Washington (AP) – Conservatives from all over the country have a ballroom a few blocks from the White House and complained that the United States give up the ideals that have closed a huge nation. Some participants attracted red hats with various inscriptions, which President Donald Trump and his movement “Make America Great again” mocked.
It was the largest meeting of the “Principles First Summit”, which expanded Trump’s second term in order to welcome independent and central democrats as part of a common anti -authoritarian goal for democracy.
“This is no time to bend your knee,” said Heath Mayo, who five years ago in the first five years ago for self -identified politically homeless conservative trained lawyers. “This is a time to give up your spine, get up and prepare for a long fight.”
But three days with conversations and accusations left 1,200 participants without a clear roadmap to resolve Trumps for the conservative movement and the national identity of America. There was not even a consensus about whether they could fight in republican balls, hike to the democratic party or find another way.
“You feel better to know that you are not alone and that you are not crazy,” said Jeff Oppenheim, a retired colonel of the US Army from Austin, Texas. “The question is how you can implement this in action in a political system that is very difficult to influence because it is structured so that two parties have complete control.”
Mark Cuban, the co-moderator of the entrepreneur and the “Shark Tank”, who was one of Kamala Harris’ best-known surrogacy last autumn, received a rousing ovation when he entered the stage, but swore that he did not swore for the White House would run. He dismissed the Democratic Party profane as unable to sell its own message.
“I’m not here to throw him under the bus,” said Cuban about Trump and praised the skills of the Republican President as a marketer who convinced that the voters could support them.
The Democrats, said Kubaner, make their criticism of Trump arguing because they are “not worth value”.
Trump’s allies mocked the meeting in advance as full of “Rinos” or Republicans. Steven Cheung, Communication Director of the White House, called it on his government account “The Cuck Convention”. The word “Cuck” that describes a man who likes to have his wife sex with other men was often used during the campaign to insult and demask rival.
In his second term, Trump has a much greater control over the Republican Party, with allies in the entire congress and the loyalty of the most basis of the party. But his few remaining rivals within the party argue that there are still opportunities to break his hold.
Former US MP Adam Kinzinger, a common goal of the Trump, which was one of the people to get preventive pardon from President Joe Biden anger over the billionaire Trump consultant Elon Musk and his comprehensive steps to dismiss federal workers, agencies to close and limit the federal services.
Kinzinger asked the critics to improve the pressure in public environments, since the critical audience of the town hall, he argued, offered the “most unpleasant” moments of the work of a politician.
“At the moment, Republican members of the congress fear one person: Donald Trump. They don’t fear you, ”said Kinzinger. “If you start to fear you have to have a different calculation.”
Julie Spilsbury, a council member from Mesa, Arizona, wants to maintain her place in Republican ranks. Like more than two dozen participants and speakers who were interviewed by the Associated Press, Spilsbury gave up their 2024 list for Harris for the President. However, she also publicly supported the democratic candidates and said it was a question of “character and integrity”.
She now looks like a continued recovery of Trump supporters in Mesa.
“If you are looking for something you can do, send me 10 US dollars for your retention campaign, Spilsbury told the participants of the conference.
As ASA Hutchinson, the former governor of Arkansas, who headed in the Republican presidential regulations in 2024, and Colorado governor Jared Polis, a centristic democrat, offered carefully measured assessments of the opening weeks of Trump, she received mixed or subdued answers. The reaction was particularly deafening when Hutchinson said he believed Trump when the president says he would respect court decisions in the many early challenges of his executivations.
For the police officers who tried to protect the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, and their relentless assessments of Trump and his pardon of 1,500 supporters who violated the seat of the congress, they were looking for many who Had fiscal authorities had violently attacked and violated his apologized law enforcement authorities.
“We have to capture the outrage and hold on to anger and put the fear aside,” emphasized Michael Fanone, a former Washington officer, who was attacked by rioters. When asked whether he would accept an invitation to speak to Trump, Fanone said that the president was unable to be convinced that he was wrong and released him with an obscenity.
Fanone and his co -officers were later addressed on a lobby on the upper floor of Enrique Tarrio, Enrique Tarrio, freed from the trump’s prison. The following day, the principles of the first guides received an e -mail bomb threat, the fanone, the address of his mother and other potential goals expressly mentioned. The summit space was evacuated when the police from Washington and Secret Service swept the region and found no bomb that could complete the conference on Sunday evening. The organizers blamed Tarrio, which contested the claim in a contribution in his social media.
Maria Stephan, a progressive in her first principles for the first time, described the evacuation as “encouragement” in view of the topics of the weekend.
But Rich Logis from Broward County, Florida, accused caution as a former Maga acolyte, whose red hat is now: “I left Maga.” Another wave of converts, according to Logis, comes, if Trump continues to impose tariffs, reduces public services and imposed guidelines that the Americans violate.
“Everyone has to find their own fracture,” said Logis. “Our job is to be there when you talk to people while finding it.”
