On the surface, Pierre Poilievre’s recent appearance on the Joe Rogan <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtbGgSwuE_U">podcast</a> had more good than bad. The Conservative leader came across as likable, down-to-earth, and clear. He stressed the need to unleash Canada’s energy potential. He called for cutting regulations that have suppressed innovation. He pushed for lower government spending. These are all sound ideas and Canada would surely benefit from them.
But one key moment showed the real substance of Poilievre’s platform: empty individualism. This view defines human dignity as absolute self-expression. It not only cheapens human life, it weakens the institutions that support Canadian culture.
The moment happened when Rogan critiqued the current state of Canada’s euthanasia program.
Rogan expressed a reasonable concern. He noted that <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0j1z14p57po">1 in 20</a> Canadian deaths now come from so-called assisted suicide or Medical Aid in Dying (MAID). Poilievre replied that he believes people should “have the choice” to be euthanized. His main concern was the idea that it would be offered to kids or to people whose only condition is mental illness.
In other words, his issue is not with Canada’s current euthanasia rules. His issue is only with suggestions that have not yet become law.
Canada’s euthanasia regime is abhorrent, with or without amendments. Track 2 euthanasia lets individuals apply for MAID based on an incurable physical condition. This includes a disability. The Atlantic recently <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/0">published</a> a piece on the ethical and practical questions facing “providers.” A more accurate word would be deprivers. These providers must interpret euthanasia rules on their own. One story described a doctor who euthanized a man in his 30s. The man had a treatable form of cancer, but he had refused all other treatment. This made his condition “irremediable.”
Human dignity should be the first commitment of any conservative. Poilievre often touts individual rights. Yet he ignores the most fundamental one: the right to life. To say someone has an intrinsic right means they possess it simply because of who they are. It does not depend on what they do.
But Poilievre’s willingness to allow euthanasia for those who are suffering and dying sends a clear message. It says the value of human life depends on personal judgment.
His criticism of euthanasia for the mentally ill is confusing. If people should have a “freedom” to die on their terms — in Canada that includes the terminally ill, disabled, and chronically sick — why must those symptoms be physical? In fact, we know they often are not.
Stories abound of individuals struggling with depression who have applied for MAID. One <a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/kiano-vafaeian-medical-assistance-in-dying">example</a> is 26-year-old Kiano Vafaeian. He was struggling with vision loss and depression.
At the heart of Poilievre’s blunder on euthanasia is a false understanding of human dignity. Ironically, it is the same understanding that drives the woke excesses of the Liberal elite. They see dignity as absolute self-expression. This empty individualism separates life’s meaning from the broader context of nature, community, and tradition.
When applied to culture, this leads to a cheapening of human life. It is no surprise that places that legalize assisted suicide see an increase in overall suicide rates. Chosen or not, Poilievre fails to understand one key point. Euthanasia is a symptom of a sick, depressed, and lonely culture.
A culture that is killing itself is not going to be saved by lower housing costs. Economic prosperity can certainly help but it is not the sole solution.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Joe Rogan Experience #2470 - Pierre Poilievre" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JtbGgSwuE_U?start=706&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Poilievre’s wholesome vision for Canada is admirable. He wants a future where families enjoy the fruit of their labor without government interference. Ideally, they live in a white-picket-fenced home that they can afford. But this vision is unachievable without cultural renewal. The expressive individualism of the Liberal and Conservative elites will not deliver that renewal.
Canadian culture is not only suicidal it is also sterile. Nearly <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/11638221/canada-ultra-low-fertility/">one in four</a> Canadian women in their 40s have no kids. Last year, Poilievre was absurdly <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/pierre-poilievre-biological-clock-1.7499220">reprimanded</a> by Liberal MPs. They criticized him for recognizing that unaffordable housing causes couples to run out of time to start families before their “biological clocks” expire. The idea that government should be completely impartial to marriage and fertility rates is ludicrous.
These rates can give a glimpse into the hope people place in their future. Economic strain can suppress this hope and so can a nihilistic culture that has cheapened human life. The family is not merely an economic unit. It is a legacy-making enterprise. A culture that sees no value in life beyond individual expression makes the self-sacrificial reality of marriage seem absurd.
Unlike Poilievre, a true conservative recognizes that dignity is not rooted in our personal judgment. It is intrinsic to who we are. Our identity should be understood in reference to the people, institutions, and traditions that shape us. We should seek economic prosperity. But we should not seek it at the cost of the integrity of those institutions.
Poilievre has an impressive ability to explain those institutions. One of the best moments from the podcast was his explanation of the Westminster tradition, which is deeply connected to Canada’s British heritage.
What Poilievre takes for granted is this: hopelessness grows when people feel isolated. Yet the political elite — both Conservative and Liberal — expect the average Canadian to accept this isolation without complaint. Canada has some of the highest immigration rates per capita in the world. Conservatives claim to support assimilation into Canadian culture but they lack the ability to identify and preserve what is exemplary of that culture.
At Confederation, Canadian culture wasn’t divorced from a broader religious and moral consensus. It was founded against the backdrop of a predominantly Christian society. The 1871 census showed over <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/cambridge-history-of-religions-in-america/religion-in-canada-18671945/3AA29A820C78AB35B6F22D2F4F763E65">98%</a> of the population as Christian. All 36 Fathers of Confederation were raised in a Christian tradition. This included Roman Catholicism, Anglicanism, and Presbyterianism. Yet Poilievre’s policies, especially on immigration, fail to take this into account. His view is that anyone can “become” Canadian. He defines it loosely as a belief in “freedom.” This view will not produce the assimilation needed for cultural unity. It will lead Canada further down the path of cultural decay.
Does this mean that people of non-Christian faiths should not come to Canada? Not at all. But it does mean that policymakers should protect the shared morality, customs, and traditions passed down from the time of Confederation. They should make judgments on immigration policy with prudence. They should keep the interests of Canadians in mind. Those interests should not be measured only in economic output. They should include cultural unity.
Poilievre’s discussion was typical of the decades-long drift of the Conservative establishment. It has moved toward a “balancing the budget” style of liberalism. This style redefines human dignity. It has cheapened human life. It has undermined the family. It has squandered Canada’s cultural inheritance. It has failed.
Moving forward, the Conservatives should let their party’s name guide their ideology. Canadians do not just want lower costs, they want flourishing families. They want a unified nation and a culture of hope. That is the true mission of conservatism. The Conservative establishment would do well to remember it.
* * *
Liana Graham is a research assistant in domestic policy at the Heritage Foundation. She is originally from Oakville, Ontario, Canada.

