SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Thousands of conservatives meet in Phoenix this weekend for a Turning Point USA conference. It is the group's largest assembly since its founder, Charlie Kirk, was assassinated in September, and the event has highlighted growing divisions in what's called the MAGA movement. NPR senior contributor Ron Elving joins us. Ron, thanks for being with us.
RON ELVING, BYLINE: Good to be with you, Scott.
SIMON: The podcaster Ben Shapiro took the podium and blasted other speakers to come as, quote, "frauds and grifters." And later, Tucker Carlson said that Shapiro was pompous. Is this contention over what conservatism ought to be post-Trump?
ELVING: There's a highly specific leadership vacuum here. Charlie Kirk is gone, and no one has begun to replace him. His wife, Erika, has taken a high-profile role after her husband's death, but she does not yet have the mobilizing power her husband had. Neither does anyone else, which is why we see this leadership struggle between the would-be champions of different elements in the MAGA movement. Charlie Kirk could reach most all of them and provide a point of connection for them. That includes those who are most supportive of Israel and those most suspicious of Israel. The danger for the movement is that this highly visible fighting brings down the big tent. It reduces the appeal for younger voters as well as some Hispanics and African Americans. A squabbling party is a less-inviting party.
SIMON: Of course, all is not amity among Democrats. Reports this week that party leaders will not publicly release the autopsy of why they lost the 2024 presidential election. What are the divisions here?
ELVING: The same need for unity applies to Democrats, and it has been historically elusive for Democrats. Tactically speaking, their 2024 was a disaster because when the incumbent Joe Biden pulled out of his own reelection bid, it was far too late for the primary process, and that could have made Kamala Harris a stronger candidate or found a candidate stronger than Kamala Harris. And yes, Democrats have their own policy divisions, especially on the Middle East. Historically, the Democrats have been strong supporters of Israel. But in recent years, younger Democrats and others in the party coalition have shown increasing sympathy for the plight of Palestinians.
Strategically speaking, Democrats are as divided as ever as to whether to seek votes in the center of the American political spectrum or play to their own party's most passionate progressives. The trick is getting enough Democrats to unite the factions or to accept some sort of shared power so as to actually get some national power to share.
SIMON: President Trump addressed the nation in a primetime speech this week, and last night he spoke to supporters in North Carolina. What have you noticed?
ELVING: It's notable that he's trying to be both the incumbent and the anti-incumbent, acting as though Joe Biden were still president and responsible for the economy. That's a tough sell right there, but then Trump turns around and insists the economy is great. We did get a hopeful inflation number this past week, but it was somewhat suspect because the government shutdown affected the numbers - only gave us numbers for one month, not two. And whether inflation was 2.7 or actually higher, the most important measure is the way the voters are feeling. And right now, the most trusted measure that we have for consumer confidence shows that confidence is all the way down to where it was in 2009, the start of the Great Recession.
SIMON: The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., was designated by Congress as a living memorial to President Kennedy in 1964, the year after he was assassinated, of course. Yesterday, President Trump put his name on the building too. Why?
ELVING: Well, it shouldn't be a shock. We've known for some time that Trump likes seeing his name. Earlier this month, he put it on the U.S. Institute of Peace, now the Trump Institute of Peace. And now the president's hand-picked board members have tacked his name onto the Kennedy Center. We should add that there are still some questions about whether or not that's legal, and members of Congress and the Kennedy family still want to resist.
SIMON: NPR's Ron Elving. Thanks so much for being with us. Talk to you soon.
ELVING: Thank you, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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