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Charlie Kirk Convenes Gen Z Conservatives to Discuss Israel, Aid, and America-First Priorities
Charlie Kirk gathered Turning Point USA chapter leaders from across the country for an unfiltered focus group on Israel, AIPAC, and U.S. foreign policy. The young conservatives voiced exhaustion with being called anti-Semitic for questioning Israeli aid while struggling to afford homes and facing open borders. Kirk acknowledged a generational shift, rejecting Jew-hatred while arguing that criticism of the Netanyahu government or concerns about AIPAC influence shouldn't brand anyone as hateful. The conversation revealed that most Gen Z conservatives support Israel's right to exist and defend itself, but want the U.S. to prioritize domestic crises, from deportations to housing, over foreign subsidies.
Setting the Stage: A Focus Group on Israel and Gen Z Conservatives
Charlie Kirk opened the session by acknowledging what he knew would be a contentious conversation. He brought together Turning Point USA chapter leaders from across the country — real conservatives, many of them Christians — to discuss one of the most polarizing topics of the moment: Israel, U.S. aid, AIPAC, and the war in Gaza. Kirk framed it as a focus group, not a debate, and made clear his goal was to document what this generation actually thinks, not what anonymous social media comments suggest they believe.
Producer Andrew Kolvet joined Kirk to help navigate the discussion. Kirk emphasized that the conversation would be raw, real, and likely to bother people on all sides — but that honest dialogue was necessary. He encouraged viewers to watch to the end, promising that the group would arrive at a path forward that rejects anti-Semitism while also affirming that questioning the current Israeli government does not make someone a Jew-hater.
Word Association: What Comes to Mind When You Hear "Israel"?
Kirk began with a word-association exercise. When asked what comes to mind upon hearing "Israel," the responses ranged widely:
- Judaism
- Aid (twice)
- Netanyahu
- Tax dollars (twice)
- Liability
- Sacred
- Conflict
- Complex
- Controversial
- Scary
- Strategic
- Mossad
The mention of Mossad stood out. Kirk pressed the participant on why Israel's intelligence service was the first thing to come to mind. The response: it reminded them of the CIA — shadowy, involved in things the public doesn't know about, and potentially connected to events like the Epstein scandal. Kirk asked if the Epstein issue felt connected to Mossad and Israel in their mind. One participant said they viewed them as separate; another said there's a growing consensus that a connection exists.
Foreign Aid and Return on Investment
The word "aid" came up twice in the initial exercise. Kirk asked why. One participant compared U.S. support for Israel to support for Ukraine: billions of dollars with little return on investment. They argued that America has bigger problems at home — particularly the southern border, where illegal immigration has resulted in thousands of American deaths. Another participant agreed, saying the U.S. should focus on securing the border and keeping Americans safe rather than subsidizing foreign countries.
Kirk then introduced a counterargument: supporters of Israel argue that the country does a lot of America's "dirty work" in the Middle East, especially intelligence gathering. Was that persuasive? Not really, one participant said, pointing to Israel's strike on Iranian targets during active U.S.-Iran negotiations. The State Department had been negotiating, and Israel launched Operation Rising Lion anyway, which the participant felt derailed diplomacy and sped up conflict. Kirk asked how many in the group felt Israel had pulled the U.S. into that conflict. Some raised their hands; others disagreed, arguing that the U.S. had the authority to choose whether to join and saw strategic value in doing so.
Israel's Right to Exist vs. America's Burning House
Kirk asked a pointed question: given that nations like Hamas and Iran have sworn to destroy Israel, at what point would participants be okay with the U.S. defending Israel's right to exist? The response was measured. Israel absolutely has a right to exist and a right to defend itself, one participant said. That wasn't the issue. The issue was priorities. They offered an analogy: "Our house is burning down and so is our neighbor's, and we're trying to put their fire out before we put ours out."
Kirk then disclosed the figure: the U.S. sends roughly $4 billion to Israel annually, totaling approximately $319 billion (adjusted for inflation) since 1948. Did that upset them? Yes, several said. One participant listed multiple domestic needs — from supporting an economy that would allow their generation to afford homes to addressing the cartels operating across the southern border, which have killed thousands and contributed to hundreds of thousands of overdose deaths. It felt insulting, they said, that money went anywhere else.
Would Decoupling from Aid Change Perceptions?
