Over the past few days, both former president Donald Trump and his vice president, Mike Pence, have spoken at conservative student conferences, giving very different messages.
On July 23, Trump took the stage at Turning Point USA’s annual Student Action Summit in Tampa, Fla., where he proceeded to mock the January 6 committee, calling Representative Liz Cheney (R., Wyo.) “unhinged,” lumping her in with other “political thugs” who “perpetrated the lies that I was an agent of Russia.”
Who were those of whom Trump spoke kindly? He gave a shout-out to Doug Mastriano, a “stop the steal” candidate whom Democrats helped to win the Pennsylvania GOP gubernatorial primary.
He also called Matt Gaetz, who is under investigation for his alleged involvement in child sex trafficking, “a great guy and a tough guy and our friend.” At the same conference, Gaetz had remarked that “the women with the least likelihood of getting pregnant are the ones most worried about having abortions.”
“No one wants to impregnate you if you look like a thumb,” Gaetz added.
Although he correctly touted his administration’s accomplishments and condemned the evil that the Left is perpetuating, affirming that there are only two genders, the vitriol and personality politics tainted his speech’s good sections, just as his conduct in the aftermath of his loss in the 2020 election stained his presidential legacy.
“I was the most persecuted person in the history of our country,” he said.
In contrast, today in Washington, D.C., Pence spoke to a crowd of students at Young America’s Foundation’s National Conservative Student Conference. There, he affirmed his commitment to being “a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican — in that order.”
He also outlined a new platform for the future of the conservative movement, a “Freedom Agenda,” which he had meant to unveil at the Heritage Foundation the previous night, though his flight into town was canceled.
“God must have had different plans for today,” he said. “In fact, He must have decided that a talk about the future, a talk about an agenda for the future, should be given to the rising generation. A talk about the Freedom Agenda should be given to the freedom generation.”
First and foremost, he called for the movement to build on pro-life victories. He praised the justices who sent Roe v. Wade “to the ash heap of history.” Now, he said, the fight for life continues in the legislatures of every state in the Union.
“We save the babies, we save America,” he told the students.
He also called for American educators to dispel the myths of critical race theory and for the states to supplement the effort with school-choice legislation, so that parents can give their children good opportunities, no matter their zip code.
He also called for Americans to rely on the system of free enterprise that has served the country so well and to support the freedom fighters in Ukraine who are standing up for their homeland against Russian aggression.
“I believe this Freedom Agenda provides a clear road map for conservative leaders like all of you to connect deeply with the American people on their top priorities,” he said.
Conservative students should take note of the actions and rhetoric of the leaders in the movement they choose to admire, as well as the student organizations that give them and their allies a platform.
The choice should be clear. They can either emulate lies and narcissism that poorly represented the conservative movement’s ideology and grand history, or they can embrace a message of articulating hopeful policy to help Americans for the future.