CINCINNATI — At the 17th annual Young Americans for Liberty National Convention (YALCON), student activists voiced that the main obstacles to America First liberty are establishment politicians, the technocratic panopticon, and ongoing foreign wars.

Attendees told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the most pressing issues for younger voters ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections and the 2028 presidential race include America First values, the ongoing war with Iran, and concerns about the nation’s artificial intelligence (AI) data center boom.

Josiah Walker, a conference attendee, expressed concern about AI potentially taking jobs and data centers displacing homes. He emphasized prioritizing American citizens over foreigners, stating, “I don’t want no foreigners to come down here and take our jobs or take my friends’ jobs.” Walker also questioned the purpose of the ongoing war with Iran, saying, “we shouldn’t have been going to war in another country that doesn’t really have a purpose … Just because a man could be a threat in two weeks doesn’t mean they have the right to go bomb this one entire family.”

Another attendee, Lucien Anderson, wearing a “Massie 2028” hat, echoed the sentiment that politicians should put America first over other countries.

The U.S. national debt currently stands at $39.84 trillion.

During a speech, an audience member reportedly interrupted Ohio Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, calling him a “political cretin” and rejecting his talking points, according to Newsweek.

Separately, a lawsuit followed a 2022 raid on Grammy-nominated rapper Afroman’s home by the Adams County, Ohio Sheriff’s Office as part of a drug and kidnapping investigation. Authorities found no illegal items, and no charges were filed against the rapper.

Sources