Kirk posed a hypothetical: What if the Israeli government announced a five-year plan to decouple from U.S. aid, saying, "Thank you for the help since 1948. We're a rich country. We've balanced our budget. We have money in our sovereign wealth fund. We're now going to transition to self-reliance." Would that help people's view of Israel?
The answer was unanimous: Yes. Absolutely. 100%. One participant compared it to Trump's efforts to even out NATO contributions, noting that Americans do not want other nations freelloading off the United States. Another added that there has been enormous controversy over aid to Ukraine, yet not as much over Israel — and people are judged very heavily if they critique aid to Israel. Why, they asked, are we treating Israel differently than any other ally? Why aren't we holding them to the same standard?
Theology, Policy, and Genesis 12:3
Kirk shifted to a sensitive topic: lawmakers like Ted Cruz using the Bible — specifically Genesis 12:3 ("I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse") — to justify aid to Israel. Did that resonate with them? Most raised their hands to indicate it didn't. One participant, a convert to Catholicism from Judaism, explained that many people look to the writings of Paul in the New Testament, particularly Romans 9, which speaks to how the new covenant applies to all people, not just ethnic Israel. Another participant said they found "prophecy as policy" to be theologically problematic. While the Bible contains many things, using it to justify current nation-state actions felt off.
Kirk asked the ethnically Jewish, now-Catholic participant about AIPAC. They had concerns about it. Kirk noted that some people say criticizing AIPAC is anti-Semitic. The participant thought that was ridiculous. They believed it was reasonable to have concerns about any lobbying group, especially one that doesn't primarily represent American interests but influences American lawmakers.
AIPAC and Foreign Lobbying
Kirk asked the group more broadly: does AIPAC represent a kind of "cutting in line" — a separate group getting higher priority than American citizens? Several participants agreed. One said the entire idea of AIPAC is to represent a group, but the fact that a group not representing American interests is allowed to influence U.S. representatives is a huge problem. They added that they believe only about 20 members of Congress — between the Senate and the House — are fully doing the work of the American people without the influence of outside groups pulling their priorities.
Kirk pointed out that many other countries also lobby in Washington. Does that upset participants equally, or does AIPAC just get the most attention? The response: if those other lobbying groups are doing the same thing, of course it's a problem. No other country should be telling U.S. representatives how to spend money or where to focus. The principle is America First.
Gaza, Destruction, and Social Media Algorithms
Kirk flipped the word-association exercise: What comes to mind when you hear "Gaza" or "Gazans"? (He asked participants to leave Hamas out of it for now.) Responses included:
- Complicated
- Life
- Destruction
- Differences
- Perish
Kirk asked what impression participants had of what's been happening in Gaza. One said "severe loss of life," adding that loss of life is always a bad thing, no matter who is dying. Kirk asked if social media algorithms were feeding them images of children dying or destruction. Yes, several said. One participant noted that on their campus, there are "missing kid" posters featuring children who have died in Gaza, seemingly designed to elicit sympathy.
Kirk then asked an important follow-up: Has there been any awareness on campus for the Israeli hostages or the more than 1,200 Israelis massacred on October 7? No, the participant said. Kirk emphasized the need for a balanced conversation.
What Should We Be Focused On Instead?
Kirk asked each participant to name one issue they wish the country were focused on instead of Israel:
- Border (multiple participants)
- Deportations
- Housing (twice)
- Families
Kirk then asked how many felt that Israel matters more to policymakers than enabling young people to own homes. Every hand went up.
One participant pushed back slightly, noting that the U.S. government can handle multiple priorities at once — that's why there are so many cabinet secretaries. But they acknowledged understanding where Gen Z is coming from: "We can't buy homes. We can't afford anything."
Is Jew-Hatred Increasing?
Kirk asked directly: Do you see Jew-hatred increasing among your generation? One participant said there's a lot of confusion between criticism and hate. Legitimate hatred exists, but a lot of criticism is being framed as hatred, and that conflation is unhelpful. Kirk asked if participants thought it was anti-Semitic to say they don't like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. No, they all said.
Another participant said there is a rise in Jew-hatred, but it's not the majority driver. The majority driver among Gen Z conservatives is exhaustion. Kirk asked if that was a fair characterization. Yes, they agreed. There are isolated weirdos who genuinely hate Jews, and no one in decent society wants that. But most young people are just tired. They want to be able to buy a home. They want deportations. They're not anti-Israel. They don't wish Israel harm. They're not cheering on Iran. They support Israel as an ally. But they would be called anti-Semites by some people for expressing these views, and they think that's ridiculous.
