There, they heard former President Donald Trump describe himself as "the most persecuted person" in the country's history, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz recycle old jokes and Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick apparently assert that God wrote the U.S. Constitution.
If you were hoping CPAC Dallas would be Texas' last conservative hoedown before midterms later this year, you're out of luck. On top of an upcoming QAnon-linked gathering in Dallas, a pair of conservative youth summits are coming to Texas.
First up is the Texas Youth Summit, a conservative meeting scheduled for Sept. 16–17 in The Woodlands, near Houston.
Organizing the summit is Christian Collins, who fell short earlier this year in the GOP primary for U.S. House Texas District 8. On Twitter, Collins recently declared himself a "Christian nationalist." (He wrote, "We should all be Christian nationalists who fight for our values to save America from becoming a godless, socialist abyss where we lose our religious liberty and all freedoms.")
Among the speakers at Collins' youth summit are several prominent Republicans from around the country, including some from the party’s far-right flank.
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, known for promoting QAnon conspiracy theories, and U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, who recently railed against something called “Lesbian Dance Theory,” are among those listed on the summit’s program.
The program also includes U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz and Candace Owens, a pro-Trump activist and commentator who once said that “if Hitler just wanted to make Germany great and have things run well, okay, fine.” (Owens later tried to clarify her remarks as being made in opposition to Hitler.)I love God, and I love America, so if that makes me a “Christian nationalist” then that’s a good thing! We should all be Christian nationalists who fight for our values to save America from becoming a godless, socialist abyss where we lose our religious liberty and all freedoms.
— Christian Collins (@CollinsforTX) August 28, 2022
According to the event’s website, the summit will help train youth in the principles of American exceptionalism, limited government, the free market and “the Judeo-Christian principles this country was founded upon.”
Other speakers include Texas U.S. Rep. Lance Gooden, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Kayleigh McEnany, a former White House press secretary for Trump.
Texas is set to host a handful of conservative conferences this fall. U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, who’s recently taken flak within the GOP, is holding his own youth summit in Houston in October.
Crenshaw's summit will include appearances by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, right-wing radio host Dennis Prager and others. According to the website, youngsters who attend will learn "the meaning of conservatism, rational arguments against climate change alarmism, lessons in faith from the foster care system, and how to become a tech billionaire."
In November, the organizers of last year’s QAnon-linked “For God & Country Patriot Roundup” are holding another convention in Dallas.
This year, organizer John Sabal (also known as “QAnon John”) and his partner Amy have dubbed it the “For God & Country Victory Roundup,” and speakers include Trump ally Rudy Giuliani and rightwing media figure Dinesh D’Souza, among others.
