A controversial 25-year-old North Carolina House candidate is being described as 'the most impressive speaker' of the RNC


Madison Cawthorn, the controversial 25-year-old Republican House candidate who broke President Trump's record of successful endorsements by beating the White House-backed Lynda Bennett in North Carolina's primary in June, earned praise on Wednesday night for his RNC speech. "God protected my mind, and my ability to speak," Cawthorn, who was paralyzed in a major car accident, told viewers. "So, I say to people who feel forgotten, ignored and invisible: I see you. I hear you."
Cawthorn's speech — which ended with him rising from his wheelchair to stand "for our republic" — earned him the distinction of being described as "the most impressive speaker of this convention" by Yahoo News' Alexander Nazaryan. Daily Beast columnist Matt Lewis observed that Cawthorn has an "inspiring story. Hard not to root for him." Right-wing producer Robby Starbuck added, "Madison Cawthorn just won over a large part of America with that speech." Conservative Erick Erickson agreed, tweeting, "That's why they are savaging Madison Cawthorne. That guy is great."
It's true that Cawthorn has faced scrutiny. An investigation by Jezebel earlier this month found that Cawthorn appears to make a number of winks to "white supremacist-adjacent nationalism," including the name of his LLC, "SPQR," an acronym that is popular among white nationalists, as well as possessing a decorative Betsy Ross flag, which has been "similarly appropriated by some extremist movements." He also follows exactly 88 people on Twitter, that being a known code for "Heil Hitler." Cawthorn additionally got into hot water for a 2017 Instagram post in which he visited Adolf Hitler's vacation home, known as the Eagle's Nest, and called the leader "the Fuhrer" in the caption (Cawthorn later denounced white nationalism).
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
As The New Republic notes, Cawthorn "could be a rising star of the party or an alt-right Trojan horse. Or maybe there's no difference between the two."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Music reviews: Chance the Rapper, Cass McCombs, and Molly Tuttle
Feature "Star Line," "Interior Live Oak," and "So Long Little Miss Sunshine"
-
Film reviews: Eden and Honey Don't!
Feature Seekers of a new utopia spiral into savagery and a queer private eye prowls a high-desert town
-
Critics' choice: Three chefs fulfilling their ambitions
Feature Kwame Onwuachi's grand second act, Travis Lett makes a comeback, and Jeff Watson's new Korean restaurant
-
DOGE put Social Security data at risk, official says
Speed Read DOGE workers made the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans vulnerable to identity theft
-
Court rejects Trump suit against Maryland US judges
Speed Read Judge Thomas Cullen, a Trump appointee, said the executive branch had no authority to sue the judges
-
Trump expands National Guard role in policing
Speed Read The president wants the Guard to take on a larger role in domestic law enforcement
-
Trump says he's firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Speed Read The move is likely part of Trump's push to get the central bank to cut interest rates
-
Abrego released from jail, faces Uganda deportation
Speed Read The wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego García is expected to be detained at an ICE check-in and deported to Uganda
-
Trump arms National Guard in DC, threatens other cities
speed read His next targets are Chicago, New York and Baltimore
-
Judge: Trump's US attorney in NJ serving unlawfully
Speed Read The appointment of Trump's former personal defense lawyer, Alina Habba, as acting US attorney in New Jersey was ruled 'unlawful'
-
Third judge rejects DOJ's Epstein records request
Speed Read Judge Richard Berman was the third and final federal judge to reject DOJ petitions to unseal Epstein-related grand jury material