The Danger of Overuse: Anti-Semitism and Racism
One participant compared the accusation of anti-Semitism to the accusation of racism: words thrown out when people can't prove someone wrong or can't agree with them. Another participant made a striking observation: among people they know, there is growing disdain toward Jewish people — not because of inherent hatred, but because they're constantly being told they hate Jews. "If you're going to say I hate Jews over and over and over again," the participant said, "if I'm going to be convicted of the crime, I might as well do the crime."
Kirk agreed, adding that he fears the same thing happens with constant talk of race: the more it's discussed, the more racism actually happens. He thanked the participant for being honest and used the example of Tucker Carlson. If Tucker were "canceled" for statements some call anti-Semitic, would anti-Semitism increase or decrease? The group agreed: it would increase, because every Tucker supporter would then be considered anti-Semitic by association.
The Binary Trap and a Path Forward
Kirk identified the destructive binary being presented: if you don't passionately and uncritically support everything related to Israel, you are a hater. He proposed a different path. He loves Israel. He visited there with his wife and had incredible experiences. He saw where Jesus rose from the dead and walked on water. But he is also an American. He represents a generation that can't afford anything, that is flooded with illegal immigrants, where no one speaks English and hospitals are overwhelmed.
Kirk argued for prudence: reject Jew-hatred outright — it's dumb and unacceptable. But also, don't call everyone an anti-Semite if they don't take a puritanical view of the Netanyahu government. That approach is bad for everybody. Kirk asked if the group would welcome the country talking about Israel much less. Yes, they all said. Every day.
Messaging Problem or Material Problem?
Kirk shared a principle he learned over 13 years: when a broken institution says it has a "messaging problem," dig deeper. Sometimes the issue is bad communication. Sometimes the institution is actually doing something wrong. Kirk asked the group: Is this a messaging problem or a material concept problem? One participant said it's a values and priorities problem. Another said it's a messaging problem in the sense that politicians need to be truthful, not salesmen. They're not being honest, and they're letting Gen Z down.
Who Represents Gen Z Best?
Kirk asked who, outside of Trump, represents the group best. One participant said Kirk himself. Kirk thanked them and explained why he convened this focus group: he has been trying to tell others that an earthquake is coming on this issue, and they don't believe him. So he decided to let young people speak for themselves.
Another participant warned that if Republicans don't get young conservatives involved, they will lose to the Democratic Party, which is starting to engage the younger generation more effectively.
What Pro-Israel Arguments Are Persuasive?
Kirk asked what pro-Israel points participants have found most persuasive on social media or campus. Responses included:
- Emphasizing how Israel helps the U.S. with intelligence, especially regarding Iran
- Educating people about Islamic terrorism, particularly in the context of 9/11 (though one participant noted that many in their generation know almost nothing about it)
- Highlighting Israel as the protector of the Holy Land
Kirk asked if it's persuasive when the Israeli Tourism Board brags about gay pride parades in Tel Aviv. No, participants said. That makes no difference.
Kirk then focused on the Holy Land argument, which he said is his biggest personal argument. One participant agreed, noting that the U.S. is a mostly Christian country, and many people can sympathize that the Holy Land is where Jesus Christ lived, was crucified, and rose from the dead. Another added that Islamic terrorism connects Israel and the U.S. as facing a common threat, which brings the issue home.
Evangelicals, Catholics, and the Holy Land
Kirk noted an important distinction: American evangelicals tend to be very pro-Israel, while younger Catholics often are not. Yet the two Catholic participants (one a convert from Judaism) said that talking more about the Holy Land — the place, the environment, the artifacts, the discoveries, the ground where Christ bled — would be more persuasive than any theological argument. In Catholicism, the Via Dolorosa (the path Jesus walked to his crucifixion) and the Stations of the Cross are central. Catholicism is a tactile religion.
Kirk asked if arguing that the Holy Land must be protected so Christians can access it, worship there, and preserve it — rather than letting it be taken over by Muslims as happened in Bethlehem — is a winning argument. Absolutely, they said. 100%. Far more persuasive than anything about gay pride parades in Haifa.
Kirk thanked the group for their time.
Video Transcript
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Charlie Kirk has had a massive pro-Israel bias his entire career.
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Charlie Kirk is so biased. He's a total Zionist psychopath.
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It's almost like the allegiance to the other countries more than United States that Charlie Kirk is playing up anti-semitic tropes. He was accused of critiquing
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Israel's actions in Gaza during this summit. Charlie Kirk is supposed to be a Christian conservative. This is just an excuse to spout anti-semitism.
