Source: The Bulwark
by Andrew Egger
“One thing you learn about this year’s National Conservatism Conference just by chatting with those in attendance at the Westin DC Downtown is that the National Conservatism Conference apparently sucks now. … Looking around at the rows and rows of empty ballroom seats, hearing the occasional speaker’s admonishment that young NatCons should be more grateful for Trump’s second-term achievements, observing the ‘sure, you can clap’ surprise from daytime main-stage speakers whenever the audience bestirred itself to scattered applause, you could definitely see why they felt that way. … It should be easy going for the NatCons now: Trump is the great uniting figure. Their intellectual project is ascendant, for the moment. But it’s far from clear how any of these people are supposed to keep playing nice when they no longer have Trump’s banner to march behind — or their shared enemies to kick around anymore.” (09/04/25)