jre poil

The Most Telling Moment Of Poilievre’s Joe Rogan Interview

Assisted Suicide

Canada

Conservatives

Euthanasia

Heritage Foundation

Joe Rogan

Pierre Poilievre

Wayne LaPierre

Hollywood is great at keeping secrets. 
Ellen DeGeneres built a career on a relentlessly nice persona that belied her behind-the-scenes cruelty. Harvey Weinstein’s Midas touch distracted us from his predatory encounters with starlets. And Sean “Diddy” Combs turned out to be more than a music mogul — he allegedly presided over a garish, sex-obsessed ring.
The new Hollywood Blacklist, by comparison, is out in the open. Conservative artists, beware. Sharing your point of view can cost you. Dearly.
Yet very few industry types will admit or decry it. And we’re seeing even more evidence of it.
<div id="attachment_1059531" style="width: 842px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1059531" class="size-large wp-image-1059531" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-854869502-832x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 27: Cheryl Hines and Larry David attend the &quot;Curb Your Enthusiasm&quot; season 9 premiere at SVA Theater on September 27, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)" width="832" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-854869502-832x576.jpg 832w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-854869502-300x208.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-854869502-768x532.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-854869502.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 832px) 100vw, 832px" />Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images</div>
Cheryl Hines has been working nonstop for decades, even if we all know her best as Larry’s exasperated wife (then ex-wife) on HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
But a funny thing happened to Hines on the way to her husband Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.&#8217;s endorsement of Donald Trump.
The roles dried up.
The in-demand comic actress hasn’t had a new gig since “Curb” wrapped two years ago. Is she turning work down? Or did her phone stop ringing? What could have changed?
Hines has been polite on the subject in a barrage of interviews, suggesting her Hollywood friendships have strained under that political weight. She also isn’t a part of Larry David’s upcoming HBO comedy series, an untitled satire co-produced by the Obamas.
The Daily Mail added that the Obamas <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-15000917/Cheryl-Hines-Larry-David-new-HBO-barack-michelle-obama.html">won’t allow Hines</a> to be part of the show.
She even got <a href="https://x.com/bradleywhitford/status/1827444691316732393?lang=en">called out</a> by Emmy winner Bradley Whitford on social media for her political ties.
<blockquote>…way to stay silent while your lunatic husband throws his support behind the adjudicated rapist who brags about stripping women of their fundamental rights. Gutsy. Great example for the kids. Profile in courage.</blockquote>
She also may have lost a long-term friendship with former podcast partner Tig Notaro. The two <a href="https://people.com/tig-notaro-reflects-on-strange-friendship-fallout-from-cheryl-hines-over-rfk-jr-trump-ties-11923515">hosted “Tig and Cheryl: True Story”</a> for three years before ending the show in May of 2023. Notaro helped end the show due to Hines’ husband’s political aspirations, though it’s unclear why that element had to be a show stopper.
<div id="attachment_1059545" style="width: 825px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1059545" class="size-large wp-image-1059545" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-13-Mar-2026-01-23-PM-8640-815x576.jpg" alt="PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 31: Cheryl Hines attends the Third Annual &quot;Starry Starry Night Gala&quot; at Chaparral Country Club on January 31, 2026 in Palm Desert, California. (Photo by David Crotty/Getty Images)BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 07: Tig Notaro attends the 62nd Cinema Audio Society Awards on March 07, 2026 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Lizeth Ramirez/Getty Images)" width="815" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-13-Mar-2026-01-23-PM-8640-815x576.jpg 815w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-13-Mar-2026-01-23-PM-8640-300x212.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-13-Mar-2026-01-23-PM-8640-768x543.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-13-Mar-2026-01-23-PM-8640-1536x1086.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-13-Mar-2026-01-23-PM-8640-2048x1448.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 815px) 100vw, 815px" />Hines: Photo by David Crotty. Notaro: Photo by Lizeth Ramirez</div>
Notaro suggests politics didn’t end their friendship, although it clearly forced her to quit the podcast.
<blockquote>I realized one day that she doesn’t ever reach out to me anymore. She responds to me, but she doesn’t reach out to me. I had to kind of shake myself out of denial that, ‘Oh, she’s gone,’ and, ‘OK, I need to let this go. I need to let it go.’</blockquote>
Others in Hollywood likely did just that to Hines. The Hollywood Reporter even suggested that would <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/cheryl-hines-rfk-jr-drop-presidential-race-trump-1235981992/">happen due to her political ties</a>. The actress has been on the Left for some time, for what it’s worth, but she’s being judged based on her husband’s views.
Dennis Quaid has defied the new Hollywood Blacklist. For now.
The 71-year-old screen legend stays busy, including a supporting turn in the new Netflix action romp “War Machine.” He even starred as the title character in 2024’s “Reagan” and admitted to being a President Donald Trump supporter during the film’s publicity push.
<div id="attachment_1059553" style="width: 875px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1059553" class="size-large wp-image-1059553" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2263942335-865x576.jpg" alt="CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 27: Actor Dennis Quaid (R) joins U.S. President Donald Trump as he speaks at the Port of Corpus Christi on February 27, 2026 in Corpus Christi, Texas. Trump visited Texas to deliver remarks on affordability and economic issues less than a week before the state's midterm primary elections on March 3rd. (Photo by Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)" width="865" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2263942335-865x576.jpg 865w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2263942335-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2263942335-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2263942335.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 865px) 100vw, 865px" />Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images</div>
Still, the work keeps on coming. That’s more common with established, Right-leaning actors like Tim Allen, Kelsey Grammer, and Jon Voight. But Quaid’s political leanings, which he describes as more independent than doctrinaire conservative, still found him singled out by a peer.
A peer who recently joined him on screen.
Nick Offerman and Quaid worked together on last year’s “Sovereign,” the story of an anti-government zealot (Offerman) who pushes his conspiracy theories too far.
Offerman didn’t share a negative word about his time on the set with Quaid on the “Lovett or Leave It” podcast with former Obama speechwriter Jon Lovett. Instead, he insulted the actor <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg2smuJfxN8&amp;t=1s">for thinking the “wrong” way</a>.
“Right after we finished the movie, he suddenly came out with a gospel country record and went on Tucker Carlson and f***ing [Sean] Hannity to play his Trump gospel songs,” Offerman said. 
“What? He’s a hero of my life. I’ve looked up to him. He’s a great actor.”
<div id="attachment_1059591" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1059591" class="size-large wp-image-1059591" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2219737581-864x576.jpg" alt="SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 12: Nick Offerman speaks during a press conference at Pier One Sydney Harbour on June 12, 2025 in Sydney, Australia. Offerman and Mullally will take the stage for, Unscripted and Unfiltered, to close out Vivid Sydney 2025. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2219737581-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2219737581-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2219737581-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2219737581.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Brendon Thorne/Getty Images</div>
Later, the “Parks &amp; Recreation” alum doubled down on both Dennis and brother Randy Quaid. The latter worked in Hollywood for years, but a <a href="https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/randy-quaid-wife-evi-hollywood-refugees-exclusive-interview/story?id=12020421">series of bizarre incidents</a> coaxed his exit from the industry.
“[Randy Quaid] was very crazy, and he went away, but Dennis kept it under wraps until last year,” he continued. “But he’s now gone.”
The Blacklist-style bigotry isn’t relegated to the film industry. Hip hop superstar Nicki Minaj didn’t don a red MAGA hat during President Trump’s first term, but in recent months, she noticed how the Republican leader <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-deep-sense-of-gratitude-nicki-minaj-praises-trump-for-action-on-persecuted-christians">supported Christians being persecuted in Nigeria</a>.
<div id="attachment_1059621" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1059621" class="size-large wp-image-1059621" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2258679012-864x576.jpg" alt="WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 28: Musician Nicki Minaj (L) joins U.S. President Donald Trump on stage as he delivers remarks during the Treasury Department's Trump Accounts Summit at Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on January 28, 2026 in Washington, DC. &quot;Trump Accounts&quot; are a portion of recently passed tax and spending legislation where the federal government will deposit $1,000 into investment accounts for every child born between 2025 and 2028 once parents sign their children up while filing their income taxes.  (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2258679012-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2258679012-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2258679012-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2258679012.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Win McNamee/Getty Images</div>
That resonated with her, and she eventually threw her celebrity cache behind the unorthodox leader. Within weeks, she became the comic target of Grammy host Trevor Noah at the gala’s annual soiree.
<blockquote>Nicki Minaj is not here…She’s still at the White House with Donald Trump, discussing very important issues.</blockquote>
He then broke out his Trump impression as the Tony crowd chortled.
<blockquote>Actually Nicki, I have the biggest ass! Everybody’s saying it. I know they say it’s you, but it’s me. WAP, WAP, WAP. Look at it, baby.</blockquote>
Her crime? Being an independent thinker, and no progressive star in Hollywood or the music industry had her back.
And actress Katherine Heigl could be next. The once-in-demand star of “Grey’s Anatomy” appeared in public earlier this month to support the Big Dog Ranch Rescue gala at Mar-A-Lago, Trump’s private retreat.
<div id="attachment_1058339" style="width: 973px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1058339" class="size-large wp-image-1058339" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Katherine-Heigl-963x576.jpg" alt="Katherine Heigl" width="963" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Katherine-Heigl-963x576.jpg 963w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Katherine-Heigl-300x180.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Katherine-Heigl-768x460.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Katherine-Heigl.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 963px) 100vw, 963px" />Manny Hernandez/Getty Images</div>
She even brought her mom to the red carpet gala.
Heigl had to make a public statement after appearing at the apolitical event, defending her passion for worthy causes by saying, <a href="https://pagesix.com/2026/03/11/celebrity-news/katherine-heigl-hits-back-at-fans-politicizing-her-attendance-at-mar-a-lago-rescue-event/">“animals don’t vote.”</a> Could that one appearance impact her chances at a Hollywood comeback?
Ask Offerman.
And this is the stuff we see in public, not the behind-the-scenes cancellations and attacks. It’s likely far worse there.
The unofficial conservative blacklist may have weakened in recent months, with high-profile stars like Zachary Levi and Sylvester Stallone supporting Trump without overt blowback.
In some ways the bigotry against Right-leaning artists is as strong as ever.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic, and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

