harris, given how you’ve chosen to identify yourself — ie your purpose could be to reinforce the Harris side’s misbegotten trope that Stein is an agent of foreign interests to split the opposition to Trump, who they suggest is also an agent of those foreign interests.
It’s much more likely to go the way of past parties such as Socialist, American/American Independent, and Reform: much diminished fractured miniparties and/or party factions suing and otherwise battling each other over the party name and assets. In fact, that process is already well underway, and will only accelerate going forward.
I seriously wonder if there is any chance of reclaiming the LNC. To think that the party has spent nearly 53 years to achieve little electoral success but a fair amount of success in gaining ballot access seems a huge waste of time and resources to just have it all collapse like this. I hope the party doesn’t become like the Prohibition Party… just a historical relic.
In my disgraceful third world nation, the small parties are the entire time doing alliances (usually for corrupt reasons) with bigger, more popular parties, and so they have a political relevance unheard among third parties in America. Maybe it’s time for small parties start to experiment with that too.
Honestly? Good. He did the right thing IMO. Sometimes a person needs to be realistic instead of idealistic, and accept the imperfect but possible against both the better but impossible AND the way more imperfect but equally possible.
I was glad to hear Peter Schiff in his most recent YouTube video recommending that people vote for Libertarian Party candidate Chase Oliver in states where either Trump or Harris are sure to win. In states that are tossups he recommended voting for Trump. I had already voted for Chase Oliver in Florida, where Trump holds a 6 point lead over Harris.
I am not aware of Michael Heise having worked on any ballot access drives. He might have collected some petition signatures in Pennsylvania, but if he got paid for that it if he did it and did it for pay he would not have been paid for it by the LNC.
I will have to look into this further but if he had done any ballot access work for which the LNC paid I would probably know about it.
Michael Heise writes: “I… led a successful Ron Paul-inspired takeover of the Libertarian Party in 2022 … I will be voting for Donald Trump in 2024.”
What Ron Paul has said about Donald Trump: “Trump is an authoritarian and he brags about it.”
That is pretty blunt for Ron Paul. I don’t think Heise quite understood the Ron Paul Revolution any better than he understands libertarianism.
It is clear from his actions over tha past couple years that Michael Heise does not understand the principles of individual liberty and laissez faire capitalism that libertarians stand for. It also seems that he might have alien loyalties at the expense of the Libertarian Party.
His statement that he formed the caucus because he was outraged by Gary Johnson’s campaign in 2016 indicates that he mostly objected to the increased visibility of The Libertarian Party, along with Gary Johnson’s “social liberalism.” Social liberalism has attracted many more people to The Libertarian Party than have the conspiracy theories promoted by Ron Paul, or the pro-Russia foreign policy promoted by Lew Rockwell and company.
I do hope Mr Heise becomes involved in The Constitution Party – maybe he can do for them what his allies did for the LP – although The Constitution Party does not have so far to fall.
Hi Darryl, the Libertarian National Committee paid him $1,200 this month for the same purposes, as included in the Pre-General Report mentioned above. The same is true for the September filing, which shows that the LNC paid him $2,400 across two disbursements. The first was paid out on 9/13 and the second was on 9/27.
What you shared only considers disbursements up until September, even though I can see that you specified it to look for later ones. I’m not sure why it did that for you.
Heise is on the payroll as well as the President of Cucks for Trump, Angela’s boyfriend.
I find Michael Heise to be rather sympathetic, but this is a bad endorsement – worse than RFK.
“He added that his support for Trump marks ‘a first,’ noting that he previously wrote in Ron Paul’s name during the 2008 and 2012 election cycles, voted for Gary Johnson in 2016, and supported Jo Jorgensen in 2020.”
In other words, he already went off the rails somewhere between 2012 and 2016, and this is just the latest manifestation of it 😛
“Heise highlighted Trump’s ‘learning from past mistakes'”
I would love to see some evidence of that. Unfortunately, what I see is the exact opposite:
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/trump-brushes-off-concerns-about-covid-jab-injuries-at-campaign-event-everyone-wanted-a-vaccine/
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/trump-says-no-regrets-on-covid-response-claims-desantis-shut-down-florida-in-fox-news-interview/
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/trumps-latest-remarks-on-fauci-covid-draw-criticism-from-desantis-others/
https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/trumps-gaslighting-on-covid-lockdowns-is-finally-called-out-in-megyn-kelly-interview/
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/trump-covid-shots-biden-state-union/
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/trump-again-brags-about-phenomenal-operation-warp-speed-in-time-magazine-interview/
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/trump-defends-covid-record-dodges-question-on-ineffectiveness-harm-of-vaccines/
Clearly, he didn’t undergo any sort of learning process between June 2nd, 2023 and September 23rd, 2024.
He hasn’t changed or improved, he has no regrets or remorse, in short, he hasn’t learnt anything at all. In fact, it would seem that he is too arrogant to be open to the possibility that he was wrong, and that he therefore is incapable of ever learning.
“He cited figures like […] Tulsi Gabbard […] as key contributors to this Unity movement for their individual influences.”
She is not going to have any positive influence on Trump, because they are far too similar. At most she will bring out and empower the worst in him, since that is what they share.
“Heise also encouraged libertarians and broader movement supporters outside the Libertarian Party to join the party and attend its 2026 national convention”
No thanks, you come join the Constitution Party instead 🙂 You’re too good for that rabble anyway, and they will find a way to destroy their party no matter what. What McArdle is currently doing is already like herding particularly bad tempered and retarded cats. There is no saving the LP, so just salvage what you can and jump ship.
Michael Heise is also on the LNC payroll, having received $9,662.40 in July and August for petitioning and “OUTREACH & ACTIVISM”.
FEC records don’t show any disbursements from the LNC for the months of September & October.