Donald Trump Jr. told a Turning Point USA AmericaFest audience in Phoenix, Arizona, that the Republican Party, as people have known it, is finished — replaced by what he described as the “America First Party” and the “Make America Great Again Party.”
Speaking Sunday, the president’s son framed the moment as a turning point for the conservative movement, arguing it is facing intensifying opposition not only from Democrats but also from what he called Republicans In Name Only (RINOs), especially as the 2026 midterm elections approach.
Here’s what he told the AmFest crowd:
Midterms are coming around the corner and make no mistake, the Democrat Party wants to do whatever they possibly can to shut this movement down. Not just the Democrats. The RINOs.
You see the manufactured attacks on JD [Vance], myself, my father — anyone who understands that this isn’t the Republican Party anymore. It’s the America First Party. It’s the Make America Great Again Party. And we are not going back!
The remarks drew a loud response from the crowd, followed by chants of “USA! USA! USA!”
“I love it, guys,” Trump Jr. said, before joking that anyone not joining in must be a political “plant,” comparing the chant to “pouring holy water on a vampire.”
He then encouraged supporters to rally behind candidates in the 2026 midterms — without using the party label he had just dismissed — arguing that midterm victories would help his father keep pushing policies aimed at Americans he said have been “left behind,” including “young white men.”
“[Young white men] for a generation were left behind by DEI,” he said, describing what he claimed were barriers in college admissions, hiring, and promotions — and arguing that those facing discrimination were still told they were “privileged.”
Trump Jr. spoke shortly before Erika Kirk appeared on stage alongside rapper Nicki Minaj.
