Former President Donald Trump issued a bizarre, public threat to "fire" his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., during a live speakerphone appearance at a major conservative conference in the United States.
A Surprise Call and a Stark Warning
The incident unfolded on Sunday 21 December 2025 at Turning Point USA's AmericaFest event in Phoenix, Arizona. Don Jr, a headline speaker, surprised the right-wing audience by putting his father on speakerphone. The crowd erupted in cheers as the former president's voice filled the venue.
After thanking his loyal MAGA supporters for their votes, Trump Sr. turned his attention to his son's performance. "I hope my son’s doing a good job representing me; otherwise, I’ll have to say ‘You’re fired, Don. You’re fired,’" he stated. He concluded the call by urging the audience to let him know if the speech was not great, promising, "I’ll give him hell." The comments drew a tense reaction from the crowd before the former president signed off.
Declaring a New Political Era
During his subsequent address, Donald Trump Jr used the platform to make a bold declaration about the state of American politics. He proclaimed that the Republican Party was effectively a thing of the past.
"This isn’t the Republican Party anymore," he told the cheering audience. "It’s the America First Party. It’s the Make America Great Again Party. And we are not going back!" He accused both Democrats and Republicans In Name Only (RINOs) of trying to shut down the movement led by his father.
His remarks ignited chants of "USA! USA! USA!" from the energized crowd, underscoring the deep resonance of the "America First" message within this segment of the base.
Attacks on Democrats and 'Weak' Republicans
Trump Jr's speech served as a direct attack on political opponents from both sides of the aisle. He reserved particular criticism for what he called "weak" Republicans "who just capitulated to the D.C. swamp."
He focused heavily on immigration policy, criticising those who advocated for resettling refugees from Afghanistan. "Some of the loudest voices, even in the Republican party, demanded we bring in tens of thousands of unvetted Afghan refugees. For years they turned Minnesota into little Somalia," he said, referencing a Somali refugee programme.
That programme, which had helped revitalise neighbourhoods in Minneapolis, was suspended and drastically capped by the Trump administration earlier in the year. Under the current order, annual refugee admissions are capped at 7,500—a staggering reduction of over 90% from the previous year's ceiling of 125,000 and the lowest number since the scheme began in 1980.
"How’s that working out for anyone? I keep hearing diversity is our strength. I’m not so sure," Trump Jr added, a line that was met with loud applause from the conference attendees.
The event was not without its technical hiccups. Turning Point USA contributor Erika Kirk blamed "the enemy" after her iPad, which contained her speech, failed during the conference.
