U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley cautioned conservative high school students against posting provocative content online in an effort to “own the libs.”
The advice was given during the High School Leadership Summit at George Washington University on Monday, where Haley asked students to raise their hand if they had “ever posted anything online to quote-unquote ‘own the libs.’”
Most students admitted they had done so, before breaking into a round of applause, according to The Hill.
“I know that it’s fun and that it can feel good, but step back and think about what you’re accomplishing when you do this — are you persuading anyone? Who are you persuading?” Haley said. “We’ve all been guilty of it at some point or another, but this kind of speech isn’t leadership — it’s the exact opposite.”
“Real leadership is about persuasion, it’s about movement, it’s bringing people around to your point of view,” she continued. “Not by shouting them down, but by showing them how it is in their best interest to see things the way you do.”
The conference was presented by Turning Point USA, a nonprofit organization designed to “identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of freedom, free markets, and limited government,” according to the group’s website.
Turning Point USA, which was founded in 2012 by Charlie Kirk, is a controversial group in the conservative movement that has faced criticism from other conservative groups such as Young America’s Foundation who cautioned earlier this year that the nonprofit and Kirk could effect “long-term damage” on “conservative students and the conservative movement.”