President Trump Speaks Port Of Corpus Christi In Texas

Hollywood Still Blacklists Conservatives — Now They Don’t Even Hide It

Cancel Culture

Cheryl Hines

Comedy

Dennis Quaid

Donald Trump

Entertainment

Hollywood

Nicki Minaj

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

White House

Spend five minutes on social media and you might think the conservative movement is falling apart.
Republicans are arguing about a lot these days, from foreign policy to strategy for the next election.
Healthy debate is part of politics. But while those arguments dominate the headlines, something far more significant is happening quietly in the background.
Conservatives are starting to win the culture war again.
And the recent collapse of the proposed <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/warner-bros-signs-110-billion-deal-with-paramount-ends-bidding-war-with-netflix-2026-02-27/">Netflix–Warner Bros. Discovery deal</a> is a perfect example.
Netflix <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/netflix-taps-bank-explore-bid-warner-bros-discovery-2025-10-30/">sought</a> to absorb the company, which would have created an even larger streaming giant with massive influence over what Americans watch and, increasingly, what messages they are expected to absorb.
Hollywood and the streaming industry no longer just produce entertainment. They shape culture. They shape narratives. And for years, many of these institutions have leaned heavily into progressive activism and the kind of <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/disney-ceo-asked-if-company-is-too-woke-says-it-will-cater-audience-2022-10-26/">“woke” messaging</a> that <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2020/01/24/u-s-media-polarization-and-the-2020-election-a-nation-divided/">alienates</a> millions of Americans who simply want to enjoy a movie or television show without being lectured.
Then the political pressure began.
President Trump publicly opposed the merger. Conservative voices <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/feb/03/senate-netflix-warner-bros-discovery-merger">raised concerns</a> about media consolidation and about expanding the power of cultural institutions that already lean heavily to the Left.
Suddenly, what looked like a routine corporate deal became something else entirely — a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/trump-says-he-will-stay-out-netflix-paramount-fight-over-warner-bros-2026-02-05">cultural flashpoint.</a>
And in late February, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/warner-bros-signs-110-billion-deal-with-paramount-ends-bidding-war-with-netflix-2026-02-27/">the deal collapsed.</a>
Even more interesting is what happened next. Paramount, another bidder — backed by Larry Ellison, one of the most outspoken <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/business/factbox-oracle-chairman-larry-ellisons-history-of-support-for-trump-idUSKBN2652RV/">pro-Trump voices</a> in American business — stepped forward.
That’s not just a business development. It’s a signal.
For years, conservatives were told the culture war was unwinnable. Hollywood was too powerful. Silicon Valley was too dominant. Corporate America had permanently aligned itself with <a href="https://www.reuters.com/breakingviews/corporate-america-is-caught-dei-ratchet-2025-02-21/">progressive politics</a>.
The message from the Left was simple: accept it.
But over the past few years, conservatives discovered something important: pressure works.
Bud Light learned that lesson the hard way. A <a href="https://apnews.com/article/bud-light-anheuser-busch-inbev-earnings-46b6412f84b5e8884caea941fc069d2f">tone-deaf marketing campaign</a> sparked one of the most successful consumer boycotts in modern American history. Billions in market value evaporated and one of the country’s most recognizable brands suffered lasting damage.
Cracker Barrel experienced <a href="https://apnews.com/article/cracker-barrel-logo-trump-8b496da282deef3d8d0618c3f9f4db46">similar backlash</a> when customers pushed back against progressive messaging that had little to do with serving breakfast.
Now Netflix is feeling that same pressure.
For years, corporate executives believed they could align openly with progressive activism without facing real consequences. Diversity bureaucracies <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/factbox-us-companies-drop-diversity-policies-after-trumps-order-2025-02-27">expanded</a>. Political messaging crept into advertising campaigns, entertainment content, as well as <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/disney-investors-reject-proposal-withdraw-hrcs-diversity-index-2025-03-20/">corporate statements</a>.
The assumption was that conservatives might complain, but they would keep buying the product.
That assumption is no longer safe.
Businesses respond to incentives. They always have.
When conservative consumers stay quiet, companies drift Left. When conservative consumers push back, companies suddenly <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/bud-light-loses-top-us-beer-spot-after-mulvaney-ad-boycott-2023-06-14/">start reconsidering their strategy</a>.
The Biden years showed what happens when one side dominates the cultural conversation. Progressive activists shaped corporate messaging. DEI programs spread rapidly across major institutions. Hollywood and streaming companies increasingly <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/disney-ceo-says-company-will-quiet-noise-culture-wars-analyst-2023-09-20/">reflected the worldview of a narrow ideological class</a> in Los Angeles and Silicon Valley.
How many culture-war victories did conservatives get during those years? Not many.
But elections change incentives. President Trump’s election sent a clear signal: the cultural dominance of the Left was no longer inevitable.
Corporate leaders began to realize that tens of millions of Americans were no longer willing to be dismissed or mocked by the cultural institutions that dominate entertainment and media.
Does this mean conservatives suddenly control Hollywood? Of course not. The entertainment industry will remain overwhelmingly liberal for the foreseeable future.
But the dynamic has changed.
For the first time in a long time, the cultural institutions that shape American entertainment are being <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/disney-ceo-says-company-will-quiet-noise-culture-wars-analyst-2023-09-20/">forced to recognize</a> that half the country will no longer sit quietly while those institutions push politics into every corner of popular culture.
That recognition alone represents a major shift.
Conservatives win when they stay engaged. When they vote. When they speak up. And when they refuse to accept the idea that <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2020/01/24/u-s-media-polarization-and-the-2020-election-a-nation-divided/">cultural power belongs exclusively to elites in Hollywood</a>, Manhattan, and Silicon Valley.
The culture war isn’t decided in one election or one corporate deal. It’s a long struggle over the values that shape American life.
But corporate America is beginning to understand something it ignored for years: pressure works.
Bud Light <a href="https://apnews.com/article/bud-light-anheuser-busch-inbev-earnings-46b6412f84b5e8884caea941fc069d2f">learned it.</a> Cracker Barrel <a href="https://apnews.com/article/cracker-barrel-logo-trump-8b496da282deef3d8d0618c3f9f4db46">learned it.</a> And now Netflix is learning it too.
* * *
Jason Chaffetz served as a member of the U.S. Congress from 2009 to 2017. He chaired the House Oversight Committee.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Elon Musk Urges X Followers To Cancel Netflix Subscriptions Over Controversial Animated Show