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Anti-semitism. Anti-semitism. Anti-semitism.
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I think there are a lot of people who are becoming more anti-Semitic because they want to be a part of something and then just get sucked in.
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You believe Israel is sacred while simultaneously saying we should stop involving.
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If maybe a part of things that we don't know about. Reminds me of the CIA.
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I don't think that is how an ally treats an ally.
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I'm told that if I criticize Apac, I'm anti-Semitic.
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If you're going to say I hate Jews over and over and over again, if I'm going to be convicted of the crime, I might as well do the crime.
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Okay, everybody. You're about to watch a discussion with several Turning Point USA chapter leaders from across the country. Uh it is a spirited discussion
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about Israel, about Apac, about a little about immigration, about housing. It is
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real, it's raw, and it's going to probably bother people on all sides, but honestly, it shouldn't because this is what's called a focus group. This is
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about getting down to what the consensus of this generation is. And I think towards the end of the conversation, we come to a really good path forward. One
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that obviously rejects all the Jew hate, but one that also says, you know what, you're not an anti-semite if you question the current Israeli government.
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Our producer of the Charlie Kirk show, producer Andrew, helps me navigate this conversation. Text us to your friends and share it. And if you seek to
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actually understand what Gen Z thinks about Israel, not these anonymous Tik Tok comments or not what you see on X.
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These are real people. They're real conservatives, many of which are real Christians, and they'll tell you exactly what they think about the hottest issue
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happening, I guess, on the planet that we're talking about. Watch this, learn, and if you get a little fired up, watch to the end, cuz I think you're going to
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love every minute of it. See, we're going to play a word association test.
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What's the first word that comes to mind when you hear Israel? Judaism. Aid. Aid. Netanyahu. Tax dollars. Liability. Sacred. Tax dollars. Conflict.
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Complex. Controversial. Scary. Strategic.
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Msad. So MSAD, of all the different things that would come to mind, why does their intelligence service come to mind?
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Reminds me of the CIA. You know, it has the CIA, you have the CIA involved with RFK. I mean, there's rumors going around. Maybe MSAD was a part of the
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Epstein files that maybe MSAD was a part of things that we don't know about. And there said they just like the Central Intelligence Agency, they are out there doing things that none of us know about.
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So to say MSAD first that would basically imply your first impression is one of doubt. Is that fair to say? Yes. Okay.
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When you hear like Epstein right do you connect the Epstein issue initial like immediate like first connection in your mind that's also connected to Msada and
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Israel or is are they they feel separate in your mind? Separate.
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I think I think there's a growing consensus that there's a connection there among.
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Yeah I think that's definitely gaining velocity. Who used the word aid?
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You did. Why did that come to mind first? It's very similar to our support for Ukraine. We're sending a lot of money over there.
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Um not really getting uh in my opinion a huge return on investment. And so that's like the first thing that comes to mind.
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Uh because when people talk about their distrust or disup support for Israel, that's the first thing that usually comes up is all the money that we're sending them.
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I think we have a lot bigger issues at home. I think we should be spending most of our tax dollars on securing our border, keeping our home people safe
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rather than I mean, we've seen illegal immigration that Joe Biden let through our southern border come in and we've seen thousands of Americans die because of it. I think we have a much bigger
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problem on the home front rather than sending money to foreign countries.
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I think it's critical that we remain friends with them. They remain our ally.
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I just don't think we should be subsidizing them as much as we are.
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When you talk about return on investment, I think that's an interesting way to frame it. um the supporters of Israel will say they're
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doing a lot of America's dirty work from intelligence gathering things like that within the Middle East. Is that compelling to you? Are you persuaded by that argument?
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The reason why I'm not super persuaded is especially it's mostly because of here recently we were kind of drugg into it. Um we were negotiating. We were
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having negotiations and then uh they struck, they killed the people we were negotiating with and it kind of derailed
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everything and sped up the conflict a little bit.
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It was the State Department's stated goal that we were working on negotiations with Iran. You can say they wouldn't have panned out. You can say
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that maybe they were imminently about to collapse, but we were still in active negotiation. And yet Israel launches
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operation uh rising lion to go in and strike Iran while we are midnegotiation.
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How many of you guys would say you think Israel got us into that conflict? You would say yes. You would not say so much.
