>> Sreenivasan: JOINING US NOW

FROM WASHINGTON, D.C., IS OSITA

NWANEVU, A REPORTER FOR THE "NEW

YORKER" WHO COVERS POLITICS AND

POLICY AND WHO HAS BEEN COVERING

THE EVENTS AT THE CONSERVATIVE

POLITICAL ACTION CONFERENCE.

WHAT WAS THE BIG THEME THIS

YEAR?

>> WELL, THE BIG THEME THIS YEAR

I THINK WAS BASICALLY SOCIALISM.

THAT WAS A THROUGHLINE THROUGH

EVERY MAJOR SPEECH THAT YOU

HEARD, NOT ONLY FROM PRESIDENT

TRUMP AND VICE PRESIDENT PENCE,

BUT ALL OF THE SORT OF "B-LIST"

SPEAKERS, AS WELL.

THERE WAS A BIG INTRO VIDEO THAT

THEY SHOWED MULTIPLE TIMES

DURING THE CONVENTION THAT

FEATURED CLIPS OF BERNIE

SANDERS, ALEXANDRA OCASIO-CORTEZ

AND OTHER DEMOCRATIC FIGURES WHO

THEY THINK ARE EMBRACING

LEFT-WING POLICIES THAT ARE

GOING TO BE TOO FAR LEFT FOR THE

ELECTORATE.

WHETHER THAT'S TRUE OBVIOUSLY

REMAINS TO BE SEEN.

>> Sreenivasan: THE REPUBLICANS

HAVE BEEN DOING THAT AND USING

SOCIALISM AS A MEANS TO TAR THE

LEFT WITH FOR A LONG TIME.

NOW, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

THAT THEY HAVE EVIDENCE?

THAT THEY HAVE MEMBERS OF THE

OTHER PARTY CLAIMING MEMBERSHIP?

>> WELL, THEY DO HAVE SOME

CANDIDATES LIKE BERNIE SANDERS,

OBVIOUSLY, WHO ACTUALLY STARTED

HIS CAMPAIGN WITH AN EVENT IN

BROOKLYN TODAY, WHO'S GOING

AROUND CALLING HIMSELF A

DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST FOR A

LONG TIME.

PEOPLE LIKE ALEXANDRA OCASIO-

CORTEZ.

I PERSONALLY WOULD BE VERY

SKEPTICAL THAT THIS IS SOMETHING

THAT'S GOING TO SEEM NEW AND

FRESH TO THE ELECTORATE WHO

HEARD THESE KINDS OF CLAIMS.

YOU KNOW, IF YOU WANT TO LOOK AT

THE RECORD OF PRESIDENTIAL

ELECTIONS, THE PAST THREE, THEY

CALLED OBAMA "TOO FAR LEFT" IN

2008.

DIDN'T WIN.

THEY CALLED HIM THE SAME IN

2012.

THEY DIDN'T WIN.

BY CONTRAST, TRUMP, WHO DID

SPEND A LITTLE BIT OF TIME

CALLING HILARY TOO FAR LEFT,

ACTUALLY FOCUSED MOST OF HIS

CAMPAIGN IN CALLING CLINTON

CORRUPT AND A MEMBER OF SORT OF

THE POLITICAL ELITE-- IF

ANYTHING, TOO CLOSE TO THE RICH.

TODAY, HE TALKED ABOUT THE

RULING CLASS IN HIS SPEECH TO

CPAC, AND THAT KIND OF APPROACH

SET HIM APART FROM OTHER

REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES.

AND HE DID, OBVIOUSLY, WIN THE

ELECTION.

SO, IF I WERE TRUMP OR PEOPLE

ADVISING TRUMP, I'D BE VERY

SKEPTICAL OF DITCHING THAT KIND

OF ORIGINAL MESSAGE.

>> Sreenivasan: THE

CONSERVATIVES HAVE A FAIR AMOUNT

TO CELEBRATE.

I MEAN, THEY CAN LOOK AT THE

ADMINISTRATION'S RECORD ON

DEREGULATING THINGS.

THEY CAN CERTAINLY LOOK AT THE

SUCCESSFUL NOMINATION OF TWO

SUPREME COURT JUSTICES NOW THAT

THINK A LOT MORE LIKE THEM THAN

THE PREVIOUS APPOINTEES.

