For young conservatives invested in the party, the Trump drama, legal and otherwise, hasn’t diminished their support.
ADRIAN FLORIDO, HOST:
Although the 2024 election is 15 months away, some Republicans already know where they stand.
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (Singing) Trump. trump trump
FLORIDO: This happened during an event organized by Turning Point Action, a group focused on engaging young conservative activists. And unlike young Democrats, who are lukewarm about President Biden, these young Republicans feel pretty good about former President Donald Trump. NPR’s Elena Moore reports.
ELENA MOORE, BYLINE: Eighteen-year-old Mya Conrad stands at the back of a packed ballroom. Trump is about to take the stage.
MYA CONRAD: Obviously I’m super excited.
MOORE: She’s a new voter, but before 2024, she’s made up her mind.
CONRAD: I’ve been a fan of his since 2016, when I was 12, so OG Trump fan. I love all the other candidates. I think it’s a very solid lineup, but I’m very loyal to the MAGA movement.
MOORE: Conrad is one of more than 2,500 students attending a recent conference for young conservatives in West Palm Beach, Florida.
AUSTIN NELLIUS: Trump all the way. I’m on that Trump train.
MOORE: That’s 23-year-old Austin Nellius. He’s a cabinet maker from Pennsylvania who also does political podcasts. For him and many others here, Trump is the clear answer. But what about the candidate after Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis?
NELLIUS: And I think conservatives would have been more in favor of supporting him in ’28. But now that he’s running against Trump, I feel like his chances are shot in the long run.
MOORE: And the rivalry between Trump and DeSantis came up a lot. But for student Megan Ramon, these kinds of intimate fights turn her off.
MEGAN RAMON: The Republican Party as a whole is, like, so divided. And, like, really, our ultimate goal should be to win.
MOORE: When it comes to winning, the primary is just the first step. Finally, it could be just another Biden-Trump rematch, bringing up the issue of age. At 80, President Biden is the oldest president ever elected. But Trump is only three years younger and held the same title before Biden. Also, despite Biden’s low approval ratings among young voters, Americans under 30 have voted overwhelmingly for Democrats. So Republicans have their work cut out for them, especially as far-right leaders continue to take positions on social issues that don’t resonate with much Gen Z and younger millennials.
BLAINE HIBBERT: Look. I am pro-life. I’m pro-gun.
MOORE: That’s student assistant Blaine Hibbert. He says Republicans can’t lose sight of what drives undecided voters, so pocketbook issues, the economy, gas prices, all that jazz.
HIBBERT: There you have it: We have to deal with these conservative fiscal issues where the left is not with us.
MOORE: But for some young conservative voters like student Cierra Becker(ph), it’s a lot less about politics and a lot more about personality.
CIERRA BECKER: If Trump is in the Republican Party, I vote for him. If he were in the Democratic Party, I would vote for him there. It’s really a, I like Donald Trump, not necessarily, I’m a Republican or a Democrat.
FLORIDO: But as the primary season heats up, Trump’s road to the White House is already rocky this year. He has been indicted once on state charges and once on federal charges. He is now likely to be indicted for a third time in connection with his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
(SOUNDTRACK OF THE POLITICAL ANNOUNCEMENT)
DONALD TRUMP: They’re not coming after me. They’re coming after you, and I just happen to be standing in their way. And I will never move.
MOORE: For Hailee Berlin, 23, who was torn between Trump and DeSantis, the research makes her like Trump more.
HAILEE BERLIN: It fueled my fury. And I wasn’t really thinking of voting for him, but now I am.
MOORE: So, at least for young conservatives invested in the party, the Trump drama, legal and otherwise, won’t diminish their support. Elena Moore, NPR News, West Palm Beach, Florida.
(RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS SOUNDTRACK, “SCAR TISSUE”)
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