The new right celebrates Trump at a conservative conference and sidesteps inconsistencies

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The new right celebrates Trump at a conservative conference and sidesteps inconsistencies

2024-12-23 13:14 Last Updated At：13:22

PHOENIX (AP) — As Washington heaved over the possibility of a partial government shutdown, leading far-right figures gathered with thousands of Donald Trump’s most ardent supporters and, for the most part, gloried in splintering the president-elect’s party.

Speakers and attendees at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest 2024 hailed Trump and billionaire Elon Musk for initially scuttling a bipartisan agreement to keep government open. They jeered House Speaker Mike Johnson and his willingness to engage with Democrats, disregarding Johnson's close alliance with Trump and frequent appearances at his side.

“The political class is infected with a malignant cancer. The cancer is bipartisanship,” boomed Steve Bannon, the Trump adviser who perhaps more than any other reflects and stokes the president-elect’s pugilistic populism.

“We don’t need partisanship,” Bannon continued, as he called for Johnson’s ouster. “We need hyper-partisanship.”

The president-elect has wide latitude with his core supporters and is in turn responsive to their demands. That dynamic fuels the unpredictability put on display in last week’s budget fight and sets up inevitable future conflicts within Trump’s broadened Republican coalition.

That Trump failed to achieve his central goals — with 38 Republicans voting against a plan backed by Trump and Musk — seemed unimportant to Bannon and others who welcomed Trump to the conference's Sunday finale. The fight itself, and the incoming president being at the center of it, was the point.

“Thank you, God, for sending us Donald Trump,” said Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk as Trump took the stage. Thousands roared and held their cell phones aloft to capture the moment.

Interviews with people at AmericaFest and arguments from speakers illustrated that, beyond fealty to Trump, the new right in America is defined philosophically by anti-establishment sentiment, staunchly conservative social mores and vocal declarations of patriotism — not a uniform policy consensus.

“I just want everything Trump said he was going to do,” said Andrew Graves, a 39-year-old former Disney employee who now works as an Arizona organizer for Turning Point. “It doesn’t matter how as long as we get it done.”

Pressed on what “it” is, Graves mentioned “what’s going on in education” and “keeping women out of men’s sports.” He talked about Trump’s signature promises – tariffs on foreign imports, a hardline immigration crackdown – only when prompted.

Jennifer Pacheco, a 20-year-old student from Southern California, said she embraced Turning Point because she likes Kirk’s unapologetic Christianity and believes “we need to have God be more present in this country.”

In Trump, Pacheco sees a transformative figure. “It’s just everything that’s off track, and I think we will see things get fixed,” she said, talking about the economy and cultural values.

When asked, Pacheco said she does sometimes worry about national debt levels. But she said she did not closely follow the week’s maneuvers in Washington and was unfamiliar with Trump’s call to essentially eliminate the nation’s debt ceiling through the entirety of his upcoming term.

Alexander Sjorgen, a 26-year-old from Berks County, Pennsylvania, volunteered a more detailed list of policy priorities: addressing structural deficits, goosing domestic energy production, launching a mass deportation program, curtailing “the transgender rights” agenda, rethinking how involved the U.S. is in international affairs.

“For the most part, we all just want to see the country strong again and feel like its ours again,” he said.

That ethos permeated convention halls and meeting rooms awash in Trump paraphernalia – the “Make America Great Again” hats, T-shirts emblazoned with the bloodied candidate after Trump survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. Among the throngs, there was the occasional fully costumed “Uncle Sam” or Revolutionary War figure.

Top speakers seized on the atmosphere, being greeted as celebrities and drawing roars of approval on everything from demanding confirmation of Trump’s Cabinet picks to imprisoning members of Congress who investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“It feels good to win back our country,” Kirk told the opening assembly. But, he added, “the transformation of the Republican Party is not yet complete.” He threatened primaries against any GOP senator who votes against a Trump nominee, warnings that have already affected Capitol Hill.

Bannon praised the assembled activists as “the vanguard of a revolutionary movement” and compared Trump’s election to Franklin Roosevelt’s 1932 realignment of working-class Americans behind Democrats. Bannon skewered Johnson and other establishment Republicans in “the imperial capital,” his derisive quip for Washington.

“President Trump came back from the political dead,” Bannon said, framing Trump’s sweep of seven battleground states as a landslide. “We have nothing else to discuss. It’s only about the execution of President Trump’s agenda.”

During 75 minutes at the podium on Sunday, Trump ticked through many of his usual pledges and policy ideas. But he did not acknowledge his unsuccessful venture on Capitol Hill last week or continued questions about whether he will try to unseat Johnson. Summing up his intentions, Trump opted for politically fuzzy rhetoric.

“Last month, the American people voted for change,” he said, touting a ”common-sense” agenda and promising a “golden age” for the country.

Kirk, Bannon and other influencers discussed the Trump agenda in more detail than most attendees, sometimes even acknowledging discrepancies and complexity.