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Do I think we were willing to join that conflict? I don't think we were pulled in unwantingly as if we were dragged by a leash, you know, in more uncertain
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terms. I think we have the authority and the say of whether or not we want to be involved in that conflict. And I think we saw the the prosperity that we would unleash if we joined the conflict.
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When you think about Israel's history in the region and even with Hamas or Iran, these nations have sworn to destroy and annihilate the nation of Israel, right?
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Um at what point does it become given the context, at what point are you going to be okay or would you never be okay
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with uh the US defending Israel's right to exist and you know essentially saving the country? I think they absolutely I mean first and foremost they have a
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right to exist. They have a right to defend themselves. That's not the uh my issue with it. Um I can kind of uh give
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an analogy is that um our house is burning down and so is our neighbors and we're trying to put their fire out before we put ours out. Uh that's kind
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of how I view it. So when you guys find out, and I don't know if you're aware of this, but when you find out that we're basically every year we send about
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almost $4 billion to Israel, does that make you upset or do you understand it given that they're under sort of crisis ongoing?
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I would say upset. And u the amount over since 1948, it amounts to 319 billion adjusted to um inflation. And I'd say
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that I can think of multiple things that we could have spent at home that would have been a better allocation of our taxpayer dollars. And I feel like this money could have been well spent in
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supporting an economy that would support our generation being able to afford homes rather than military strikes for Israel.
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What else? What would you what would you want to see from their government if their government came out and said, "We have a 5-year plan to decouple from US
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aid." Would that help people's view of Israel if they said, "Hey, we want to be self reliant." Yes. 100%. Absolutely.
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Do you think that would help? If they're like, "Thank you for the help since 1948. We're a rich country. We've balanced our budget. we have money in our sovereign wealth fund, which they
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actually do. Thank you. We're now going to decouple over the next five years and and basically transition. Do you think that people would think higher of Israel
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or at least we stop talking about it so much? Yeah. Yeah. Would you put that like as a primary? Yes. Yeah.
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I would say like that can kind of follow up with a lot of other things like a lot of other like even European nations like I feel like they were kind of like even Trump had tried to had to like kind of
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even out NATO so that everyone was kind of paying the same not the same amount obviously 5%. Yeah, but it just because like every nobody wants a no a lot of
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Americans do not want people freloading off the United States and as you said uh 319 billion being sent to Israel over all these years that's comparable to the amount we've
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sent to Ukraine and there's been a lot of controversy over that and yet not as much over Israel and people are judged very heavily if they critique the that
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aid that is given to Israel. I think I I'm pro-Israel. I support them. I believe Israel has a right to exist. I believe that they are the only state in
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that region with the right to exist. But why are we treating them differently than any other ally? Should we not be judging them, holding them to the same standard?
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Your view is articulated by a lot of young people and held by a lot of young people because let's now take a step back and let's now broaden it. How many
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of you guys think when a lawmaker and a man I respect like Ted Cruz uses the Bible to justify aid to Israel, doesn't
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even know the verse, do you guys think that's like not the best way to approach this? Raise your hand. Okay. I think Ted Cruz is Genesis 12:3. I think a lot of
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people see that as offputting when you look at the New Testament. Why?
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Because I think a lot of people they they look especially at the writings of Paul where he talks about how that the new flesh is not the same as the people in the old covenant. The new flesh is
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everybody is everyone's talking about Romans 9. Yes. Yeah. Are you Catholic?
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Converted Catholic from this is my next Oh, from Judaism. Yes.
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Oh, wow. So, so you're Jew you're ethnically Jewish. Ethnically Jewish. Yes. And you have concerns about Apac.
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Yes, I do. I'm told that by some people that if I criticize Apac, I'm anti-Semitic.
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I think it's ridiculous. Yeah. I I feel like it's great to have a concern for your country.
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Do you think that the that Apac represents, again, I'm not saying I believe this, but I think this is what you're saying,
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that it represents a kind of cutting in line of prioritization away from the American people. Would you guys say
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that's a fair summary? meaning that like okay we vote we're citizens but a separate group gets higher priority
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because of whatever reasons you you look like you want to chime in that the entirety of the idea of a pack
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is to represent a group but the fact that we're having we're allowing a group that doesn't even represent American interests to influence the people who
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are supposed to be representing us I have a huge problem with and that's why I've said this before and a lot of people don't like when I say it. I actually think there's probably like 20
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representatives between Senate and the House who I think are actually fully doing the work of the American people and don't have the interests of some
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group pulling their sway. But when you hear that lots of other countries also are lobbying. Um do you think I mean
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that you probably don't know the names of those countries but it's happening.
