On a recent evening in northern Kentucky, more than a dozen young Republicans gathered at a bar called dEcORa with beers and brightly colored cocktails, trading jokes and debating the presidential administration they said they welcomed with high hopes last year. They said their enthusiasm for President Donald Trump has since curdled into frustration, and they described a generational gap forming between younger and older conservatives as the Republican Party begins to plan for a future that does not center on Trump.
One of the clearest signals came from Nathaniel Showalter, 34, who told The Associated Press, “I absolutely do not regret voting for Trump in 2024,” and added, “I can’t wait for him to get out of office.” Other members said the broader Republican establishment—initially seen by some as disruptive—has instead left them feeling abandoned.
TJ Roberts, a 28-year-old state representative who served as the group’s organizer and said he convenes the meeting monthly, said the younger conservatives at dEcORa worry that the next generation is being pushed out of influence. “There seems to be a concerted effort to keep the next generation out on the right,” Roberts said, adding that the group sees “this sense of entitlement among the establishment on the right.” He framed the stakes personally, saying he feared young people could end up “going to live a shorter, less prosperous life than your parents,” and he said, “We have to make sure that young Republicans have a voice in Washington, D.C.”
A central theme of the meeting was their anger tied to Trump’s foreign policy, including the group’s critique of the president’s war with Iran. Michael Gartman, 32, described Trump’s Iran conflict as “a complete betrayal of his promises,” and others said the frustration is compounded by what they described as economic instability and by the loss of Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist they said they viewed as their “lone spokesperson” with influence in the White House.
They also pointed to domestic political dynamics that weakened their faction. Several members said the defeat of Republican Rep. Thomas Massie in a Tuesday primary cost them an ally in Congress, describing Massie as someone who had developed a younger and anti-establishment following. One member said their sense of being sidelined has created momentum for the party to concentrate decisions among older figures and establishment-connected interests, while younger voices struggle to be heard.
The discussion included sharper disagreement among attendees about Trump’s record. Roberts said he was one of the rare members at dEcORa who was satisfied with Trump’s second term, arguing that “the old order is dead.” He said, “Trump shifted the culture so well that these conversations you’re hearing right now, this would be unacceptable in the Republican Party of 2014,” while also describing more willingness in parts of the party to oppose certain foreign entanglements, corporate bailouts and aid to countries such as Ukraine and Israel.
Others at the bar said that foreign-policy shift did not go far enough. Logan Edge, 30, a gun lobbyist who spoke of military service and time spent visiting Arlington National Cemetery, said he and his father visited specific graves and told The Associated Press about what it showed him. Edge said he and his father found friends’ names and told his father, “Look what you’re about to see,” and he added, “It brings tears to my eyes.” Angel Figueroa, 27, said the prospect of another military draft—even if it felt unlikely to many in the group—raised fears for personal connections abroad, asking, “Why do my friends have to be over there?” and describing the emotional weight of imagining friends getting bombed.
In addition to discussing leadership at the top of the ticket, the group talked about who could carry conservative credibility forward if Trump loses power. Some named people within the orbit of Trump-era politics—such as Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Vice President JD Vance—as possibilities to watch. Others said that even potential good will from the administration would not offset what they described as broken promises; Elijah Drysdale, 27, said Trump’s behavior had been worse than the group expected and said any affiliation would be “a stain on your reputation.”
As the conversation turned to future voting, Henry Hecht, a 26-year-old libertarian, raised the possibility of crossing party lines, though he did it with uncertainty. The group’s discussion also reflected a broader fear that their ideological battles risk reproducing the same cycle of disappointment, with Roberts arguing that if promises are continuously treated as jokes, “Eventually that cycle has to break.”