Powerful American groups linked to the Trump administration are expanding across the Atlantic, opening up offices in the U.K. and Europe, fighting climate action, waging religious right culture wars and aligning with far-right political movements.
But as organizations including the climate-denying Heartland Institute, abortion-fighting Alliance Defending Freedom and Project 2025-backing Heritage Foundation build influence overseas, one U.S. power broker has been noticeably absent.
That is the conservative activist Leonard Leo, the co-chairman of the Federalist Society who is credited with orchestrating the conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court. Following a $1.6 billion gift from Chicago industrialist Barre Seid to put toward conservative causes, Leo backs a vast network of advocacy organizations pushing a stridently right-wing agenda.
Until now, Leo’s efforts have largely played out in American statehouses and courts. Groups backed by his network have pushed measures into law blocking banks and companies from considering Environmental, Social or Governance (ESG) factors in their investment decisions. His network has also backed measures that critics describe as restricting voting access.
