He is a professor of Politics at Hillsdale College, and the author of three books.
He is a director and senior fellow of the Claremont Institute, which has supported and publicized his research.
He has translated, with Grace Starry West, Plato's Charmides, Euthyphro, Apology of Socrates, and Crito, as well as Aristophanes' Clouds.
He has also published Vindicating the Founders, an analysis and defense of American political thought in the founding of the United States in the 18th century.
West supported Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election.