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Does that upset you equally or is APAC just get all the the press because it's so top of mind? If those other ones are
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doing the same thing, of course. I do not think that other countries should be telling us how to spend, you know, that the that telling our representatives and
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people who are here to represent all of us that they should be focusing outside of the United States, America first. Thank you.
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I find prophecy as policy generally to be theologically problematic. I mean there's plenty of things that the Bible says that have been done throughout
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parts of history that certainly a nation state doing today we would see as a bit of a problem when it comes to sending these what you said 300
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billion yeah just inflation to any foreign country all I can think about is across our own southern border
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we have an actual military in the form of the cartel that kill thousands of people and that's leaving out the hundreds of thousands of Americans that
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have died to drug overdoses is due to drugs that have come across our southern border. And it's insulting that that money goes anywhere else because we have such a huge problem here.
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Yeah. I have a I want to kind of flip this word association game around just slightly because we haven't done it yet.
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When I bring up Gaza, Gazins, Hamas, let's just keep Hamas out of it. Gaza and Gaza. What's what what comes to mind?
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Complicated life. Destruction. I'd say differences. Parish.
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Parish. What is the impression that you guys have of what's been happening in Gaza? It doesn't have to be a singular word. I would say like a severe loss of life.
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I feel like that's always a bad thing.
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No, no matter which way you look at it, no matter who's I mean, yeah. Basically, no matter who's dying, it's never really a good thing. It's not going to perish.
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So, is is would you say that on social media you see a lot of maybe kids dying or death and destruction. You're is that getting fed into your algorithms a lot?
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Yes. And actually on our school's campus they'll have these little missing kid posters and at the and in those posters they'll read about these kids who have
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died to uh you know they try to have us to have more sympathy for them and it's like at the end of the day as you had
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mentioned you know they are humans we already have sympathy for them. So on campus now let's do something we haven't done has there been any awareness for
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the Israeli hostages like is that no I think that's also important to talk about right I mean or the 1,200 plus that were massacred
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that day yeah the 12 the nearly 1300 so that's that's a factor because I think we need to have a balanced conversation about it
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word association game one issue you wish we were focused on instead of Israel what would it be I' got to say continue on the border
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border deportation ations, housing, housing, uh, families.
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How many of you guys at least get the impression that Israel matters more than having young people be able to own homes? Raise your hand.
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13 minutes, 14 seconds
It's divide and conquer. We can do a lot of things. This is why there's so many cabinet secretaries. This is why we have a government that can do a lot of things
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13 minutes, 21 seconds
is because we can focus on foreign stuff and we can also focus on domestic stuff.
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13 minutes, 25 seconds
I personally am pretty all right with a lot of what we have been doing, but I do understand where a lot of Gen Z is coming from with a lot of this because
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13 minutes, 33 seconds
like I said, we we can't buy homes. We can't we can't really afford anything.
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13 minutes, 37 seconds
So, do you guys see Jew hate increasing amongst your generation?
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13 minutes, 42 seconds
I think that there's a lot of collusion between criticism and hate. I think that there is legitimate hate out there, but a lot of criticism is being framed as
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13 minutes, 50 seconds
hatred or you don't support this uh because you're criticizing it and that's like I think that that's a little
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13 minutes, 58 seconds
inseparable from what the Do you guys think it's anti-semitic to say you don't like BB Netanyahu? No.
14:04
14 minutes, 4 seconds
No, I don't believe so.
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14 minutes, 6 seconds
There is a rise of Jew hate, but it's not the majority mover. I think the majority mover of Gen Z and Gen Z conservatives is exhaustion.
14:14
14 minutes, 14 seconds
Precisely. Would you guys think that's a fair categorization? Yes, for sure.
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14 minutes, 18 seconds
Again, there is like an isolated like weirdo, I hate Jews. We don't like that.
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14 minutes, 22 seconds
No one like No one in No one in decent society wants that.
14:25
14 minutes, 25 seconds
But instead, it's kind of like can we just I don't know make it so I can buy a home or like deport people.
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14 minutes, 33 seconds
Is that does that resonate with you? Oh, yeah. Exactly.
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14 minutes, 35 seconds
You're not anti-Israel. You don't wish them harm. You're you're not, you know, like cheering on Iran.
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14 minutes, 41 seconds
No, I I support is I think they're our ally. I want them.
