America Fest attendees heard from Congresswoman-elect Anna Paulina Luna during Turning Point USA’s annual event. Luna is an alumnus of TP USA turned lawmaker.
Luna said Turning Point USA has been “incredibly important” when it comes to fighting for the youth of the country. She attended her first TP USA event in 2018 and when Charlie Kirk contacted her in August of that year about working for the organization, she had a decision to make. She had considered going to middle school and rejoining the military.
Ultimately she decided to stay an fight with TP USA because she realized the fight the country is facing. Her generation and those younger are being told socialism is a good thing, it just hasn’t been done correctly. They’re being told it’s wrong for women to be pro-life and that we shouldn’t have the Second Amendment. And they’re being told the founding fathers of the United States were racist.
“I did not agree with those things,” she said.
Luna said it doesn’t matter what someone’s background is, but in America anyone can make a difference. She said she came from the welfare system. She had a very young single mom and a father who was in and out of prison with a meth addiction.
“Yet all of those things, I realize because I was born in one of the greatest countries in the world — the United States — (that) was only part of my story but would not hold me back.”
As the national Hispanic outreach director for TP USA, Luna said she would go on media and share what was happening at the border with human trafficking. She would be called a conspiracy theorist and a coconut who was whitewashed. They would say she wasn’t Hispanic enough because she wasn’t regurgitating the lies the Left was putting out there about immigration.
“Those people that call you those names, they’re uninformed,” Luna said. “They don’t know what’s happening in our country and the Leftist media wants to use people like that to keep your voices from speaking the truth.”
The truth, she said, is one of the most powerful tools to be used in cleaning up what is happening to the country. She said she sees all of the time and is learning quickly that Washington doesn’t always want people to speak the truth.
“But I didn’t get elected to lie to the American people,” she said. “I got elected to fight. And that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
Democrats and the media changed the narrative on immigration in 2016 because the largest voting minority in the country was projected to be Hispanic Americans — specifically of Mexican descent. Prior to that, Democrats had the same views as conservatives on immigration, for the most part.
Luna pivoted back to her decision to run for office and she talked about losing in her first bid.
“What I learned is that if you fail the first time, you don’t sit there and feel bad for yourself — you get back up and you do it again and you do it as many times as you have to until you’re successful,” she said. “This country was not founded by those that gave up. This country was founded by people who, against all the odds, chose to fight for something that they believe in.”
Now, she said, she is aiming to show it is OK as a woman to protect women’s sports, love the nuclear family, stand up for parental rights, fight against drag queen story hours to children, be pro-life and a secure border.
“They tried to call me a pro-life extremist because I believe in protecting children,” she said. “Right before my election, they dropped $12 million against me. I had Barack Obama dropping robocalls against me. I think it helped me. I’m standing here today, aren’t I? It should just go to show that the American people realize how far gone this country has gone. They spoke in November. They want change. They don’t want the same thing over and over and over again.”
Unable to “endorse” Harmeet Dhillon for RNC chair, Luna said she “really likes” Dhillon.
“This is a 501c3 so there are certain things I can’t say,” she said. “Harmeet is a great lady and I really like Harmeet, so take that for what you will. She is a wonderful woman and I hope she brings the change that we need to see in this country.”
The biggest threat facing the country is two-fold, Luna said. It is Big Tech and China.
“They go hand-in-hand,” she said. “China is working with some of these companies like Google that engaged in election interference.”
And those same companies are helping the Chinese Communist Party engineer a social credit system, she said.
Luna will be a part of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. She said there will be some changes made in the next Congress and a motion to vacate the chair is the “redline” for conservatives hesitant when it comes to supporting Kevin McCarthy for Speaker.
“It means that we hold the Speaker accountable and we’re not budging,” she said. “On behalf of the American people, we are not budging. I promise you guys, we’re going to take arrows, but we need all of you to stand up for us.”