The Lesson Corporate America Keeps Learning The Hard Way

Business

Corporations

Leftists

Netflix

Paramount

Warner Bros

Woke Culture

I was told that an email from Ann Coulter is what led David Keene to hire me in 2006.
She wrote, “You only have to tell Lisa to do something once.”
Despite all the drama, I hope he never regretted it.
While David was chairman of the <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/mar/9/david-keene-maestro-conservative-movement-dead-80/">American Conservative Union</a>, a volunteer position, I worked with him as the Director of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) from June 2006 to April 2011. In planning the conference there were many ups and downs. I’m sure there were times when I disappointed David in some effort, but I can’t think of any time when he disappointed me. Even though I was only 28 when I began as CPAC Director, he gave me the same opportunity to give my opinion when I disagreed with a board member, sponsor, speaker, or member of Congress. Not to brag, but I won a couple of those battles.
During the five years I worked with David, I was privy to the way he worked within the conservative movement. I saw him compromise with people he didn’t like and who didn’t like him. I saw him defend people he disagreed with on issues because it was the right thing to do. I saw him make decisions based on what was best for the conference attendees and nothing else. I was on a high when he once told me a speaker idea I had was “inspired.”
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_1056821" style="width: 576px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1056821" class="size-full wp-image-1056821" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/UW-Madison.jpg" alt="Source: YAF at UW-Madison@WisconsinYAF" width="566" height="522" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/UW-Madison.jpg 566w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/UW-Madison-300x277.jpg 300w" sizes=" (max-width: 566px) 100vw, 566px" />Source: @WisconsinYAF</div>
One of the things I admired most about David is that he’s not one of those Old Guard members of the conservative movement who don’t value dissent or new blood. As the chairman of ACU/CPAC, he fought to give everyone a seat at the table. Those like Chris Barron, who endeavored to start a group that represented conservative gays and their allies. As well as leaders of the Tea Party movement who criticized his friends in Congress.
David was adamant about including emerging conservative leaders as speakers at the conference. In February 2010, it was his idea to invite Marco Rubio, who was then a long shot in the Republican primary against Charlie Crist, to be the opening speaker at CPAC. He knew the value of sending that message to his Republican friends and to the media.
I’ve seen him give dozens and dozens of young leaders and unknown activists a place in the spotlight over the years. I was fortunate to be one of them. I’m sure it’s because he still thought of himself as one of us — and he was! On <a href="https://www.newsmax.com/john-gizzi/david-keene-political-strategist-obit/2026/03/08/id/1248779/">Newsmax</a>, John Gizzi wrote about David’s decades in the conservative movement that began on his college campus.
When Rush Limbaugh was the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w32hFilBAUg">closing speaker</a> at the 2009 conference, it was David who suggested I introduce Rush. We knew the speech would be covered by many of the networks, and it was a very visible spot. David didn’t insist on some well-known Congressman or Senator, donor, or head of a prominent conservative organization. He suggested me because during one of our planning sessions, I said Rush was the person who got me excited about being a conservative. Rush was my Reagan. 
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_1056729" style="width: 614px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1056729" class="size-full wp-image-1056729" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Rush-cpac.jpg" alt="Source: Kevin McKeever" width="604" height="453" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Rush-cpac.jpg 604w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Rush-cpac-300x225.jpg 300w" sizes=" (max-width: 604px) 100vw, 604px" />Source: Kevin McKeever</div>
The same thing happened a few years later when Donald Trump was scheduled to make a surprise appearance at the conference (thanks to Chris Barron!), and I expressed interest in introducing him because I enjoyed Trump’s candor — also no one else asked. How times have changed.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-1056731 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Trump-cpac-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Trump-cpac-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Trump-cpac-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Trump-cpac-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Trump-cpac-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Trump-cpac.jpg 1280w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></div>
From time to time, friends or acquaintances came to me with an idea or project and requested a meeting with David. Unless the timing just didn’t work out, I don’t recall any instance when David refused to meet with someone. He was always available to give young conservatives advice and to listen to what they had to say. In fact, it is because of David that CPAC became a must-attend event for College Republicans and other conservative students. In CPAC’s early years, David made a promise to President Reagan that CPAC would never be priced out of reach for students and young activists. Even when hotel costs went up, student registration was always between $25-50 ($15 for early bird rate). He also knew the value of CPAC as a reunion for the “vast right-wing conspiracy.” It wasn’t just about what was happening on stage, but the conversations that happened in the bar, at ancillary events and in the hallways. It was where people met future coworkers, allies, and spouses.
Even though I hadn’t spoken to David in years, it is very important to me that he be remembered for the intellectual and activist giant that he was. In the five years I worked for him, I learned which battles were worth fighting. I learned the importance of being supportive of friends. While I wish I could have worked for David longer than I did (we both left in 2011), I’ll always be grateful to him for giving me a chance to lead CPAC during an important time for the conservative movement. I’ll also remember the man he was in a city and industry that treats people as disposable and transactional. 
As his daughter Kerry wrote, “I will remember not the public figure, but a father who welcomed me as his own, who gave me a home, and my first job.”
I will always think of him that way, too.
* * *
Lisa De Pasquale is an author, columnist, and the former director of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). She&#8217;s a frequent guest on Fox News and Fox Business, the founder of <a href="https://getbright.substack.com/p/david-keene-a-conservative-og-who">&#8220;Bright&#8221; on Substack</a>, and the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Gen-Handbook-Middle-Age-Fulfillment/dp/B0F4PMD8J6">author of</a> “The Gen X Handbook for Middle Age: The Pursuit of Health, Success, and Human Fulfillment.” De Pasquale has authored articles for a variety of publications including The Federalist, Washingtonian, The Daily Caller, and The Washington Times. Follow her on Twitter/X: @LisaDeP and on Instagram at @Lisa_DeP.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Leading Conservatives Attend 40th Annual CPAC

