Mario Carrillo: Extreme Vision on Display at CPAC “Dangerous, Ugly and Against the Wishes of the Rest of America.”
Washington, DC – A new recap from America’s Voice summarizes the disturbing proceedings on display last week in Dallas at the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) Texas conference. As the new analysis highlights:
“The conference participants, the base of the GOP, cheered authoritarianism, normalized political violence, attacked LGBT+ rights, echoed domestic terrorists, and advanced 2020 election conspiracy theories. From the opening event with Texas Governor Abbott to the closing rant from former President Donald Trump, speakers also openly embraced white nationalist conspiracy theories and delivered non-stop attacks on immigrants.”
Among the CPAC Texas speakers highlighted in the report include:
- Viktor Orbán: The opening keynote speaker, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, whose recent speech on “race-mixing” was described by a now-former aide as “a pure Nazi speech,” set the tone for the event. Obrán’s flagrantly christian nationalist, aggressively anti-LGBTQ speech directly called for unity with the American right. On immigration, he championed a “zero-migration” policy and claimed that he “built the wall.” He also said, “we were the first ones in Europe to say no to illegal migration and stopped the invasion,” echoing the white nationalist conspiracy that migration constitutes an “invasion.”
- Donald Trump, who said “we must stop the invasion at our southern border,” followed by a full 21 seconds of applause from CPAC attendees.
- Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA): proudly declared herself a “christan nationalist” while on the CPAC stage.
- Rep. Mayra Flores (R-TX): Rep. Flores appeared as part of a panel with two of the most vocal promoters for the white nationalist conspiracy that migration constitutes an “invasion” – Arizona’s GOP gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake and former Trump official Tom Homan. During her remarks, Rep. Flores attacked as “the enemies within” those who work with the refugees, asylum seekers, and other migrants at the border. That’s right – the faith leaders, local charities, and service providers who devote their energies and time to welcoming the stranger and supporting vulnerable migrants and asylum seekers are to Mayra Flores, “the enemies within.”
The full report detailing more from CPAC Texas is available here.
According to Mario Carrillo, Texas-based Campaigns Director for America’s Voice:
“Rep. Mayra Flores and Cassey Garcia’s attendance at Dallas CPAC raises serious questions they must answer before facing voters in November. From start to finish, the conference was packed with echoes of the white nationalist conspiracy theory about a migrant invasion that inspired a domestic terrorist to murder 23 people three years ago in my hometown of El Paso.
Election conspiracies, European authoritarians, and homophobic attacks also took center stage. And in the case of Rep. Flores, the intellectual “father” of family separation touted his early endorsement of her campaign from the stage. These are the friends Mayra Flores and Cassy Garcia keep, and they need to answer whether or not they reject or embrace their ideas.
Despite the cheers from the extremist crowd in Dallas, white nationalism and anti-immigrant nativism is falling flat outside the Republican base. As we highlighted yesterday, Gallup polling finds that 70 percent of Americans think immigration is a “good thing” for the country.
It’s a reminder that leading and ascendent anti-immigrant GOP figures – from Donald Trump to Mayra Flores – are advancing a vision for the country that resounds with the existing base of the hardline, MAGA conservatives, but is dangerous, ugly and against the wishes of the rest of America.”
- Read about the America’s Voice bilingual campaign, “Show Me Your Friends,” initially focused on six Republicans running in House battleground districts that run along parts of the U.S./Mexico border, including Texas GOP candidates Mayra Flores, Cassy Garcia, and Monica de la Cruz. Watch an explainer video about the campaign HERE. Watch individual videos focused on each of the GOP candidates HERE.
