Why Dissent Matters
Miles Taylor, former Trump administration official and whistleblower, discussed the concept of dissent in American society鈥攁nd what it means to speak up. He chronicled his life and career, coming from small-town Indiana to working on Capitol Hill, where he was a legislative staffer for various Republican officials.
When Trump won the presidency in 2016, Taylor, who had reservations about the candidate, decided to 鈥渃ome in鈥� to the fold by serving under Gen. John Kelly, who was the then-Secretary of Homeland Security. However, Taylor soon realized that he and many civil servants had to serve as an 鈥渁xis of adults鈥� in the room鈥攅specially as the president became more unhinged. For Taylor, it soon became a matter of speaking up, both internally and externally. Sen. John McCain鈥檚 passing inspired Taylor to publish his anonymous New York Times op-ed, detailing the dysfunction and disaffection in the Trump administration. He knew from that point on he could not turn back.
While Taylor was subject to the president鈥檚 Twitter attacks, he left the administration to work for an organization of ex-Trump officials committed to beating the president鈥檚 re-election bid. Finally, in October 2020, he unmasked himself as the whistleblower, subjecting himself to a torrent of personal threats. But he said he doesn't regret it.
For Taylor, dissent matters. After his talk, he spoke about how young people should be willing to聽put conscience over consequences. He felt disappointed in the media for facilitating Trump鈥檚 rise and their coverage of his op-ed. In looking back at his time working for the former president, Taylor says his biggest regret was Trump鈥檚 family separation policy and how he did not resign then. Lastly, he spoke about the future of the GOP. Taylor is working to shift the party back to the center-right, launching his organization, REPAIR.聽
Czar Sepe 鈥�21, Winston Ambassador
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