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14 minutes, 44 seconds
But you would be called an anti-semite by some people for saying this.
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14 minutes, 47 seconds
And I think that's ridicul. I don't hate Jews because I think a nation should defend themselves. Exactly.
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14 minutes, 53 seconds
Like I I think that's the most ridiculous thing ever.
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14 minutes, 55 seconds
I feel like it's becoming like the word racism. Like we just disagree with them so we just have to call them a name. I don't think it they're actually
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15 minutes, 2 seconds
anti-semitic. I think people just can't agree with them and they can't prove them wrong. So they just throw a word out and be like, "You're anti-Semitic for because you think that we should
15:11
15 minutes, 11 seconds
stop sending our money there." something that I see amongst the people I'm around. I do see more like general disdain towards I mean just being honest Jewish people. That's correct.
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15 minutes, 19 seconds
Just because they're constantly being told that you hate Jews and it's like fine. If you're going to say I hate Jews over and over and over again. Like if
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15 minutes, 28 seconds
I'm going to be convicted of the crime, I might as well do the crime. I fear the same thing happens with all the talk of race. The more we talk about it, the
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15 minutes, 35 seconds
more we bring it up, the more racism actually happens.
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15 minutes, 38 seconds
This is like I try to tell Thank you for saying this. Like Because like this is I try to tell these people and they're like we must get more aggressive. And so
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15 minutes, 46 seconds
like let me ask a question. If we were to say if we were to remove like if people said what Tucker said is anti-Semitic. I don't hold that view.
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15 minutes, 53 seconds
But it's like a lot of people on Twitter are like calling us out and like if whatever that's not going to happen. But
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16 minutes
um if we were to cancel Tucker would anti-se anti-semitism increase or decrease? I think increase because that
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16 minutes, 7 seconds
means any supporter of Tucker Carlson's statement therefore makes them anti-semit and association 100%. Exactly.
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16 minutes, 14 seconds
But the binary that's presented is that if you don't passionately talk about it, you are a hater. Exactly.
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16 minutes, 22 seconds
That's probably destructive for everybody involved. So for me, I'm trying to find this new path which is I
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16 minutes, 29 seconds
love Israel. I visited there. My wife and I had the best experiences ever. I saw where Jesus rose from the dead and he walked on water. But also, I'm an American and I represent a generation
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16 minutes, 38 seconds
that can't afford anything and that we are like flooded with illegals and no one speaks English and our hospitals are
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16 minutes, 45 seconds
clogged. I think we need to have the prudence to reject the Jew hate like, okay, we're not going to put up with that. That's dumb. But also, if you call
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16 minutes, 53 seconds
everyone an anti-semite if they don't take a puritanical view of the Netanyahu government, then I think that's it's bad
17:02
17 minutes, 2 seconds
for everybody. So would you guys all basically safe to say welcome us not talking about Israel nearly as much? Yes.
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17 minutes, 10 seconds
Every day.
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17 minutes, 11 seconds
A cope that is often found in broken institutions. And I found this now over 13 years. It's a great truism. You guys can learn for the rest of your life.
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17 minutes, 19 seconds
Anybody that tells you we have a messaging problem. You should go a step deeper and ask another question
17:26
17 minutes, 26 seconds
being like what are you actually doing something wrong or are you bad at messaging it? Because people that are doing bad stuff will sometimes be like,
17:34
17 minutes, 34 seconds
"Well, we're just not presenting it correctly." Sometimes that's true or sometimes there actually might be something beneath the surface that you're not doing well. So, do you guys
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17 minutes, 42 seconds
think that it's a messaging problem or that it's a like an actual material concept problem? It's a values and priorities problem.
17:50
17 minutes, 50 seconds
Yeah, it's definitely a messaging problem. These politicians, they don't need to be car salesmen. You know, we need we need the truth. We need the direct truth and nothing but the truth.
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17 minutes, 57 seconds
But these politicians, they're not they're not truthful. You know, they're digging Gen Z down in the dirt.
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18 minutes, 2 seconds
Who represents you best outside of Trump?
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18 minutes, 6 seconds
Well, thank you. That's very I and I don't do that just for the sake of it either. I mean, you you're here involving us for a reason because we are
18:13
18 minutes, 13 seconds
the important group. We're going to inherit all of these issues.
18:16
18 minutes, 16 seconds
So, no, I again the reason I'm doing this is that the reason we're doing this focus group and Andrew will attest. I've been trying to tell them that there is an
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18 minutes, 25 seconds
earthquake coming on this issue and in the country and they don't believe me.