>> I THINK THAT'S TRUE.

OBVIOUSLY, THE TAX CUTS, AS

WELL.

THEY TALKED A LOT ABOUT THAT

DURING THE CONFERENCE.

THERE ARE THINGS THEY CAN TICK

OFF.

I THINK THE REAL QUESTION NOW

IS, WITH THE DEMOCRATS IN

CONTROL OF THE HOUSE, HOW MANY

MORE VICTORIES ARE THERE GOING

TO BE FOR THE ADMINISTRATION?

SO, IT WILL BE REALLY

INTERESTING TO SEE HOW TRUMP

CONTINUES TO TRY TO STOKE

HIS BASE AND THE ABSENCE OF REAL

VICTORIES HE CAN DELIVER THEM.

OBVIOUSLY, HE'S TRYING TO DO

THAT WITH THE NATIONAL

EMERGENCY HE DECLARED OVER THE

WALL.

WE'LL SEE IF THAT ACTUALLY PANS

OUT INTO ANYTHING THAT'S GOING

TO GET SECTIONS OF THAT WALL

REALLY BUILT.

BUT HE'S REALLY GOING TO

STRUGGLE TO DELIVER NOT ONLY

CAMPAIGN PROMISES BUT SORT OF ON

THE MOOD THAT HE TRIED TO

CULTIVATE HERE AT CPAC.

I THINK THAT ONE OF THE THINGS

THAT'S GOING TO BE CENTRAL IS,

AGAIN, THIS IDEA THAT THERE IS

A RISING TIDE OF SOCIALISM ON

THE LEFT THAT CONSERVATIVES HAVE

TO SORT OF BAND TOGETHER AND

COMBAT.

THEY'RE GOING TO BE IN A MORE

COMBATIVE MOOD, AND MAYBE THAT

SORT OF TAKES THE PRESSURE OFF

TRUMP TO ACTUALLY DELIVERS

THINGS.

>> Sreenivasan: FINALLY, I

WANT TO ASK, YOU SPENT SEVERAL

DAYS THERE TALKING TO YOUNG

PEOPLE, YOUNG CONSERVATIVES.

WHAT'S YOUR SENSE?

IS THERE A NEWFOUND ENERGY

BECAUSE OF TRUMP?

DO THEY... ARE THEY MORE

OPTIMISTIC OF THEIR OWN FUTURES?

>> WELL, I THINK THERE IS A LOT

OF ENERGY BECAUSE OF TRUMP.

I THINK THAT HE SEEMS LIKE A

DIFFERENT KIND OF REPUBLICAN

POLITICIAN TO YOUNGER

CONSERVATIVES, CAMPUS

CONSERVATIVES, SOMEBODY WHO'S

WILLING TO POKE LIBERALS IN THE

EYE.

AND THERE ARE A LOT OF YOUNG

CONSERVATIVES WHO REALLY ENJOY

THAT.

ONE OF THE MOST STRIKING

PRESENCES, I THINK, AT THE

CONFERENCE THIS YEAR WAS A GROUP

CALLED TURNING POINT U.S.A.,

FOUNDED IN 2012, THAT'S EXPLODED

OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS.

AND THEIR AGENDA IS BASICALLY

SORT OF RIBBING LIBERALS ON

CAMPUS IN A WAY THAT IS FRANKLY

QUITE SIMILAR TO THE KIND OF

JOUSTING THAT TRUMP DOES

RHETORICALLY ON THE NATIONAL

POLITICAL STAGE.

CHARLIE KIRK IS THE GROUP'S

FOUNDER.

HE HAD A BIG, BIG SPEAKING SLOT

AT CPAC THIS YEAR, AS DID

CANDICE OWENS, THEIR

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR.

AND, YOU KNOW, THERE IS A LOT OF

INTEREST IN THAT GROUP.

AND IT, YOU KNOW... IT WAS GIVEN

A LOT OF SPACE, AND CERTAINLY A

LOT OF PEOPLE ARE JOINING.

>> Sreenivasan: ALL RIGHT,

OSITA NWANEVU, A REPORTER FOR

THE "NEW YORKER."

THANKS SO MUCH.

>> THANK YOU.