Bannon conceded Trump did not get his way on the debt ceiling vote but said he eventually would. But he also insisted that doesn’t mean Trump won’t cut spending. “He’s got a plan. … But you’ve got to line everything up,” he said, spotlighting billionaires Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy and their “government efficiency” commission.

Ben Shapiro, another commentator, offered assurances that Trump would rethink tariffs if they “are in fact inflationary.” Further, Shapiro tried to reconcile Trump’s staunch support for U.S. aid to Israel and conservatives’ disdain for foreign aid, including for Ukraine in its war against its invading Russian neighbors. Israel’s fight against Hamas, Shapiro argued, is “existential,” suggesting that Ukraine’s defensive posture is not.

Retired Gen. Michael Flynn, a firebrand forced out of Trump's first White House who Trump has suggested he would bring back once in office, insisted conservatives are not isolationist even as he assailed the Pentagon footprint around the world.

“I’m not anti-war,” Flynn said from the main podium. “I’m anti-stupid war.”

Kirk, meanwhile, tried to frame any differences across Trump’s coalition as reconcilable.

“Maybe you are a parents-rights advocate. Maybe you are here as a Second Amendment enthusiast. … Maybe you are a pastor. Maybe you are a ‘Make America Healthy Again’ advocate,” Kirk said. “Whatever focus group you have, as long we can agree on the big stuff … we need to combine forces and defeat the incumbent regime. Welcome aboard. We are going to make America great again.”

Many Americans have come to rely on Chinese-made drones. Now lawmakers want to ban them

2024-12-23 13:11 Last Updated At：13:21

WASHINGTON (AP) — Russell Hedrick, a North Carolina farmer, flies drones to spray fertilizers on his corn, soybean and wheat fields at a fraction of what it would cost him to use a conventional ground spreader.

As a volunteer rescuer, Hedrick uses thermal drones to search for people trapped by mudslides and cargo drones to send water and baby formula to those who are stranded — something he did after Hurricane Helene.

Now he is fretting that one day he will have to ground his drone fleet. Most commercial drones sold in the United States, including those used by Hedrick, are made in China. They have become a target of U.S. lawmakers, who see the dominance of Chinese drones not only as an espionage threat but as a commercial threat because they make it nearly impossible for American manufacturers to compete.

It’s another front in the U.S.-China economic and technological competition that’s likely to intensify with the return to the White House in January of Republican Donald Trump, who has promised to get tough on China.

Washington has already placed restrictions on Chinese telecommunications companies and imposed high tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles as the U.S. competes with China in semiconductors, artificial intelligence and other areas.

A defense bill that Congress passed on Dec. 18 includes a clause to stop two Chinese companies from selling new drones in the U.S. if a review finds they pose “an unacceptable risk” to American national security. Congress has banned federal agencies from acquiring Chinese drones, with some exceptions, and several states have barred publicly funded programs from using or procuring Chinese drones.

A broader ban is worrisome for Americans for whom drones have become a part of their lives and work. It could disrupt wide-ranging operations, from law enforcement to mapping and filmmaking that drone operators say are viable because of the low cost and high performance of the Chinese drones. American-made drones just aren’t comparable, they say.

In Hickory, North Carolina, Hedrick began flying Chinese-made drones in 2019 to fertilize crops and monitor crop health. A drone spreader costs $35,000, while a conventional ground sprayer would set him back $250,000, he said.

“With the drone efficiency, we are able to do things we were never able to do before: to apply fertilizer but use less, which is good for American consumers,” Hedrick said.

But it’s precisely that reliance on Chinese drones that worries U.S. lawmakers.

“It is strategically irresponsible to allow Communist China to be our drone factory,” argued Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who has been tapped by Trump to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. She led earlier House efforts to ban new Chinese drones.

It was the role of drones in everyday life that drove Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., to get Congress to restrict the purchase of Chinese drones by federal agencies. Those restrictions were included in a defense bill that Democratic President Joe Biden signed last year.

Scott has compared Chinese drones to spy balloons that could “gather data or carry harmful payloads” across America, posing risks to military bases, critical infrastructure and natural resources.

Michael Robbins, president and chief executive officer of AUVSI, an advocacy group for unmanned vehicles such as drones, opposes an immediate ban. Instead, his group has urged the government to support the U.S. drone-making industry through investment so it can catch up with its Chinese competitors in both capability and cost.

He applauds Congress for addressing some of the issues in the 2025 defense budget, including promoting investment in autonomous technology and working to develop a secure supply chain for U.S. drone manufacturing.

That vulnerability was clear earlier this year when Beijing sanctioned the U.S. drone maker Skydio, forcing it to ration its batteries sourced from China.

“This is an attempt to eliminate the leading American drone company and deepen the world’s dependence on Chinese drone suppliers,” wrote Adam Bry, chief executive officer of Skydio.

Citing security interests, China has restricted exports to the U.S. of drone parts, including motors, flight controllers and imaging equipment.

John Goodson, CEO of Darkhive, a San Antonio-based drone maker, said a ban would not stop Chinese drone makers from selling their products elsewhere in the world but could hurt U.S. drone companies that rely on China for parts.