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18 minutes, 30 seconds
So, I'm like, why don't you just hear it from people themselves?
18:33
18 minutes, 33 seconds
If we don't get uh young conservatives in, we're going to end up losing to the to the Democratic party because they're starting to get the younger generation involved within their representation.
18:43
18 minutes, 43 seconds
And it's just if we don't start getting these young people from our generation or the next generation above us into Congress, then we're going to start
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18 minutes, 52 seconds
losing. When this debate pops up on your social media feed or on campus, what is
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18 minutes, 58 seconds
the most persuasive pro-Israel point that you have seen or heard? Talk about more about how they help us with
19:06
19 minutes, 6 seconds
intelligence, especially especially with this new conflict with Iran. If you want to use that, say like, "Hey, Israel is very helpful in us deflecting with Iran and giving us influ give us influence
19:14
19 minutes, 14 seconds
over them because we can have more intelligence." Do you find it persuasive when the Israeli Tourism Board is bragging about how many gay pride parades they have in Tel Aviv?
19:25
19 minutes, 25 seconds
No. Does that make you mo more pro-Israel? No.
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19 minutes, 28 seconds
So, what what else is persuasive for you?
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19 minutes, 31 seconds
I would try to educate about Islamic terrorism. I think that's major. Um especially with the fact that we live through 911. I think a lot of people in
19:40
19 minutes, 40 seconds
my generation don't understand how big of a situation it was. We know nothing about it for the most part.
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19 minutes, 47 seconds
I think maybe one other point maybe is about the Holy Land as well. He could make a point going to the Holy Land.
19:52
19 minutes, 52 seconds
Filming doesn't say Israel is a better protector of the Holy Land than if there was a Pal Palestinian.
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19 minutes, 56 seconds
The argument I make more than anything else. Going to follow up on that. That's my that's my biggest argument. Keep going.
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20 minutes, 1 second
When the United States is like a mostly Christian country, not all Christian obviously, but a mostly Christian country, a lot of people can sympathize that that is the Holy Land. That is
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20 minutes, 8 seconds
where Jesus Christ lived and was crucified and rose from the dead. Yes, sir.
20:12
20 minutes, 12 seconds
Islamic terrorism is that's a better messaging because it kind of it connects Israel. It's a threat to Israel and the United States together at the same time.
20:22
20 minutes, 22 seconds
So it brings it home to people. One of the conversations we've had is that this Holy Land thing, there is a hunger for the Holy Land, the the old things. Yeah.
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20 minutes, 33 seconds
The old things, the ancient things. I think so much of modern life is very feels very transient and new.
20:37
20 minutes, 37 seconds
And also just the stability of it for being there for 2,000 years. and also the fact that it's really just been the bedrock of traditionalism. And I think you talked about in your speech about
20:45
20 minutes, 45 seconds
how there's a lot of liberal evangelical churches. So, it's like how can I get to a more traditional style of life? I mean, I'm Catholic as well. Um, and uh
20:53
20 minutes, 53 seconds
grown up Catholic and um one of the biggest things that I do like is that uh Israel holds uh the roots of a lot of
21:01
21 minutes, 1 second
Western religion and that it is critical for um us as Americans to keep them. So this is very important and we're going
21:09
21 minutes, 9 seconds
to have to close here is that American evangelicals tend to be very o very very pro-Israel. Younger Catholics tend to not be. But what you're both doing, you
21:17
21 minutes, 17 seconds
know, soon to be Catholic, current Catholic, you're saying that, hey, if you talked more about the holy land, the place, the environment, the reality, the
21:27
21 minutes, 27 seconds
artifacts, right, the discoveries, the where Christ our Lord bled on, you know,
21:33
21 minutes, 33 seconds
on in the Catholic Church, the via delar roa is a big deal, right? It's huge. Um, the stations of the cross, Catholicism
21:41
21 minutes, 41 seconds
is a very tactile religion. You'd think that that actually is more persuasive than any theological argument being like
21:48
21 minutes, 48 seconds
this holy land must be protected so we can access that we can worship that we can prove and we don't want a bunch of Muslims taking this place over like they
21:57
21 minutes, 57 seconds
did with Bethlehem. Do you think that is a winning argument for evangelicals for Christians more so than gay pride parades in Hifa?
22:06
22 minutes, 6 seconds
Absolutely. Absolutely. 100%. Thank you guys for your time.
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