In this Daily Brief, Matthew Taylor examines the 2026 Turning Point USA Women’s Leadership Summit, where anti-feminist rhetoric, Christian nationalist themes, and even discussions about repealing women’s suffrage collided with efforts to recruit and empower the next generation of conservative women.

Taylor traces the evolution of TPUSA from its Tea Party roots into one of the most influential organizations in MAGA politics and the religious right, exploring how figures like Erica Kirk and Savannah Stone embody the tensions at the heart of the movement. Along the way, he asks a pressing question: Can a political movement simultaneously mobilize women as leaders while advocating for increasingly patriarchal social norms?

As debates over gender, power, religion, and democracy continue to reshape American politics, the ideas emerging from events like the Turning Point Women’s Leadership Summit offer an important glimpse into where the Republican Party—and the broader conservative movement—may be headed next.

In this briefing:

* Erica Kirk’s first Women’s Leadership Summit as TPUSA leader

* The rise of anti-feminist rhetoric among young conservative influencers

* Why some figures on the right are advocating repeal of the 19th Amendment

* Turning Point USA’s growing influence within MAGA politics and the religious right

* What these developments reveal about the future of women’s roles in conservative politics and Christianity

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From Hokit’s walkout song—”I’m a Real American”—to his comments about Michelle Obama and his public declarations of faith, Brad explores how themes of masculinity, power, conspiracy, transphobia, and Christian nationalism converged in a single moment. Set against the backdrop of Donald Trump hosting a UFC event on White House grounds, the spectacle raises larger questions about the relationship between religion, politics, and the performance of American identity.

Brad also considers the symbolism of a president watching fighters compete while international crises unfold, and what this moment says about the political culture that has emerged around Trumpism. Is this simply entertainment, or does it represent something deeper about power, submission, and the future of American democracy?

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