POLITICO on the Principles First Summit
POLITICO’s Ally Mutnick covered our annual 2023 summit:
Over the course of some 20 panels and speeches, the tone bounced from upbeat to nostalgic to despondent. One group debated whether Trump or Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would be a worse nominee (no consensus was reached). At times, the proceedings had the feel of a collective therapy session — especially when it came to reliving the events of Jan. 6, 2021.
“It’s depressing if you speak out,” said Alyssa Farah Griffin, a former Trump aide turned View host who moderated that panel. “Everyone of us has received death threats for simply telling the truth.”
“There are members of my family that don’t speak to me. They actually think I’m an enemy of the state,” said Olivia Troye, a national security official who resigned from Vice President Mike Pence’s office in August 2020. “It’s almost like you’re trying to teach critical thinking to someone again.”