For now, it remains unrealistic to ban Chinese drones when there are few comparable products, said Faine Greenwood, a drone enthusiast who writes extensively about drones. “If we ban the Chinese drones, we knock out many amazing things we do.”

The best-known Chinese drones are those by DJI Technology Co., a company founded in 2006 and based in the southern city of Shenzhen. It's named in the defense spending bill, along with another Chinese company, Autel Robotics.

DJI has the lion's share of the global drone market and is the dominant player in the U.S. market. Its devices are known for their affordability and high performance. They are even used on the battlefield in Ukraine by both sides, even though DJI does not make military drones.

DJI's drones have been used by first responders to locate disaster victims, mappers to survey roads and utility lines, mosquito control officers to reach swarms of larvae, and filmmakers to capture aerial footage. Police use them to help prevent crime and find missing people.

Hedrick, the North Carolina farmer, mobilized drone search efforts as a volunteer after Helene hit. On the first night, he and his teammates located 150 stranded people. When they could not be immediately rescued, Hedrick said his team used DJI cargo drones to send in supplies.

“I am not going to say I won’t love to have U.S. drones, but I don’t see the American drones as anywhere close to the DJI drones in terms of reliability, ease of use, and just the user-friendly software,” Hedrick said. “The U.S. drones are not as good as the DJI ones but cost twice as much.”

But as U.S.-China relations have soured, DJI drones have come under scrutiny. The U.S. government has put the company on several blacklists, saying it violates human rights by supplying drones to Chinese police to surveil members of the ethnic Uyghur minority, and alleging links to the Chinese military.

DJI has denied wrongdoing and is suing the Pentagon over the designation that it is a Chinese military company. U.S. customs officials also have blocked some DJI shipments over concerns that the products might have been made with forced labor. DJI has called it “a customs-related misunderstanding.”

As for the defense bill, DIJ said it contains no provision that would allow the company to defend itself. “We call on a relevant technical intelligence agency to undertake an audit of our products, and we ask for a fair right of reply to any findings,” DJI said.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington said China opposes what it calls the politicization of trade.

“The Chinese government firmly supports Chinese companies in carrying out international trade and cooperation in drones for civilian use, and opposes certain countries’ frequent illegal sanctions on Chinese companies and individuals on the grounds of so-called national security,” Liu Pengyu, the embassy spokesman, said in a statement.

Several states have already restricted the use of Chinese drones. In Tennessee, public agencies, including police and fire departments, are no longer allowed to purchase DJI drones.

That caused a headache for Capt. Chris Lowe of the Kingsport Fire Department. After his department lost a DJI Mavic Pro drone, he was quoted $5,000 for a replacement from an approved list of drones, when another DJI Mavic Pro would cost $1,000 to $1,500.

“Basically it would be a DJI clone but doesn’t have all the capabilities,” Lowe said of the alternative. Without any state assistance, he said he would either forgo a new drone or tighten the belt in equipment maintenance elsewhere. He said the department has used drones to scope out wildfires, chemical leaks and disaster scenes and to search for missing people. “It's about life and death,” he said.

In Wimberley, Texas, Gene Robinson has used high-resolution drone images to analyze differences in vegetation to discover buried bodies. He said he helped police find a victim's buried arm, making prosecution possible. Robinson doesn’t think there’s a viable alternative to the DJI drone he uses.

He said his project at Texas State University's Forensic Anthropology Center would be “deader than a doornail” if there's a national ban on Chinese-made drones.

At the Interior Department, the policy against foreign-made drones has hamstrung its drone operations, resulting in the “loss of opportunities to collect data on landscape, natural and cultural resources, wildlife and infrastructure," according to a September report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

In Florida, law enforcement officers last year complained to the state senate that a ban on state-funded agencies operating Chinese-made drones left them with costlier aircraft that didn't perform as well. That prompted state lawmakers to appropriate $25 million to help government-run drone programs acquire compliant models.

Christopher Todd, executive director of the not-for-profit group Airborne International Response Team, described the ban and the subsequent switch as “an absolute mess."

“Lawmakers failed to understand that this issue is far more complicated than simply changing from one drone to another," he said. “You need to learn a new user interface with new shortcuts and new protocols, and then you need to change all of the software and accessories and re-examine all of your network configurations to accommodate the technology change."

But the financial assistance as well as training programs, such as the one provided by his group, made the transition possible, he said.

More than 90% of law enforcement agencies in Florida used DJI drones in 2022, and the share plummeted to about 14% after the ban, according to Todd's group.

In Orange County, where Orlando is located, the sheriff's office said it spent nearly $580,000 to replace 18 noncompliant drones last year and received nearly $400,000 in reimbursements from the state.

“The transition has gone well and has simultaneously increased our drone fleet with better capabilities and technology,” the sheriff's office said.

The new right celebrates Trump at a conservative conference and sidesteps inconsistencies

News

The new right celebrates Trump at a conservative conference and sidesteps inconsistencies

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