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Michael Johns is a distinguished American conservative commentator, policy analyst, and health care executive, widely recognized as a co-founder and national leader of the U.S. Tea Party movement, which emerged in February 2009 as one of the most influential grassroots political movements in American history.

Born on September 8, 1964, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Johns grew up in the Lehigh Valley, where he excelled as a student-athlete at Emmaus High School, participating in football, wrestling, and track and field as a pole vaulter and sprinter. He graduated from the University of Miami in 1986 with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, majoring in economics, and earned honors, including induction into the Iron Arrow Honor Society—the university’s highest student distinction—and recognition on the Dean’s List. During his time at Miami, he served as president of the College Republicans, was active in the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, and completed two internships in Washington, D.C., sparking his passion for public policy. Johns also studied humanities at the University of Cambridge, England, broadening his academic foundation. Johns launched his career in Washington, D.C., as a Lyndon B. Johnson fellow under Rep. Donald L. Ritter (R-PA), before joining The Heritage Foundation in 1986.

At Heritage, he spent five years as an editor of its flagship journal, Policy Review, alongside notable conservatives like Dinesh D’Souza, and later as a foreign policy analyst specializing in African and Third World affairs. His work focused on critical issues such as U.S. relations with Zaire and Kenya, South Africa’s apartheid policies, the Ethiopian famine, and civil wars in Angola and Mozambique. A staunch advocate of the Reagan Doctrine, Johns traveled to Cold War frontlines in Angola, Cambodia, and Nicaragua, supporting anti-communist resistance movements that contributed to the Soviet Union’s eventual collapse. His publications from this period, including The U.S. and Africa Statistical Handbook and articles like 'Savimbi’s Elusive Victory in Angola,' were entered into the Congressional Record, cementing his reputation as a leading conservative voice. In government, Johns served as a White House speechwriter for President George H.W. Bush, crafting messages during a pivotal era, and as a senior aide to New Jersey Governor Thomas H. Kean (R-NJ)—later 9/11 Commission Chairman—and U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME). Following the Bush administration, he joined the International Republican Institute (IRI), where he led post-Cold War programs to foster democratic institutions in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and the former Soviet Union. In the private sector, Johns held executive roles in the health care industry, including Vice President at Gentiva Health Services, and senior positions at Eli Lilly and Company, McKesson, and Electric Mobility Corporation, driving growth and innovation in diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, and medical equipment.

In 2009, Johns co-founded the Tea Party movement, rooted in three core principles: adherence to the U.S. Constitution, limited government, and lower taxes. As a strategist and spokesperson, he helped orchestrate its rapid rise, leading to Republican victories in the U.S. House (2010) and Senate (2014), and laying groundwork for Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential win—endorsing Trump on the first day of his campaign in June 2015. Johns has been a vocal advocate for the 'forgotten man and woman,' addressing issues like border security and economic sovereignty, themes he explored in his 2017 Cornell University lecture, 'The Roar of the Forgotten Man and Woman.' A prolific writer and media figure, he has contributed to The Wall Street Journal, The Christian Science Monitor, National Review, and appeared on Fox News, CNN, BBC, and C-SPAN, among others. Based in Philadelphia, Johns remains a thought leader in the conservative movement.