Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard took the stage at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest on December 20, 2025 and delivered a warning that every patriot should take seriously: Islamist ideology is not merely a foreign problem — it is a political creed that threatens Western freedom and our Constitution. She didn’t couch it in euphemisms; she named the threat, explained its aims, and reminded Americans that liberty isn’t guaranteed if we fail to confront hostile ideologies head-on.
Gabbard spelled out the stakes — governance by Sharia, a push for a global caliphate, and the exploitation of legal systems to import illiberal practices — and pointed to real examples where radical clerics and bad-faith activists are trying to bend local institutions to their will. This isn’t abstract malarkey from the left’s alarmists; it is a sober call from the nation’s intelligence chief that our founding rights are under ideological attack.
Conservative voices immediately rallied to her side, and it’s no surprise that Newsmax commentators and national security analysts signaled their support — arguing the country needs to stop treating uncomfortable truths as verboten and start defending Western civilization. On Newsmax’s Newsline, national-security veterans like Lt. Col. Allen West and former intelligence analyst Fred Fleitz answered the call, echoing Gabbard’s message that this is a fight of ideas and a matter of public safety that requires policy action, not silence.
What Gabbard also exposed — and what conservatives have warned about for years — is the arrogance of elites who prefer platitudes to protection. She called out the “Deep State” tendency to weaponize intelligence and manipulate narratives when it suits political ends, a charge that rings hollow from the crowd that habitually defines what’s acceptable speech in this country. That honesty is refreshing and necessary: we cannot defend liberty with handwringing and cheap excuses.
Americans tired of denialism should take action: demand secure borders, rigorous vetting, enforcement of laws, and a national conversation that distinguishes between peaceful faith and political Islamism that seeks to replace our values. The conservative movement must stop apologizing for calling out real threats and start building a policy response that prevents radicalization, protects free speech, and holds complicit institutions accountable.
This is not about fear-mongering or xenophobia; it’s about facing facts and protecting neighbors, churches, synagogues, and public life from people who, by their own doctrine, may reject the very freedoms we cherish. Every community that values liberty ought to reject any ideology that elevates lawless governance over individual rights, and every elected official must answer for their approach to national security. The days of politely averting our eyes are over.
If Germany is canceling Christmas markets and other Western cities are retreating from open celebration because civic leaders failed to address genuine threats, make no mistake: America will not be spared if we follow the same path of weakness. Conservatives must turn Gabbard’s words into a conservative plan of action — stronger border enforcement, clearer prosecution of radical actors, and a public education campaign that teaches civic loyalty first.
Hardworking Americans want leaders who tell the truth and act with courage. Tulsi Gabbard’s blunt, patriotic warning at AmericaFest should be the rallying cry for every conservative who loves this nation: defend our values, secure our borders, and confront the ideology that seeks to replace freedom with coercion. Now is the time to stand up for America.
