WASHINGTON – Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL) joined Fox Report with Jon Scott on Fox News Channel to discuss the conservative youth movement and Turning Point USA's annual AmericaFest.
"There is a conservative movement amongst the youth in this country... They saw the terrible policies of the Democratic left":
"There is a conservative movement amongst the youth in this country, and it's really found in a couple of things. One, these young people, they've grown up whether its from elementary school into high school or high school into late college or into adulthood. They saw the terrible policies of the Democratic left. They saw the control from massive news media who were either limiting debate or eliminating debate altogether. And I think you got to understand that young people, they really are the customizable generation. They will find information. They will find sources on multiple platforms in multiple ways. And so what they really relish is open debate, is abrupt conversations, direct honesty, and really focused on the future of America, the value systems of America, and the policies that are going to allow America to continue to thrive because they want the same American dream that they have seen other people take advantage of in our country. And for them, I think it's even more visceral because of social media, because of the connectivity of young Americans. They're able to see this information in real time from multiple sources. And I think they crave it, I think they want it for themselves, and so that's why so many of them flock to Turning Point."
"If you're just going to build an organization just because you have TDS and you oppose Donald Trump, that's simply not going to be durable enough":
"I don't think they're [Democrats] going to be successful in trying to replicate something like Turning Point. They do lament that they don't have an organization or a strategy amongst young people to get them to be motivated. But the reason why I'm not overly concerned is because, yeah, the Democrats can put together an organization, but what is it going to be based upon? What is the value system? What are the policies? What are the cultural undertones that are going to allow it to continue to grow and be effective? And I think this is an issue that the Democrats in particular are running into because their party really is a party of factions, not a party of ideals. And if you're going to be able to organize young people into the future, there are going to have to be some bedrock fundamental principles where you're going to have to have an agreement on. If you're just going to build an organization just because you have TDS and you oppose Donald Trump, that's simply not going to be durable enough."
