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21 Dec, 2020 13:05

‘This is considered conservatism’: Turning Point USA ripped after shooting money out of cannons at student event

‘This is considered conservatism’: Turning Point USA ripped after shooting money out of cannons at student event

American conservative organization Turning Point USA was ridiculed on social media after videos from its most recent conference showed women shooting money out of a cannon into the audience.

The clips from Turning Point USA’s Student Action Conference in Palm Beach, Florida this past weekend – which featured two women blasting cash into a scrambling crowd of young conservative activists – went viral on Twitter, with many on both the left and right deriding the organization’s attempt at youth outreach.

“This is considered conservatism in the United States,” the Intercept’s Murtaza M. Hussain commented, as others branded the stunt “dystopian” and compared it to the 2006 comedy movie Idiocracy, where everyone in the world has become stupid.

“Imagine the reaction from @TPUSA members if this happened at a Bernie Sanders rally,” declared one Twitter user, while some of the harshest criticism came from others in the broader American conservative movement.

NewsBusters Managing editor Curtis Houck called the display “embarrassing and pathetic.” Conservative radio host Wayne Dupree wrote, “I have nothing good to say about a multi-million dollar organization that approves of their sponsors to make young conservatives look like begging liberals.”

The Bulwark editor Charlie Sykes, conservative author Ryan Girdusky, and Daily Wire writer Amanda Prestigiacomo also ripped the “sickening” event, while a pseudonymous account quipped, “Modern American Conservativism exists on the scantily-clad backs of women shooting fake dollars from air cannons.” 

The Student Action Summit – which is held annually by Turning Point USA for conservative students between the ages of 15 and 25 – previously made headlines this past weekend after a swarm of attendees tried to get into the event after being locked out on the first day due to coronavirus safety measures.

The speakers list for this year’s conference featured figures from President Donald Trump’s inner circle – including Donald Trump Jr. and Rudy Giuliani – alongside other prominent conservatives like Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, and Fox News icons Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, Jesse Watters, and Pete Hegseth.

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