According to several news outlets, the March 25-28 Conservative Political Action Conference, more commonly known as CPAC, was poorly attended by the younger conservatives who had come in large numbers in the past. The New York Times notes for example that “youths themselves, and their conservative energy, were nowhere to be seen among the rows of empty chairs.” In fact, the disconnect between young conservatives’ aspirations and their current leaders has been growing for years—but it has come to a head in recent months, around both policy decisions and representation. Some young conservative critics of the Make America Great Again movement go as far as describing the movement as “cultish.” The recent Israeli and American attacks on Iran further eroded their support for MAGA.

Meanwhile, the political streamer and commentator Nick Fuentes is incredibly popular among young conservatives. Fuentes first started political streaming in 2017 while studying at Boston University. He has repeatedly expressed extreme right-wing views under the guise of parody or lampoon, including one instance where he questioned the death toll of the Holocaust. Framing these views as parody allows him to claim he does not truly hold them when confronted, a strategy that young conservatives are also now using to great extent and effectiveness. As Jan-Werner Müller argued in What Is Populism? “Populism is not just any mobilization strategy that appeals to the people; it employs a very specific kind of language” (Müller 2016: 40). While Nick Fuentes does not fully fit the ideal type of a populist, he is incredibly skilled at using the language of populism to sway his audience and distract his opponents in order to win debates, especially when it comes to conspiracy theories. Fuentes has encouraged his followers to show up to many right-wing events, especially those attended by President Trump and have them ask about conspiracy theories in order to spread these ideas. His supporters also believe that President Trump and his cabinet are not pushing far right enough.

Nick Fuentes is a proponent of ethnonationalism. He specifically pushes white supremacist views, to the point where he created his own version of CPAC known as America First Political Action Conference. As Steven Fish writes in “The Power Of Liberal Nationalism,” “multiethnicity—or rather the prospect of it—has been a source of contention …, where illiberal politicians warn of the ruin they claim immigrants could bring”. A recent example pointed out by Fish is Orban’s 16-year rule in Hungary. Fish quotes a speech from Orban: “We must state that we do not want to be diverse and do not want to be mixed.” Ethnonationalism is just as much of a threat to democracy as populism, but from a different and typically more extreme angle.

Supporters of Nick Fuentes (who refer to themselves as “Groypers”) are increasingly splitting MAGA. Populism requires a central figure to rally around, a charismatic leader that the group can rally behind. Fuentes has managed to break down this role by convincing the young conservatives of the nation to move even further right into ethnonationalist views. He uses his stance and power in order to spread the idea that a white ethnonationalist state is the way that America should be. He also encourages the use of political violence. Fuentes is a grave example of the danger that ethnonationalist views can bring to a country, and of the power of social media and streaming services in spreading these ethnonationalist and violent rhetoric.





References
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/30/style/cpac-scene-maga.html
Müller, Jan-Werner. 2016. What Is Populism? University of Pennsylvania Press

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/paul-gosar-afpac-cpac-fuenetes-b1808678.html

Steven Fish The Power Of Liberal Nationalism. Journal of Democracy

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2017/08/18/area-teen-rallied-in-charlottesville-got-death-threats-now-planning-move-to-solidly-red-alabama/

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/11/11/20948317/alt-right-donald-trump-jr-conservative-tpusa-yaf-racism-antisemitism