WASHINGTON, D.C. — Populism and a rejection of the “globalist agenda” took center stage at CPAC over the weekend, which saw a number of politicos from different quarters argue for individual freedom and a focus on the litany of problems Americans are facing at home.

On Friday, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) gave a speech to CPAC attendees touting that he was one of the reasons why Republican leaders, who he submitted have done little to represent the people who elected them, are quitting, making way for more populist representatives.

“So if you’re out there campaigning and running as a Paul Ryan or Kevin McCarthy Republican, my message to you is this: They don’t work here anymore,” Gaetz said.

“The next phase of our plan is to replace the droves of retiring members with America First patriots,” he added.

He embraced the “populist” moniker, which was purportedly a litmus test just a few years ago to exclude potential Trump administration appointees.

“Mike Pence just announced that he is building a $20 million fund to combat America’s embrace of populism. It’s no surprise to me that Mike Pence is against populism. He was never particularly popular,” he said.

Gaetz went on to question foreign aid to Israel, arguing that it should be contingent on the United States defunding and kicking out the UN, which he accused of having “their own people attacking and killing Israelis. Seems like a good offset.”

He also reminded the media, which has been focused on the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in Russia, that the death of American journalist Gonzalo Lira while in Ukrainian custody received comparatively little coverage.

DX caught up with Gaetz and asked him why he continues to attack a Beltway establishment that has the means to destroy him.

“Sometimes you’re able to build a few callouses after a few fights,” he replied.

DX also spoke with businessman Mike Lindell, who has faced legal jeopardy for questioning the outcome of the 2020 presidential election and the reliability of electronic voting machines. For those efforts, his company, which he claimed was employee-owned, “gets attacked every day.”

“What a shame. They get attacked for their CEO trying to secure our elections,” Lindell said, noting that all his employees, who number well over a thousand, work in the United States.

Another notable attendee whom DX was able to speak to was former Cleveland mayor and congressman from Ohio Dennis Kucinich, who elaborated on his brand of populism.

In a sign of how much the political ideologies of the two major parties have shifted and morphed in just the last 10 years, Kucinich, who was a Democrat when he served in Congress up until 2013, is running for a congressional seat in Ohio again but this time as an independent. He had decided to attend the right-leaning conference where he seemingly had many allies and like-minded influencers.

“The thing I really believe strongly is that America is losing its way in these forever wars,” Kucinich warned.

“We can’t pretend that we can tell everybody around the world how to live anymore. It’s enough to control things here. The issues with crime in our cities are horrible, and we have to start addressing our concerns here,” he explained. “Inflation, the high price of food, of housing, of energy — these are things that concern all Americans. And yet, we’re distracted as a nation. Our country is looking abroad for dragons to slay instead of taking care of dragons at home.”

DX also had the opportunity to ask Erik Prince, a former Navy SEAL and founder of the private security company Blackwater, for his perspective on the populist messaging at CPAC, given his global experiences and insights. Prince’s support for nationalism and rejection of globalism was unequivocal:

“I think the rest of the world looks to America as an example of human freedom, personal liberty. … And the more the globalist agenda captures America, it destroys American’s ability to rise from the bottom to the top,” Prince said.

He added that the United States is appealing to migrants, many of whom come here unlawfully, because there is still “better governance [in] the U.S., maybe not at the federal level, but certainly at the state and local level.”

“The business of America should be business. Not forcing our ideas on various countries, but letting people choose it voluntarily,” he added.