"Political Party" w/ Adam Smith EP6 9-30-20

It’s not easy being a millennial, avid supporter of President Donald Trump. Polls show Trump overwhelmingly losing to Joe Biden among voters 18-29.

“It’s been tough losing a lot of my core friends because of what I believe,” Chris VerKuilen, a leader of the Tampa Bay Young Republicans, said on the latest episode of Political Party with Adam Smith.

He joined Jerick Johnston, president of the Pinellas Young Republicans, on the show to discuss how much Donald Trump’s blunt and unorthodox persona energizes many young conservatives.

Both have been knocking on doors across Tampa Bay to mobilize voters, and feel confident about Trump’s prospects based on the what they’ve heard.

“If I could take some of his positions on some of the key issues and package them in a more friendly form, yes, that would be great. Would it energize the party as much? No. Would I be able to get as many young Republicans out knocking doors? No. So there’s a trade-off,” said Johnston, 24.

Fierce, anti-Trump sentiment actually helps generate volunteers to pound the pavement for Trump, VerKuilen said.

“They feel like they can’t necessarily express their political views to their co-workers, to their families, to their friend groups. So they’re looking for an outlet to be able to make a difference in the campaign without having to be fired upon, as far as rhetoric goes, with their peers,” said VerKuilen, 34, whose top issues include the economy and gun rights.

While both are strong Trump supporters, neither Republican activist sounded horrified by the prospect of a President Biden.

“Would I lose sleep? Probably not more than a couple days,” Johnston said. #stpetecatalyst #adamsmith #TampaBay #Radio