With an eye on the 2024 election, young conservative influencers are trying to get a handle on how to reach out to their increasingly alienated generation and pull them back to the Republican Party.
In interviews with Newsweek, the young conservatives admitted they are struggling, with more than a few saying they aren't getting the help from Republicans they need to back up their messages.
Speaking with Newsweek's Katherine Fung, conservative commentator and OutKick podcaster Tomi Lahren, who built her reputation as a staunch defender of Donald Trump, said she is worried about 2024 -- particularly following reports that Joe Biden's digital strategy team is working hand in hand with liberal influencers to reach out to more young voters.
"If we want to win [the 2024 election], we're going to have to understand what our best chances of actually winning are and be honest: Is what we're influencing about winning an election or about, what I call, personal grifting?" she complained
Lahren added that as much as she loves Trump, she's afraid he has become unelectable -- a common refrain heard from Republicans -- and that conservatives as a group need to coalesce around a single message.
"I love Donald Trump. I loved him as my president. He was the greatest president of my lifetime. I wish he was my president now," Lahren, who has 4.2 million followers combined on Twitter and Instagram, explained before adding, "I'm afraid that Donald Trump, as the nominee, will cause people to vote for Joe Biden just because they hate Trump."
She also noted that the former president faces an uphill battle in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Arizona, and that the "facts on the ground" bear that out.
"Am I willing to be loyal to a losing candidate just to be loyal? No, I have to be loyal to my country first and if I see another candidate that embodies the America First principles, but can win, I would be stupid to not advocate in that direction," she admitted.
Influencer Rob Smith, founder and CEO of advocacy group Stop Woke, also complained that Republicans spend too much time waiting and hoping that a major celebrity will step into the fray and advocate for a conservative position -- even if it is just once.
"You have a lot of people who have a lot of different ideas, that have a lot of different expertise," he explained. "When any mainstream Hollywood celebrity happens to say something conservative or anything semi-Republican, the conservative movement sort of embraces them and says, 'Hey look, we're cool, too.' It's ridiculous and it's embarrassing."
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