Pro-Democracy Conservative Conference Targeted by Extremists
But We're More Determined Than Ever
I had the privilege of attending two inspiring events this past week. First up was the Principles First Summit, a conference of pro-democracy conservatives who’ve been clear about the threat President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement poses to our republic from day one. Around 1,000 guests joined from across the country seeking solidarity and unity.
We heard from many high-profile speakers opposing the direction that MAGA Republicans have taken in recent years. It was encouraging to be surrounded by so many like-minded Americans, united in a shared passion and concern for the U.S. Constitution and future of our republic. We at American Values Coalition were proud to support this effort with a sponsorship.
I ended the week at an event sponsored by the Renew Democracy Initiative. It was a night focused on the shared democratic values Israel and Ukraine represent, and the wars they are fighting in order to secure both their survival and the cause of freedom. Joined by special guests Yuli Edelstein (Chair, Knesset Foreign Affairs & Defense Committee), Dmytro Kuleba (Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine), and Ben Hodges (Commanding General, US Army Europe (2014-17), RDI’s CEO Uriel Epstein led a panel discussion on why America must remain committed to these shared values.
While both events left me full of much inspiration and hope, both were also quickly dampened by stark reminders of how bleak the state of our politics really is.
On the final day of the Principles First summit, while enjoying lunch with several friends down the street, Americans Values Coalition Director Napp Nazworth sent me a message: “We're being evacuated, security threat.” Immediately after receiving that text, I witnessed a police car quickly pull around and block off the street. We jumped up and rushed back to the lobby to check in on the developing crisis. After speaking with Principles First Director Heath Mayo, it came to light that a bomb threat had been sent to the hotel hosting us. (The day before, a Proud Boys leader was at the conference disrupting.)
Mayo shared the email with us. It read in part:
To honor the J6 hostages recently released by Emperor Trump, I’ve constructed four pipe bombs …
… To my family: I simply did what needed to be done. MAGA
(You can read the full message here.)
Thanks to the incredible and quick work of law enforcement, hotel staff, and the Principles First team, the event space was swept and secured quickly and efficiently. Determined not to be slowed by physical intimidation, the Principles First team resumed the conference in a timely manner.
Still, we were rattled.
This ordeal served as a painful indicator of the forces we are up against as we continue to speak up and gather in defense of democracy. It’s not hard to find the direct line from Trump’s violent rhetoric and pardoning of January 6th criminals to the emboldening of this type of behavior. He governs like a tyrannical strongman and enables his most devoted followers to act as his foot soldiers. This results in a direct domestic impact on American civilians.
Following the encouragement of Thursday night’s event with the Renew Democracy Initiative, yesterday’s disastrous White House presser with President Trump, President Zelenskyy, and Vice President Vance reminded me yet again of what we are up against globally.
It’s impossible to overstate the significance of this blatant betrayal of American values, all playing out on the world stage right in front of our very eyes. Our allies are now profoundly aware that we cannot be trusted, and that America is no longer leader of the free world.
While it is tempting to succumb to the threats, intimidation, and overall discouragement of this current moment, the most significant lesson I gained from this week’s events was how important it is for Americans to corporately resist the urge to retreat. Now, more than ever, we must continue to gather. We must align ourselves with all others supporting freedom and democracy, both stateside and abroad, and continue building a broad pro-democracy coalition. There is power in leaning in together, and in freely assembling as a united front to speak the truth.
Darkness will persist, but so will the light.
To quote one of my personal heroes, President Ronald Reagan:
“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”
Even though Trump’s dark, authoritarian impulses are strong, so is the resilience of those across the course of history who have yearned for freedom and democracy, and fought for it. Our collective yearning for freedom is inherent, and in the end, we will win, but only if we do it together.
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What Else We’re Reading
Mediaite: “Young Republicans Group Invites Accused Sex Trafficker Brothers to Speak: ‘As Free Speech Absolutists…’”
The Tampa Bay Young Republicans tweeted an invitation to Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan to come speak to their group, drawing swift criticism for the outreach to the men currently facing charges for human trafficking and related offenses in multiple countries.
The Tates are facing a growing list of legal problems, including criminal indictments in Romania and the UK and lawsuits filed by British women accusing Andrew Tate of rape and severe abuse. The brothers have amassed gigantic online followings; just on X alone they have 14 million followers between them. They are widely credited in MAGA world for helping convince young men to vote for President Donald Trump, but have also been loudly criticized by prominent conservative voices for their misogynistic content, bragging about abusing and demeaning women, including some who were underage.
Michelle Goldberg: “Andrew Tate, Accused of Sex Trafficking, Is Trump’s Kind of Guy”
After all, on the surface, it makes little political sense for the Trump team to support Tate. Doing so may delight some of Trump’s most trollish and terminally online supporters, but plenty of religious conservatives are appalled, including those who are usually reliable Trump apologists. At a news conference on Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida said he wasn’t notified that the Tate brothers were coming, and said that his state’s attorney general was looking at the possibility of charges against them. “Florida is not a place where you’re welcome with that type of conduct,” he said, adding, “I don’t know how it came to this.”
I think we have some idea. On Thursday, Trump said that he knew nothing about Tate’s return to the United States, but even if he’s telling the truth, the people around him have been agitating for it. Last month, when Tate was on “The Benny Show,” a right-wing podcast, Alina Habba, now serving as counselor to the president, joined so that she could say hello to him.
“Your anger is the same that President Trump has for our country, and the time is now for us to stop being wimps,” she gushed. Then she said, “I agree with everything you say, and I have your back out here in the States.”
NBC News: “'Trump Gaza' AI video creators say they don't want to be the president's 'propaganda machine'“
Avital said he was shocked when three weeks later Trump posted it on Truth Social and Instagram with no caption.
He said he was surprised Trump would post a video that contained a scene of him dancing with a woman in a club that wasn’t his wife, and a scene of “himself standing erected in the center of the city as a golden statue, like some sort of a dictator.”
“I would never imagine in my life,” he said.
Link.
NYT: “The Unabashedly Provocative Youth Driving Germany’s Far Right”
The Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, with its anti-immigrant and nationalist platform, has long been the pariah of German politics. Its members have been fined for Nazi slogans and labeled extremist by the government.
Ahead of Sunday’s national parliamentary election, a new band of influencers has found a voice among voters by bringing a more youthful edge to the party known for its provocations and controversies. They welcome the scorn of protesters, journalists and the mainstream political parties. Some of them still trade jokes about Hitler and Jews, along with the occasional Sieg Heil salute.
Their party’s energy and ethos has won approving nods from Elon Musk, an adviser to President Trump, and from Vice President JD Vance. And they have helped elevate the party to second in the polls, even as the political establishment has kept the AfD out of government as part of a longstanding commitment to sideline parties deemed extreme.
Vox: “The Christian nationalist legal scholar behind Trump’s purges”
There are a lot of main characters in the second Trump administration. Donald Trump himself, of course, but also Elon Musk, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and JD Vance.
Russell Vought does not make that list. The soft-spoken bureaucrat was recently confirmed to lead the Office of Management and Budget, not exactly a sexy post. His name isn’t well-known outside of policy circles.
But it probably should be.
Link.
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