Madison Cawthorn, running for Congress at age 25, tells RNC young people can 'change the world'
A 25-year-old seeking to become one of the youngest members of Congress ever told the Republican National Convention on Wednesday that young people can be “radical for freedom,” “change the world” — and vote to reelect President Trump.
Madison Cawthorn — who is running to replace former Rep. Mark Meadows, now Trump’s chief of staff, in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District — said he was inspired to run for office after recovering from a car accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down.
“I thought about giving up,” he said. “At 20, I made a choice. In 2020, our country has a choice. We can give up on the American idea, or we can work together to make our imperfect union more perfect.”
“I choose to fight for the future, to seize the high ground and retake the Shining City on a Hill,” Cawthorn continued. “While the radical left wants to dismantle, defund and destroy, Republicans, under President Trump’s leadership, want to rebuild, restore and renew.”
He even compared himself to the country’s Founding Fathers.
“If you don’t think young people can change the world, then you don’t know American history,” Cawthorn said. “George Washington was 21 when he received his first military commission. Abe Lincoln was 22 when he first ran for office. And my personal favorite, James Madison, was 25 when he signed the Declaration of Independence.”
James Madison did not sign the Declaration of Independence at any age.
“The American idea my ancestors fought for during the Revolutionary War is as exciting and revolutionary today as it was 250 years ago,” Cawthorn added. “I say to Americans who love our country — young and old — be a radical for freedom. Be a radical for liberty. Be a radical for our republic. For which I stand.”
With assistance from two men, Cawthorn stood up from his wheelchair.
Unlike many of the speeches at this week’s Republican convention, Cawthorn’s address included bipartisan outreach.
“To liberals, let’s have a conversation. Be a true liberal, listen to other ideas and let the best ones prevail,” he said. “To conservatives, let’s define what we support and win the argument in areas like health care and the environment.”
Cawthorn, though, made no mention of recent controversies that he was embroiled in.
Earlier this month, he was forced to address photos he posted on Instagram during a 2017 trip to Eagle’s Nest, Adolf Hitler’s mountaintop chalet, a popular tourist attraction in southern Germany. In his Instagram caption, Cawthorn said it had been on his “bucket list for years,” and “it did not disappoint.” The post also referred to Hitler both as “the Fuhrer” and “supreme evil." (“I think racism is disgusting,” Cawthorn said in response to questions about the trip, but he maintained that there was nothing wrong with his visit.)
Cawthorn’s campaign was also forced to address allegations of sexual misconduct from multiple women who accused the candidate of unwanted sexual advances toward them when they were teenagers.
“When attempts to portray Madison as a white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer failed, national Democrats turned to their new favorite pastime of Kavanaugh-like character assassination,” John Hart, Cawthorn’s campaign spokesman, said in a statement to the Asheville Citizen-Times.
Addressing an allegation from one woman who said Cawthorn forcibly kissed her, Hart said: “There’s a big difference between a failed teenage romantic advance and being forceful, to the extent that’s possible when you’re a paraplegic.”
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