In recent months, a curious narrative has circulated online: that libertarians should reconsider their partisan home and move toward the Democratic Party. The argument has gained traction in response to President Trump’s renewed ICE directives. Pete Buttigieg suggested on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that libertarians concerned about civil liberties should take a fresh look at the Democratic coalition. Smaller but increasingly viral voices—like Joshua Reed Eakle—have amplified a similar message on social media.

The timing is striking. Just back in 2024, Trump was campaigning alongside Elon Musk, tapping into a libertarian-inflected message about government waste via “DOGE”. Libertarians were cautiously optimistic.

Since then, Trump’s promises to reduce government size have stalled or been eclipsed by assertive executive action on trade and immigration, leaving libertarians disillusioned.

So which party is actually more libertarian—today and over the past 25 years? The answer depends on which liberties one prioritizes. The movement itself is split between “right-libertarians” (who emphasize economic freedom and limited government) and “left-libertarians” (who prioritize civil liberties and personal autonomy). With that in mind, here’s a breakdown of 10 key issues.

The Democrats have been worse on this recently. During the COVID pandemic, the Biden administration had federal agencies pressure social media companies to shadow ban information. Beyond that specific example, there’s been a broader spirit of censorship against conservative opinions. It’s often privately-enforced rather than government-sanctioned (such as the mobbish reactions against college campus speakers), but is nonetheless censorious and shows that the Left is no longer liberal on this issue.   

Republicans, conversely, frame themselves as defenders of the First Amendment. That too is questionable—I recall their censorship around issues like national security and public morality in the early 2000s—but those infractions occurred much longer ago.

This one really isn’t hard. Democrats have consistently advocated expanded background checks, assault weapons bans, and red flag........

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