September 3, 2025
Senator Schmitt frames America as the settlers' heritage at National Conservatism Conference
White nationalist rhetoric enters Senate chamber
📜Constitutional Law🔐Ethics🏛️Government✊Civil Rights
Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt delivered a speech titled "What is an American?" at the National Conservatism Conference in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 2, 2025. He said, 'America doesn't belong to them — it belongs to us,' and framed national identity around pilgrims and settlers. Reporters described the speech as exclusionary and aligned with national conservative and ethno‑nationalist themes.
Schmitt's office hired staffer Nate Hochman in February 2025; Hochman was previously fired from Ron DeSantis' 2023 campaign after circulating imagery tied to neo‑Nazi symbols.
Sen. 
Eric Schmitt spoke at the National Conservatism Conference on Sept. 2, 2025, in a plenary titled "What is an American?".
Schmitt repeatedly stated 'America doesn't belong to them — it belongs to us,' and praised pilgrims and settlers as the nation's founders.
Major outlets reported Schmitt's language as exclusionary and tied it to national conservatism's focus on cultural and religious heritage.
Nate Hochman joined Schmitt's staff in February 2025 after earlier being fired from the DeSantis campaign in July 2023 over a video containing neo‑Nazi imagery.
The conference featured senior Trump administration officials, including Director of National Intelligence 
Tulsi Gabbard and White House budget director 
Russell Vought.
📜Constitutional Law🔐Ethics🏛️Government✊Civil Rights
People, bills, and sources
Eric Schmitt
Republican U.S. Senator from Missouri
Nate Hochman
Senate staffer (Sen. Schmitt's office)
Tulsi Gabbard
Director of National Intelligence
Russell Vought
White House budget director
What You Can Do
1
Call the Senate Ethics Committee at 202-224-2981 demanding investigation of Schmitt's white nationalist advocacy and potential violations of oath of office
2
Contact Missouri Governor Mike Parson at 573-751-3222 urging condemnation of Schmitt's extremism and call for immediate resignation
3
Support civil rights organizations at splcenter.org and adl.org monitoring and combating white nationalist infiltration of government
4
Contact Missouri Democratic Party and Republican leaders demanding they reject Schmitt's ideology and support inclusive American values
5
Monitor Senate voting patterns to track how Schmitt's explicit white nationalism affects his policy positions and legislative priorities