Shapiro Warns Conservative Movement May Be Lost to Conspiratorial Thinking

What was said

"Is there a conservative movement left to save? That's the question, because conservatism depends on one very simple premise: you are responsible for your own actions. Conspiratorial systems are not responsible for your failures. If you sell people a bag of goods that says that everything around you is a manipulated system, that you live in the Matrix, all your failures are the result of deeply embedded evil systems, you will not just ruin your life, you'll ruin the country."

Ben Shapiro issued a stark warning that conspiracy theories promoted by figures like Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson are fundamentally incompatible with conservatism's core principle of individual responsibility. He argued that when conservatives believe they live in a Matrix-like system where hidden forces control everything, it destroys both personal agency and the ability to effectively counter the political left. He called listening to Owens's content an actual sin that harms individuals and the country.