WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Conservatives from across the country filled a ballroom a few blocks from the White House and lamented that the United States is abandoning the ideals that forged a great nation. Some attendees donned red hats with various inscriptions mocking and his 鈥淢ake America Great Again鈥� movement.
It was the largest gathering to date of the 鈥淧rinciples First Summit,鈥� expanded upon to welcome independents and center-left Democrats under a shared pro-democracy, anti-authoritarian aim.
鈥淭his is not a time to bend the knee, to play along,鈥� said Heath Mayo, the Yale-educated attorney who founded Principles First five years ago for self-identified politically homeless conservatives. 鈥淭his is a time for stiffening your spine, standing up and getting ready for a long fight.鈥�
Yet three days of conversations and recriminations still left 1,200 attendees without a clear roadmap to loosen and America's national identity. There was not even consensus on whether to fight within Republican spheres at all, migrate to the Democratic Party or find a different path altogether.
鈥淚t makes you feel better to know that you鈥檙e not alone and that you鈥檙e not crazy,鈥� said Jeff Oppenheim, a retired U.S. Army colonel from Austin, Texas. 鈥淭he question is how to translate that into action in a political system that鈥檚 very difficult to influence, because it鈥檚 structured in a way that two parties have complete control.鈥�
Mark Cuban, the entrepreneur and 鈥淪hark Tank鈥� co-host who was one of then-Vice President Kamala Harris' most prominent surrogates last fall, got a rousing ovation when he took the stage but vowed that he would not run for the White House. He dismissed the Democratic Party, profanely, as unable to sell its own message.
鈥淚鈥檓 not here to throw him under the bus,鈥� Cuban said of Trump, praising the Republican president鈥檚 ability as a marketer who convinced voters he could help them.
Democrats, Cuban said, make their critiques of Trump moot because they 鈥渃an鈥檛 sell worth s鈥�.鈥�
Trump's allies mocked the gathering in advance as full of 鈥淩INOs,鈥� or Republicans in name only. White House communications director Steven Cheung called it 鈥渢he Cuck Convention鈥� on his government account. The word 鈥渃uck,鈥� which describes a man who likes to watch his wife have sex with other men, was frequently used during the campaign to insult and emasculate rivals.
Trump has far greater control of the Republican Party in his second term, with and the loyalty of most of the party's base. But his few remaining rivals within the party argue there are still ways to break his hold.
, a frequent Trump target who was among the people to receive a preemptive pardon from President Joe Biden, pointed to in the House and said lawmakers are privately nervous as recent town halls show voter anger over billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk and his sweeping moves to fire federal workers, shut down agencies and limit federal services.
Kinzinger urged critics to ratchet up pressure in public settings because critical town hall audiences, he argued, offer the most 鈥渦ncomfortable鈥� moments of a politician鈥檚 job.
鈥淩ight now, Republican members of Congress fear one person: Donald Trump. They don鈥檛 fear you,鈥� Kinzinger said. 鈥淲hen they start fearing you, that鈥檚 when they start having a different calculus.鈥�
Julie Spilsbury, a councilmember from Mesa, Arizona, wants to maintain her place in Republican ranks. Like more than two dozen attendees and speakers interviewed by The Associated Press, Spilsbury cast her 2024 ballot for Harris for president. But she also publicly endorsed the Democratic nominee, saying it was a matter of 鈥渃haracter and integrity.鈥�
She now faces an ongoing recall effort by Trump backers in Mesa.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e looking for something you can do, send me $10鈥� for her retention campaign, Spilsbury told fellow conference attendees.
When Asa Hutchinson, the former Arkansas governor who ran in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a centrist Democrat, offered carefully measured assessments of Trump鈥檚 opening weeks, they got mixed or muted responses. Especially tepid was the reaction when Hutchinson said he believes Trump when the president says he will respect court decisions in the many early challenges to his executive actions.
But roars rang out for the police officers who tried to protect the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and their unyielding assessments of Trump and his pardon of 1,500 supporters who , including many who violently attacked law enforcement.
鈥淲e need to hold on to the outrage and hold on to the anger and set aside the fear,鈥� insisted Michael Fanone, a former Washington officer who was . Asked whether he would accept an invitation to talk to Trump, Fanone said the president is incapable of being convinced he is wrong and dismissed him with a profanity.
Fanone and his fellow officers later were accosted in an upstairs lobby by , freshly freed from prison by Trump鈥檚 pardon. The following day, Principles First leaders received an emailed bomb threat specifically mentioning Fanone, his mother鈥檚 address and other potential targets. The summit space was evacuated as Washington police and Secret Service agents swept the area and found no bomb, allowing the conference to conclude Sunday evening. Organizers blamed the threat on Tarrio, who denied the claim in a post on his social media.
Maria Stephan, a progressive at her first Principles First gathering, called the evacuation 鈥渆mboldening鈥� given the weekend鈥檚 themes.
Yet Rich Logis of Broward County, Florida, offered caution as a former MAGA acolyte whose red hat now reads: 鈥淚 LEFT MAGA.鈥� Another wave of converts, Logis argued, is coming if Trump continues to impose tariffs, cut public services and impose policies that hurt Americans broadly.
鈥淓veryone has to find their own breaking point,鈥� Logis said. 鈥淥ur job is to be there talking to people as they find it.鈥�
Bill Barrow, The Associated Press