David Keene Bet On Young Conservatives Before Anyone Else Did

CPAC

Republicans

Rush Limbaugh

There&#8217;s a coalition of people who are uniting to take down the United States.
These people are cowards, plus liars, plus people who despise America.
It&#8217;s a coalition of scavengers.
There are the cowards who mouth platitudes about how much they really didn&#8217;t like the Ayatollah, but then they spend their days talking about how the United States couldn&#8217;t and shouldn&#8217;t ever do anything about that.
There are the liars who literally craft stories out of nothing in order to undermine America.
And finally, there are the actual American haters who are often both cowards and liars, and really, really just despise America and her pursuit of our national interests in the world.
That coalition is now coming together, but it&#8217;s not going to win because President Trump is going to win this war.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2380-the-ben-shapiro-show?elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=Recent+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-974957" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-300x50.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-768x128.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1536x256.webp 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-2048x341.webp 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
Let&#8217;s start with the cowards. These are the people who pretend they didn&#8217;t like the Ayatollah very much, but they&#8217;re really, really upset when anyone takes action. So, for example, they&#8217;re really, really mad that international law — the precious gewgaw of the pseudo-intellectuals — has somehow been violated.
Yes. If we don&#8217;t have Myanmar&#8217;s approval of a military strike on the ayatollahs or China&#8217;s approval — and if there is one country we need approval from, it is China, currently oppressing a billion people — or Russia —which is currently engaged in an aggressive war of conquest in Ukraine while throwing dissenters out of random third-story balconies at hotels — we need Russia&#8217;s approval?
That&#8217;s international law. And if we don&#8217;t have their approval, the mullahs must remain immune.
Here is the pathetic Mark Carney <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBFuFwPrdpY">of Canada:</a>
<blockquote>The current conflict is another example of the failure of the international order. Despite decades of UN Security Council resolutions, the tireless work of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the succession of sanctions and diplomatic frameworks. Iran&#8217;s nuclear threat remains. And now the United States and Israel have acted without engaging the United Nations or consulting allies, including Canada.</blockquote>
Who gives a sh*t? Really? You guys can’t even win a hockey match.
My favorite part of that is when Carney suggests the IAEA has been thwarted for decades, and U.N. resolutions have been ignored for decades, and now the United States and Israel won&#8217;t even go to the U.N.
He just said why those organizations are trash and do nothing. But oh, my gosh, we didn’t turn to Canada with its vast military prowess. Do we need to drop maple syrup on the Iranians?
New York City’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, who has been happy to express support for terror supporters throughout his entire career, is now hiding behind international law as cover for his consistent opposition to Western strength.
Asked if Iran was “better off without the Ayatollah,” he <a href="https://x.com/Acyn/status/2028907502436532281?s=20">answered</a>:
<blockquote>I&#8217;ve said before that the Iranian government has engaged in systematic repression of its own people, even killing thousands of Iranians who were seeking to express the most basic forms of dissent earlier this year. It is a brutal government. And I&#8217;ve also said that while I may be a young mayor, I am old enough to remember the devastating consequences of our country pursuing a war with the intent of regime change in that very same region, not that many years ago.</blockquote>
The answer should be, &#8220;Yes.&#8221; 
Even if you have questions about what comes next, the answer should be yes. Yes, Iran is better off without Ayatollah Khamenei. But according to Mamdani, the important thing is saying that the ayatollah is really bad — but the minute anybody does anything, that is so much worse. We have to make sure that Khamenei stays in place because, after all, “the Iraq war.”
This Iraq War syndrome nonsense that has been promoted by the Left and then the horseshoe Right together, that every war is Iraq, every single intervention is Iraq, is ahistorical and absurd and tripe.
In 2015-2016, candidate Donald Trump ran on the platform that the Iraq war was bad — which was a controversial opinion inside the Republican Party at the time. The idea that he is now going to engage in a new, long-lasting occupation — not the first three weeks of the Iraq War, where the United States kicked the living hell out of Saddam Hussein and ended his regime, but what came after that, is ludicrous.
By the way, the first three weeks of the Iraq War were, by every available metric, a win for the United States. It was what came after that became problematic.
The argument of the cowards and liars is that Trump is going to engage in Bush-style nation-building in Iran.
Then there are the cowards who slander Israel to somehow imply that Israel is the bad guy in the conflict between Israel and Iran.
Take Gavin Newsom, who is absolutely slimy. As I said before, the man takes more positions on politics than the Kama Sutra. This is the same guy who, in an interview with me, freely admitted that Israel had not committed genocide in Gaza. Last night, however, he went on with the “Pod Save America” bros, knowing he had to please their Israel-hating asses.
Thus, he immediately started <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/gavin-newsom-israel-apartheid-state-1236521231/">talking about</a> how Israel is an apartheid state.
False.
20% of the Israeli population is Arab Muslim. They&#8217;re on the Supreme Court. They are in the medical system. A huge percentage of Israeli doctors are Arab Muslims. They&#8217;re in every area of Israeli society.
How can it be apartheid for Israel to have delegated certain parts of land to, for example, the Palestinian Authority, a terror-supporting group?
But Gavin Newsom knows he has to mouth these platitudes to his far-Left friends if he wants the nomination, because the Democratic Party — as Senator John Fetterman said yesterday on my show — is moving dramatically away from Israel.
Here&#8217;s Gavin Newsom <a href="https://x.com/clashreport/status/2029085070321938865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2029085070321938865%7Ctwgr%5E4fb64ae5ce1adc6ac7ef128a0ea3c54c4dfb046a%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com%2Fnews%2Fpolitics-news%2Fgavin-newsom-israel-apartheid-state-1236521231%2F">telling lies</a> and being a coward, speaking of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
<blockquote>He&#8217;s got his own domestic issues. He&#8217;s trying to stay out of jail. He&#8217;s got an election coming up. He&#8217;s potentially on the ropes. He&#8217;s got folks, the hard line, that want to annex the West or the West Bank. I mean, (Thomas) Friedman and others are talking about it, appropriate, sort of an apartheid state. They couldn&#8217;t even, I mean, we&#8217;re talking about regime change. For two years, they haven&#8217;t even been able to solve the Hamas question.</blockquote>
Asked about rethinking our military support for Israel. He replied, “It breaks my heart, because the current leadership in Israel is walking us down that path where I don&#8217;t think you have a choice. But that consideration, I mean to say this is in America&#8217;s interest at a time when affordability crisis levels, where you had an administration literally got elected, saying this is exactly the opposite of what they would ever consider doing. The fact that we are in this now regional war, all these proxies.”
He is a coward and a liar.
The fact of the matter is that blaming the attack on Iran on Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, is a lie. There&#8217;s complete solidarity in Israel from Left to Right on what Israel is doing right now. From Yair Lapid, who is on the Left, to Naftali Bennett, the chief rival to Netanyahu, to Yair Golan on the far, far, far Left, everyone agrees on this.
But when you are a coward, and you&#8217;re afraid of your own party, you have to start lying.
And then there are the actual liars, the people making actual stories up out of nothing. Stories they know aren&#8217;t true, but they push them anyway. The catastrophists aren&#8217;t actually worried about World War III or a long-standing boots on the ground occupation, but try to lie to Americans that they are.
Thus, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), who has had his own shady history with the truth when it comes to his purported military service, said <a href="https://x.com/yashar/status/2028975539214782618">he&#8217;s worried</a> that we&#8217;re going to put boots on the ground.
Does he mean that there might be special operators on the ground? Because if we&#8217;re talking about special operators on the ground, welcome to the real world, where the United States has special operators on the ground all over the world, everywhere from Asia to Africa and the Middle East.
But that&#8217;s not what he was implying. He was implying a gigantic airlift of hundreds of thousands of troops, a gigantic boots on the ground footprint. It&#8217;s a lie. It is untrue.
It&#8217;s astonishing to watch this while he is wearing the American flag/Ukraine flag pin on his lapel.
“I am more fearful than ever after this briefing that we may be putting boots on the ground, and that the troops from the United States may be necessary to accomplish the objectives that the administration seems to have, but I also am no more clear on what the priorities are going to be given this regime going forward,” he <a href="https://x.com/yashar/status/2028975539214782618">hyperventilated</a>.
These are lies. It&#8217;s not true.
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), directly from the Native American reservation, from her teepee, says that <a href="https://youtu.be/DxrTqQEZ69s">there is no plan</a>.
And she would know because, after all, she is a military leader and expert.
“I just left a classified briefing on Iran,” she huffed. “And here&#8217;s what I can say: It is so much worse than you thought. The Trump administration has no plan in Iran. This illegal war is based on lies and it was launched without any imminent threat to our nation. Donald Trump still hasn&#8217;t given us a single clear reason for this war, and he seems to have no plan for how to end it either. Like a lot of you, I am really angry. I am angry at what Donald Trump is doing, and I feel grief for those already killed in this unnecessary conflict. And I will keep doing everything I can to fight to end this war.” 
What a liar she is. What an absolute liar. President Trump hasn&#8217;t explained it? What&#8217;s been happening for the past 50 years?
This notion that no one knows why, that what has happened is some mystery out of the blue?
No one believes that.
The idea that there&#8217;s no plan here is horsesh*t. There is a plan here, and the military is laying it out, but the liars are going to lie.
Finally, there are the American haters. There are a lot of people who live in America who truly hate America.
There&#8217;s an easy way to tell who hates America.
If you call America a terrorist organization for killing one of the world&#8217;s most evil dictators, for example, I know you hate America.
If you say that the United States is the worst terror organization in the world, you don&#8217;t like America, period, because that is such an overt lie.
That is such a moral calumny that there can only be one explanation, and it is your deep and abiding hatred for America&#8217;s role in the world.
To make that argument, you have to deliberately obscure the difference between actual terrorists who deliberately seek to kill innocent people and nation states seeking to avoid civilian casualties, often while fighting those actual terrorists.
That is the point for people who hate America: To reduce America to the level of its enemies in order to uphold those enemies. 
You also hate America if you claim that the president of the United States is merely a tool of foreign interests without any evidence whatsoever. You are promoting lies directly mirroring those of the Iranian terrorist government, in direct contravention of truth and of the Trump administration&#8217;s own words.
President Trump was asked directly whether it was Israel that was leading him around. He <a href="https://x.com/realDailyWire/status/2028877941808005217">fired back</a>, “I might have forced their hand. You see, we were having negotiations with these lunatics, and it was my opinion that they were going to attack first. They were going to attack if we didn&#8217;t do it, they were going to attack first. I felt strongly about that. And we had great negotiators, great people, people that do this very successfully and have done it all their lives, very successful. And, based on the way the negotiation was going, I think they were going to attack first.”
Another game that the Coalition of Scavengers is playing here with regard to President Trump is that what he&#8217;s doing right now is wildly unpopular with the American people.
According to CBS News, 85% of Republicans support the president&#8217;s strikes on Iran. 
According to Fox News, 84% of Republicans support the strikes on Iran. 
According to The Washington Post, 81% of Republicans support the strike on Iran. 
According to Reuters/Ipsos, 82% of Republicans support the strikes on Iran.
So, it doesn&#8217;t sound like much of a split inside the Republican Party.
Military households approve of the current action against Iran by a 20-point margin, 60-40. One of the great ironies of all the people on the Left and the horseshoe Right who claim to speak in the name of the military is that they very rarely actually talk to people who are in the military. The military is quite conservative and hawkish when it comes to actual effectuating of American foreign policy.
The lesson of all this?
Be a lion, not a scavenger.

