Young conservatives send mixed messages to Trump at MAGA gathering

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Turning Points 11,000 attendees packed a convention hall and breakout room to hear from right-wing commentators and some elected officials, most of whom railed against wake liberalism and RINO Republicans.

Sometimes from the stage here, Trump and his policies are praised. So is DeSantis. But aside from Arizona’s unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, speakers are largely avoiding the new 2024 campaign, with most refusing to pledge allegiance to Trump in his return to the presidency.

I love them both very much. So I don’t really want to face the fact that they might have to run against each other, said Kevin Flaherty, a 19-year-old conference attendee from Detroit. But Flaherty said he would support DeSantis over Trump, believing the Florida governor would have more appeal among independent voters.

People cheer as former President Donald Trump arrives on stage at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit held at the Tampa Convention Center on July 23, 2022 in Tampa, Fla. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The balancing act was on full display during Saturday’s opening session of events, when the evening’s headline speaker, Fox News host Tucker Carlson, was asked by a young audience member which of two men he would support in a primary. president

Carlson laughed nervously. He suggested that his endorsement did not matter. He cited DeSantis’ undeniable appeal to voters in Florida and beyond.

Carlson then went on to talk about Trump in the past tense.

I’m so grateful that Donald Trump ran in 2016. Donald Trump completely changed my perspective on everything, Carlson said. He showed up and said things like, Why don’t we have borders? Or my personal favorite is like, What’s the point of NATO?

And it just exposed the whole thing, and I’m so grateful to have seen that.

Carlson told attendees that he is not endorsing anyone in the next presidential primary. And he doesn’t make any predictions either, which person will emerge victorious.

At this point, it seems like two forces are moving toward each other very quickly, Carlson said of the possible Trump-DeSantis matchup he’s watching unfold. So we’re two years minus one month from the presidential election, and I’m perfectly comfortable putting my total ignorance on full and flowery display, and telling you I don’t have a freaking idea. But I can’t wait to see it.

Obvious Trump acolytes his own son, Donald Trump Jr., and future daughter-in-law Kimberly Guilfoyle talked him up. But they focused on touting Trumps record during his term in the White House, without specific mention of his latest campaign. Trump Jr. teased that his father was the best qualified person to stand up not only to the Democrats, but also to the donor class.

Guilfoyle at one point read off a list of Trump’s accomplishments in office, before ending his speech with the former president’s signature campaign slogan that the majority can make America great.

Lake, a charismatic former television news reporter, became an instant sensation on the right by championing Trumps unproven stolen-election theories as he did Sunday about his own race, which he lost last month. . He received applause when he declared that he wanted to see Trump back in office.

That man cares more about this country than anyone I know, Lake said.

But other one-time Trump loyalists held back.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who has been among the most vocal members of Congress to refuse to certify the 2020 election results, did not mention Trump in his speech.

Kayleigh McEnany, one of Trump’s former press secretaries, recounted moments from her time working in the White House and how she dealt with the challenges of the job. But his speech focused on Trump’s past, without mentioning his return to office.

While the Republican Jewish Coalitions’ annual leadership meeting last month featured speeches by a slate of potential 2024 candidates, including DeSantis, the Las Vegas event was more intimate and focused on donors. In Phoenix, most of the people in attendance looked to be in their 20s.

Former President Donald Trump addresses attendees at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit on July 23, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. | Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP Photo

During the Turning Points July student gathering, Trump won overwhelmingly in a straw poll, receiving 79 percent support to DeSantis’ 19 percent when they were both options in a hypothetical 2024 primary. The poll was sponsored by Turning Points political arm, Turning Point Action.

Voting will not be done again at the December conference. Instead, the organization will conduct a survey of attendees on their preferences for Republican National Committee chair, as Ronna McDaniel faces a challenge in next months leadership election.

New national surveys released last week showed a Republican base moving away from Trump ahead of the 2024 presidential primary. Separate polls from the Wall Street Journal and USA Today/Suffolk University find DeSantis leading Trump by double digits in a hypothetical head-to-head primary matchup, while other polls show favorability in former presidents among the Republicans stepping down this fall.

Pete Duke, a 21-year-old student at the University of Tennessee, said he admired Trump, but it was an easy choice to pick DeSantis as the party’s nominee in 2024. The problem with Trump? All he does is talk about 2020, Duke said.

What I hear from people my age is that everybody says Lets go Brandon at these football games, ask them they’ll say Ron DeSantis is our leader, Duke continued. Not Trump. And they all like Trump.

The Republican Party’s youngest activists certainly like Trump. Event exhibit halls included fewer kiosks selling Trump memorabilia than recent conservative conferences targeting an older demographic here, replaced by dozens of ring lights at selfie stations. But the signs of Trump are everywhere.

Grace Rykaczewski, a 22-year-old from New Jersey, held up a T-shirt she had just bought that featured a grid of Trump’s facial expressions. For now, Rykaczewski says she plans to support Trump, given his impact on the anti-abortion movement in the United States. But he thinks both Trump and DeSantis are good choices.

Acknowledging that DeSantis signed a 15-week abortion ban this year, Rykaczewski said he could win if the Florida governor pursues stricter abortion laws and wants to see younger blood in the White House.

I think DeSantis is awesome. I love that he has a young family, Rykaczewski said. There may come a time where if DeSantis steps up and becomes the pro-life advocate that I need him to be, I’ll probably support him.

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