NR’s recent attack on Trump is based on the fact that there is very little evidence that Trump was a Conservative on any major issue before 2015.
That said, I certainly agree that Rich Lowry has turned National Review into a politically useless centrist publication.
It only stands to reason that a captialist who owns many copyrights, contracts, and extensive real property all over the U.S. and in other countries would necessarily have conservative views financially, economically and in terms of stable financial markets and consumer markets, as well as pro-American employment regulations. It isn't logical that a billionaire, much of whose wealth and that of his children is still invested in real property, would want to go communist or socialist once he were elected president.
The concerns about conservatism you may be indicating probably have more to do with social conservatism. In this area, Trump's past positions are mixed at best; but they are also those of a businessman who was operating out of a blue state in a very blue city and needed to get along. Now, since he is taking this stand, he can refine his conservative leanings that have been "in the closet" for years, but have peeked out in a number of ways, such as his testimony before Congress in 1991 about repairing the economy as regards housing for all levels including low-income housing, his having clinched the fight against the Ground Zero mosque proposal, his fight 10 years ago with the city of Palm Beach that tried to stop him from flying a large American flag, and many other hints from before he was any kind of politician.
His main attraction as a candidate for me is his financial and economic skill. If we do not get our huge U.S. debt, bad financial relationships with other nations and domestic economic woes related to immigration straightened out, we will not longer have a society for conservatives to conserve. I see him as a flawed human with the best set of skills for the severe crisis we are now facing, which is primarily out economic vulnerability and eroded national borders.
Obamacare scrapped?
Illegals deported?
Wall built?
Anchor babies outlawed?
National debt reduced?
Abortion restricted?
China trade deficit reduced?
Food stamp growth curbed?
Welfare growth reduced?
Fraud in Medicare & Social Security under control? (25% of Medicare payments go to fraudulent claims, and there are tens of thousands of people over age 110 still getting social security checks automatically)
If Trump can deliver any 3 of above, he is more than enough conservative for most rational people.
Trump is conservative on these issues:
Pro life since at least 2011, wanted to ban partial birth abortion as far back as 2000.
Pro Traditional marriage. ^Gay rights is not my thing.^
Pro capital punishment ^Capital punishment isn't uncivilized; murderers living is^
Hold Judges accountable
Opposes ^Common core is a disaster^ Teach citizenship, quit ^dumbing down^.
Anti education unions (2000)
For school choice
^Climate Change is a hoax^
^No Cap-and-Tax^
For drilling our own.
On Environment ^Good development enhances the environment^
Stressed the importance of a strong family & culture of life (2015)
Supports Israel
Opposes Iran deal and letting Iran obtain the bomb.
Wants to crush ISIS quickly.
Wants a military so strong no one will challenge us.
Against unbalanced trade deals that kill American jobs.
Against warrant-less government surveillance of citizens.
Is against having a high national debt. Warns that $24T is a point of no return.
Against gun control
For assault weapon ban but says the AR-15 shouldn't be considered an assault weapon.
Wants to repeal Obamacare and replace it with market driven polices and increased competition among insurance companies.
Wants to increase military spending.
Will close the border to illegals
Will send the criminals and sponges back.
Will deport all illegals but will let the hard working ones go through the legal process to come back.
Against Anchor babies
Knows unemployment is much higher than official stats.
Will bring jobs back through better trade negotiation.
Attended military academy and Wharton Business School.
Stood up for Birthers and challenged Obama on his fraud.
Believes USA is ^the greatest force for freedom the world has ever known^
Wants to honor commitments on Social Security and Medicare, which we can afford to do if he gets the economy going full steam.
Wants to reduce the fraud in disability and other programs.
Against marriage penalties in tax code.
Wants to simplify tax code with just 3 simple brackets.
Wants to reduce income taxes and reduce corporate tax.
Wants to rebuild our infrastructure.
Wants to apply welfare-to-work to 76 other welfare programs (2011)
Doesn't have time for political correctness.
Not afraid to call out either party or both when they are wrong.
Not a puppet of mega-rich campaign donors.
Go Trump 2016!