Lions

Cowards, Liars, And The Anti-American Alliance

Ben Shapiro

Democrats

Elizabeth Warren

Gavin Newsom

Iran

Israel

podcasts

Richard Blumenthal

Zohran Mamdani

The national chain Smoothie King has issued an official response to a viral video that appears to show a customer wearing pro-Trump apparel being refused service at one of its locations, saying the employees involved have been fired.
It all started when TikTok user @enl1986 posted a video that appeared to show two employees refusing to take an order from a man she identified as her husband, Jake. 
The stated reason for the refusal of service was that Jake was wearing a sweatshirt with Trump’s name on it.
The interaction reportedly occurred at a Smoothie King location in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
“As a brand, Smoothie King is committed to ensuring our stores are a place free of discrimination of any kind, where every guest and team member is treated with care and respect,” a <a href="https://x.com/SmoothieKing/status/2028689603314458713">statement</a> from the company said. “Following an investigation into an incident involving a guest who was refused service at a franchised location in Michigan yesterday, the franchise owner has taken immediate action and the two employees involved are no longer with the business.” 
The company added that both the franchise owner and corporate representatives had reached out to the guest multiple times to apologize and would continue to follow up. It also said the local owner will implement &#8220;mandatory retraining&#8221; for all employees.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
location in Michigan yesterday, the franchise owner has taken immediate action and the two employees involved are no longer with the business. Both the franchise owner and Smoothie King corporate have reached out to the guest several times to apologize and will continue to follow
— Smoothie King (@SmoothieKing) <a href="https://twitter.com/SmoothieKing/status/2028617911451930774?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In the video, the woman can be heard telling the employees, “We were just wanting a smoothie and you literally looked at us and I asked you if everything was OK and you said: ‘We don’t feel comfortable serving you’ because of my husband’s hoodie. That is discrimination.&#8221;
One of the employees responded, &#8220;OK, well, have a great day.&#8221; 
&#8220;That is illegal,&#8221; the woman replied. A second employee then chimed in, saying, &#8220;I said, &#8216;Trump discriminates [against] us.'&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Woman claims Smoothie King in Michigan wouldn’t serve them because her husband was wearing a Trump hoodie
Any comment <a href="https://twitter.com/SmoothieKing?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SmoothieKing</a>?? <a href="https://t.co/ASmMBDE7gG">pic.twitter.com/ASmMBDE7gG</a>
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/2028398745184817217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“That has nothing to do with us getting a smoothie,&#8221; the woman recording said. An employee responded, &#8220;OK, well, that’s who you support, though, that’s who you love.&#8221;
Later in the video, the woman recording added, &#8220;What’s embarrassing is that we’re American citizens and I wanted to get a smoothie.&#8221; 
At one point, an employee said the store had the &#8220;right to refuse service,” while the man accompanying her described the service refusal as a “crime.” 
The exchange quickly sparked debate on social media, with users divided over whether the employees had the right to refuse service.
“You can be denied service for any reason the retailer decides, it&#8217;s that simple, it doesn&#8217;t matter if the customer is wearing a Trump or Biden hat,” one user <a href="https://x.com/L0rdMoore/status/2028430837432119715">insisted</a>.
Others compared the situation to the infamous Masterpiece Cakeshop case, in which a Colorado bakery owner declined to create a wedding cake for a same-sex couple, a dispute that reached the Supreme Court.

Smoothie King

Smoothie King Refused To Serve Customer In Trump Hoodie, Employees Face Consequences

Discrimination

Michigan

Social Issues

The following is an edited transcript excerpt from <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1922-reasons-for-the-war-in-iran-explained-in-5-minutes">The Michael Knowles Show</a>.
* * *
Many people are debating the war with Iran from an ideological perspective.
You’re an interventionist. 
You’re an isolationist. 
You’re America First. 
You’re a war-monger. 
You’re a peacenik.
And right now, these ideological camps are screaming past each other. The isolationists say we should never get involved in foreign wars under any circumstances. The war hawks say America must confront evil regimes wherever they arise. But neither position settles the matter here.
That’s not what this is about.
The two questions, which most of us outside the government simply do not have answers to, are:
First: Was the threat posed by Iran really that great? 
Second: Can we effectively and efficiently install a friendly regime in Iran?
Those are the two questions. Everything else is noise.
If the threat from Iran was high and we believe we can easily install a pro-Western regime, then obviously, this was an awesome move and Donald Trump will go down as one of the greatest presidents in American history. Replacing this regime in Iran has been a high American priority since 1979.
If, on the other hand, the threat was exaggerated and America gets bogged down in an endless war, Trump will have destroyed his legacy and he will go down in much the same way as George W. Bush. That is a serious risk he is taking based on his confidence in the United States military and his confidence in his own statesmanship.
But even that isn’t enough.
The second question is just as important: Can we pull this off?
Can the United States remove the top of the Iranian regime and replace it with something stable, manageable, and at least not actively hostile? Can this be done efficiently, without becoming another Iraq? Without morphing into an endless occupation, a decades-long counterinsurgency, or a regional quagmire?
If the answer to both questions is yes — if the threat was high and the operation can be executed cleanly — then this could go down as one of the boldest and most successful foreign policy moves of our lifetimes. But if the threat was overstated, and if we get bogged down in an endless war, then President Trump will have risked everything. He will have tarnished the very legacy he built running against the Bush-era regime change disasters. That&#8217;s the gamble.
Notice what this debate is not about. It is not about whether America should ever intervene. It is not about spreading democracy to every corner of the globe. It is not about grand ideological crusades. It is about risk assessment.
And President Trump is a risk-taker.
When he says “no more stupid wars,” many people heard “no more wars.” But the emphasis was never on “wars.” It was on “stupid.” When he said “no more endless wars,” the emphasis was on “endless.”
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1922-reasons-for-the-war-in-iran-explained-in-5-minutes">WATCH: The Michael Knowles Show on DailyWire+</a></h3>
This is not being pitched as Iraq 2.0. It is being pitched as a decisive, overwhelming, time-limited force.
The early days have been extremely successful. Military leadership decapitated. Key targets neutralized. A regime that has openly threatened American interests for decades suddenly thrown off balance.
But early success does not guarantee long-term success. A billion things could go wrong.
It can still spiral out of control. Internal Iranian power struggles could produce chaos rather than stability. Intelligence assessments could prove flawed. The costs could still grow and the timeline could stretch.
The president reportedly believes this will be a four- or five-week operation. Those are famous last words in American foreign policy. Every modern war has begun with confident timelines.
So, we are left with the two questions:
How real was the threat?
How feasible is the outcome?
If Iran’s regime truly posed a grave, escalating danger — and if the United States can remove and replace that regime without creating a vacuum — then this operation may reshape the Middle East in America’s favor. It could reset a declining geopolitical trajectory and reassert American strength.
If not, then this will look less like strategic genius and more like overreach.
The ideological shouting will continue. But the serious debate is narrower and more sober. It is not about whether one is a hawk or a dove. It is about whether this specific intervention meets the threshold of necessity and feasibility.
That is the test.

TOPSHOT-US-IRAN-CONFLICT-DEFENSE

Two Questions Decide Whether The Iran War Is Brilliant Or A Disaster

Libertarianism

Michael Knowles

Middle East

Opinion

Pete Hegseth

U.S. Military

The following is an edited transcript excerpt of &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1909-treason-americans-trash-their-own-country-at-the-olympics?elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=Recent+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel">The Michael Knowles Show.</a>&#8220;
* * *
During the Bad Bunny halftime show at the Super Bowl a slogan appeared on the big billboard at Levi’s Stadium, right next to a Bud Light ad. Very fitting. 
The message was posted in all caps on a white background in black text and reads:
“THE ONLY THING MORE POWERFUL THAN HATE IS LOVE”
Then a guy on X <a href="https://x.com/WesleyBout/status/2020692160153370972">tweets</a> it out and writes this message above the image: “imagine getting mad about this and still thinking you’re a good person.”
The post has taken off and gone totally viral. Over 4 million views at this point.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Imagine getting mad about this and still thinking you’re a good person <a href="https://t.co/jWdNzJmCCE">pic.twitter.com/jWdNzJmCCE</a>
— Wesley (@WesleyBout) <a href="https://twitter.com/WesleyBout/status/2020692160153370972?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Credit: @WesleyBout/X.com
Why would you get mad at the transvestite, anti-American, vulgar, degenerate rap singer babbling in a foreign tongue that the vast majority of Americans don’t understand, featuring two men grinding on each other in front of a sports game that is supposed to be viewed by children? 
Why would you get mad about that? How could you get mad about that when he put up a sign that said, “The only thing more powerful than hate is love”?
Imagine getting mad about this meme. This is a meme that the Right uses to make fun of the Left, and the Left is just now doing it sincerely and unironically. And the meme is this: While they’re killing people, slaughtering babies, mutilating little children, flooding the country with rapists and poison peddlers and murderers, the Left comes out and says, Yeah, but we stand for love. We define everything we do as love and everything you do as hate. So we’re actually the good guys. Did you know that?
Did you know that when the libs redefined marriage for basically the first time anywhere in human history, they did so in such a way that excludes mothers from their children’s families — or alternately excludes fathers from families — and leads to all sorts of horrible things, up to and including creating children for the purpose of denying them their natural mother and father? Really heinous stuff. But what did they say? They said, Love is love. Love wins. How could you oppose love? We have defined the disordered things that we’re doing, that are contrary to reality and to the common good and human flourishing, we’ve defined them as love. And if you oppose us, you hate love.
Checkmate, conservatives.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1909-treason-americans-trash-their-own-country-at-the-olympics?elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=Recent+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel">WATCH: &#8220;The Michael Knowles Show&#8221; on DailyWire+.</a></h3>
This is like when Anthony Kennedy decided to abdicate his responsibility to interpret the law as a Supreme Court justice. Instead, he decided to write cheap romantic poetry that is fitting for an eighth-grade English class. He decided that his interpretation of the Constitution was going to find a right to privacy, just as he earlier, in an abortion case, had found a right to define the sweet mystery of life somewhere in the Constitution.
I don’t know where it is.
And they say, Look, we support mystery, we support love, we support life.
That’s the key here. Because when your lib friends send that meme around — hate is worse than love, love beats hate — how could you get mad at that? 
At that point, you should tell them that you are pro-life. And they are angry at people who are pro-life. How? Imagine being against life and thinking you’re the good guy.
And what would they say? They’d say, No, no, no, but you’re not really pro-life. You’re anti-choice. You want to control women’s bodies.
They would use all of their own silly euphemisms.
That’s when you say to them: Okay, before we get into the abortion issue, I just want to point out you have granted me the premise. You have accepted the premise that sometimes people use words in ways that can be misleading or tell a partial truth, or at the very least can be euphemistic. You’ve granted that point, right? Okay, great. So you don’t like my phrase “pro-life”? I think pro-life is an honest phrase that accurately depicts what we’re talking about. But you dispute that. Okay, fine.
Then let’s dig into the real substance of it. I support the law coming in and restricting women from going to a medical professional to kill her baby. That’s what we’re talking about. You want to get past the euphemisms and the slogans? That’s what we’re talking about. And what you support is women being able to kill their babies in defense of their own disordered autonomy. Right? That’s what we’re talking about.
With marriage, you support excluding mothers or alternately fathers from marriage and denying babies their natural mothers or fathers. Okay. That’s what you support, along with other acts that we don’t even need to get into when it comes to gay marriage. I support that babies have a demonstrated right to their mothers and their fathers.
Nevertheless, I think you will find that the libs love to promote all their slogans: “love beats hate,” “love is love,” “love wins,” or whatever. I think you will find conservatives, on the other hand, are more than happy to put the slogans aside and talk about the real issue.
The libs will focus on more and more hyperbolic and preposterous slogans. They will do whatever they can to avoid looking at the real issue. They will only speak in euphemisms, and that very fact tells you everything you need to know.
Yes, all politicians use slogans, but the way they use them tells you everything you need to know about the issues.
Conservatives use slogans and euphemisms to try to convey the truth. The Left uses slogans and euphemisms to deny the truth.

Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show

When Super Bowl Slogans Replace Truth In American Politics

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Bad Bunny

Hate Speech

Liberals

Super Bowl

Breaking into the arts is difficult under any circumstances. Doing so as an openly conservative theater producer? Well, that’s nearly impossible. Robert Cooperman knows this better than anyone because he appears to be the only one who actually did.
Do a quick search of “conservative theater companies” and you’ll find just one response: <a href="http://stagert.org">Stage Right Theatrics</a> in Columbus, Ohio. Cooperman founded the company in 2016 with the mission of presenting plays that reflect a conservative point of view. For the past decade, that decision has come with predictable consequences.
Stage Right has been boycotted, mocked, marginalized, and largely ignored by the local theater establishment and media. Cooperman himself has been branded a “clown,” a “fascist,” a “racist,” a “homophobe,” and every other label that conservatives are usually called.
“Right from the start, I was considered unserious or dangerous by the theater community, said Cooperman. “One member said I was dismissive of theater being a safe space for marginalized people.”
But despite the valiant effort to trample it into the dust, Stage Right has survived, and even thrived, in a world where liberals believe they “own” the arts and entertainment.
<div id="attachment_1040369" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1040369" class="size-large wp-image-1040369" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/theater-864x576.jpg" alt="Stage Right Theatrics-The Uncanny.jpg: These are the lead characters, Sophia and Richard, in our 2022 production of Andrew Klavan's superb play, &quot;The Uncanny.&quot;" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/theater-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/theater-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/theater-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/theater-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/theater-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/theater-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/theater.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Stage Right Theatrics. &#8220;The Uncanny&#8221; by Andrew Klavan.</div>
In January 2017, the company staged its first Conservative Theatre Festival, a modest one-night event featuring six short plays by conservative writers from across the country. The name was intentional and unapologetic. Stage Right was announcing itself to an industry that prides itself on “diversity” while blatantly discriminating against conservatives at every turn.
To the surprise of no one, progressives responded with derision and outrage, while conservatives showed genuine curiosity. Stage Right offered something rarely seen before. Instead of presenting conservatives as caricatures, they were painted as multi-faceted, inherently interesting individuals. The work was pro-tradition, pro-culture, and anti-woke.
What followed over the next decade was more of the same. The Left’s treatment of Stage Right mirrors its approach to every conservative institution. They kept up with the intimidation, ridicule, shunning, and a smug moral superiority. Despite their best efforts, Stage Right kept right on existing and promoting values that used to be mainstream.
<div id="attachment_1040377" style="width: 877px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1040377" class="size-large wp-image-1040377" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/stage-right-shop-867x576.jpg" alt="Donut Shop Dates.jpg: From my 2019 annual festival. That's me and my wife, Sandra, in the lead roles. The play, &quot;Donut Shop Dates,&quot; is by Jeff Strausser." width="867" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/stage-right-shop-867x576.jpg 867w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/stage-right-shop-300x199.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/stage-right-shop-768x510.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/stage-right-shop-1536x1020.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/stage-right-shop.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 867px) 100vw, 867px" />2019 annual theater festival. Robert and Sandra Cooperman in &#8220;Donut Shop Dates&#8221; by Jeff Strausser.</div>
After the 2024 election, Cooperman briefly held out hope that the cultural temperature might shift. It wasn’t just that Trump was elected president, but more that voters indicated their exhaustion with endless woke virtue signaling and the dismantling of Western traditions. Instead, the leftists came out kicking and screaming.
“I really thought, naively it turns out, that the Left would see very clearly the moral and philosophical direction the country embraced in the 2024 election, said Cooperman. “I thought they would realize that they have been losing audiences — and now voters — and that the election results might humble them a little bit to reach out to half the population they have been disparaging for years. I was wrong. They doubled down.”
One incident clearly illustrates the hostility.
Following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Cooperman dedicated three performances of Eugene O’Neill’s “Desire Under the Elms” to Kirk’s commitment to free speech. He framed the dedication as a celebration of the free exchange of ideas and invited post-show discussion.
<div id="attachment_1040383" style="width: 809px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1040383" class="size-large wp-image-1040383" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/eugene-ONeill-799x576.jpg" alt="Desire.jpg: From my 2025 production of Eugene O'Neill's &quot;Desire Under the Elms.&quot;" width="799" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/eugene-ONeill-799x576.jpg 799w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/eugene-ONeill-300x216.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/eugene-ONeill-768x554.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/eugene-ONeill-1536x1108.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/eugene-ONeill.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 799px) 100vw, 799px" />Stage Right Theatrics. Eugene O&#8217;Neill&#8217;s &#8220;Desire Under the Elms.&#8221;</div>
The response was ugly. Audience members shouted that the dedication was “inappropriate.” Someone scrawled “Bigot” on a box of playbills. A lead actor threatened to quit. Two patrons demanded refunds. Word spread quickly through the local theater community, further isolating Stage Right.
This cultural enforcement extends far beyond Columbus. When President Trump restructured the Kennedy Center’s board with the stated aim of broadening ideological inclusion and halting overtly woke productions from being staged, several prominent artists canceled their performances, claiming the institution had become “political.”
The irony was glaring. For decades, the Left has insisted that art is apolitical while simultaneously saying anything conservative is propaganda. Institutions like <a href="http://stagert.org">Stage Right</a> and the Trump-era Kennedy Center expose that lie.
While the hostility from the Left was expected, Cooperman now faces a new challenge as conservatives fracture over key political issues.
Cooperman says his pro-Israel stance has led some conservative and libertarian figures to distance themselves from the organization. A prominent podcaster declined an interview for that reason. A local classical academy backed away from a potential partnership. Cooperman now finds himself defending his principles on two fronts, both from friends and foes.
In 2026, Stage Right celebrated its tenth annual Conservative Theatre Festival. He hopes to encourage conservatives not only to criticize the state of the arts, but to engage in them.
There are conservative artists across the country who remain silent, fearing professional or personal fallout. Cooperman understands the fear, but insists that meaningful change requires courage. There will be consequences, but he insists that standing for something true and good is worth the cost.
The theater company&#8217;s motto says it plainly: “Disagreement Does Not Equal Hate.” 
Cooperman also hopes that one day there will be dozens of companies like his across the country.
&#8220;I&#8217;d love to see theatre companies that present counter programming to what is currently being offered by &#8220;mainstream&#8221; theatre,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I&#8217;m not talking about the &#8220;tied and true&#8221; classics that conservatives will generally attend, but experimental pieces and musicals that present a conservative worldview with hope and redemption built into their structure.&#8221;
After ten years, he has learned that no amount of wokeness, past or present, is going to bring him down.

theater

How One Conservative Built A Theater Company The Left Tried To Silence

Acting

Ohio

Theater

Wedding cake visual metaphor with figurine cake toppers

Conservative Influencer Cheating Scandal: Was The Manosphere Right All Along?

Andrew Tate

Catholicism

family

Marriage

Matt Walsh

Relationships

Western Civilization

Conservatives are used to being called names: racist, sexist, transphobic, and the list goes on. Typically, these charges are rooted in policy differences: If you oppose DEI and racial quotas, the Left will call you racist. If you oppose men competing in women’s sports, you’re a transphobe. These labels are weapons used to advance political narratives, and typically deserve the same attention as an unhinged, all-caps comment in your X feed. They should be ignored.
Yet when it comes to sexism, conservatives should consider how their messaging makes the sexist charge stick with women who otherwise might join our movement. Conservative leaders aren’t misogynists, but particularly when speaking to and about women, they are sometimes tone deaf.
Take the issue of marriage and family life. For good reason, conservatives frequently trumpet evidence showing the benefits of marriage and family formation. Children raised by married parents enjoy a long list of benefits. Married women and men are less likely to live in poverty, have better health outcomes, and report higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction than their single counterparts. This is important information for the public to have.
Yet efforts to raise awareness about the benefits of marriage and family formation frequently come across as denigrating childless or unmarried women. Conservatives may think they are countering nihilistic TikTok influencers and gender studies professors who seem driven to convince impressionable young women that marriage and children are the enemies of good mental health, while an OnlyFans career offers true fulfillment. Yet the persuadable women most likely to hear conservatives’ counter messages are women who already recognize the benefits of marriage and children, but who find themselves outside those institutions nonetheless.
Today, nearly 20% of women over age 45 are childless. According to a <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2024/07/25/the-experiences-of-u-s-adults-who-dont-have-children/">Pew survey</a> of childless adults, nearly 40% admit that they once wanted children. That’s almost certainly an understatement since many childless adults likely don’t want to admit, even to themselves, that they regret missing this irreplaceable part of the human experience.
Additionally, about one-quarter of children are being raised by a single parent. Those single parents don’t need to be told how much easier it would be to have another adult helping to give their kids all the love and support they need. They live it every day.
Touting the benefits of a happy family life can seem not so much instructive as rubbing it in. Done wrong, this messaging risks not only alienating childless and unmarried women, but all of those who love them. When women hear that messaging, they don’t solely think about how it impacts them, but also the people they love and worry about the most: their dear best friend who hasn’t found a husband; their beloved, recently divorced sister juggling kids’ schedules and costs. Married women with children will reject those who they see as dunking on their loved ones.
Conservative leaders should also keep this in mind when addressing work-life issues. Of course, parents should know how vulnerable children are in those first months and years of life, and why investing time in them is so beneficial. Yet, when done wrong, those messages can sound like attacks on working women — many of whom would love to downshift their careers but feel like they can’t afford to do so.
It is certainly true that facts don&#8217;t care about your feelings. Political leaders must make policy decisions grounded in clear-eyed reality. Yet it is also true that feelings are often unmoved by facts. That is why, when communicating about sensitive and deeply personal issues, policy leaders must be careful in how they communicate those realities, because poorly chosen words can do far more damage than good.
Republicans do not want to be seen as a party that only values married mothers or only women as mothers. The party also welcomes single women, widows, lesbians, and divorcees — any woman — so long as she shares the core conservative beliefs that personal responsibility, limited government, and free markets are the foundation of a flourishing country.
Republicans should be succeeding in winning women over. Democrats have spent recent years denigrating the very concept of womanhood — as if being a woman is a costume that you can put on and take off. Conservatives took the lead in defending women as a distinct group worthy of equal opportunity and protection under the law. Women saw this and recognized conservatives as the champions of common sense and core women’s rights.
Conservative policies are fundamentally pro-woman: Women thrive in a safe, secure society with a robust economy offering plentiful opportunities for people to pursue their own visions of happiness. This policy vision needs to be communicated carefully, in a manner that shows that women — all women, not just married mothers — are valued and can find a home in our movement.
* * *
Carrie Lukas is the president of the non-profit Independent Women&#8217;s Forum. Follow her on X at @carrielukas.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

TOPSHOT-US-VOTE-POLITICS-EARLY VOTING

When It Comes To Reaching Women, Republicans Aren’t Misogynistic. Just Tone Deaf.

When It Comes To Reaching Women, Republicans Aren't Misogynistic. Just Tone Deaf.

divorce

Family Values

Republican Women

Women

As a member of Gen Z, I am often told my generation is a lost cause for conservatism — too cynical, too progressive, or just too far gone.
That assumption couldn’t be more wrong. Gen Z isn’t rejecting America; we’re demanding that it work again. And if conservatives are serious about reclaiming the soul of the nation, the path forward runs directly through the issues my generation lives with every day.
Gen Z came of age at the crossroads of stability and uncertainty. 
During President Trump’s first term, we witnessed a strong economy, interest rates that opened the door to homeownership, an end to forever wars, and a return to policies that prioritized the family.
Under President Biden, however, millions of young Americans graduated college and took entry-level jobs that barely covered their student loan payments, even as the cost of everything rose faster than their paychecks. They were told to follow the rules — go to college, take on loans, delay adulthood. Then, when those rules failed them, they were blamed.
What frustrates my peers isn’t tradition or responsibility; it’s a system that feels rigged against them. 
That’s precisely where conservatism, properly articulated, can meet the moment.
<h3>Homeownership</h3>
For Gen Z, homeownership feels less like a milestone and more like a fantasy. Sky-high rents that prevent us from putting money into savings, zoning restrictions that choke supply, and inflation driven by reckless federal spending have priced young people out of opportunity. 
Conservatives should call this what it is: a policy failure. Government rules make it harder to build homes, while bad monetary policy drains savings and pushes the dream of stability further out of reach for young families.
If we believe in ownership, stability, and opportunity, then we should lead on reforms that make it easier — not harder — for young Americans to buy homes and build wealth.
<h3>Student Debt</h3>
Then there’s student debt. Gen Z didn’t invent the student loan crisis; we inherited it.
Many borrowers were reckless, and they should repay what they owe. But recklessness was enabled by a federal loan system that treated teenagers as capable of signing six-figure contracts while shielding universities from the consequences of failure.
Subsidies have fueled tuition inflation and reduced institutional accountability, leaving students to bear the full cost of bad decisions — both theirs and the systems.
Conservatives should reject blanket loan “forgiveness” that shifts the burden to taxpayers, but we must also offer real solutions: ending the federal government’s role as a blank-check lender so private institutions once again have incentives to lend responsibly, expanding alternatives like apprenticeships and credentialing, and breaking the cartel between the federal government and higher education. Responsibility cuts both ways—and universities should finally be forced to bear some.
<h3>Building A Family </h3>
Most surprising to pundits — but obvious to anyone paying attention — is Gen Z’s renewed interest in traditional family values. After watching the loneliness, instability, and social breakdown of the last two decades, many in my generation are rediscovering what older generations once took for granted: marriage matters, family matters, and children are not obstacles to fulfillment but central to it. This isn’t nostalgia; it’s realism. Gen Z wants meaning, not just mobility. We want strong relationships, safe neighborhoods, and a culture that doesn’t sneer at commitment.
Conservatives should lean into this—not with lectures, but with policies that make it possible to start and raise a family. That means an economy where a young family has the chance to create a home and build a foundation for the future, a tax code that doesn’t treat marriage like a liability, and leaders who value faith, responsibility, and strong bonds across generations. When conservatives defend the family, we aren’t clinging to the past — we’re offering a future Gen Z actually wants.
The fight for America’s soul isn’t about writing off an entire generation. It’s about proving that our ideas can meet real needs in real lives. Gen Z is open, skeptical, and looking for answers. If conservatives are honest about the economic realities we’re dealing with and defend the institutions that make life meaningful, my generation won’t just listen — we’ll lead.
* * *
Jake Matthews is a communications manager for technology, economics, and energy at The Heritage Foundation.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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Gen Z Isn’t Lost. We’re Looking For A Conservatism That Works.

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