CPAC Taps Controversial Right-Wing YouTuber for 2026 Conference

Nick Shirley, a far-right social media influencer, has confirmed his participation as a speaker at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) scheduled for March 25-28, 2026, in Grapevine, Texas. The announcement was made via a post on X, where CPAC expressed pride in featuring Shirley, labeling him an independent journalist and conservative voice.

Shirley, who gained notoriety within conservative circles after a controversial YouTube video last year, did not provide any comments when approached for his thoughts on the invitation. His video made unsubstantiated allegations regarding fraud within Minnesota’s Somali community, which quickly went viral.

“This dude has done far more useful journalism than any of the winners of the 2024 @pulitzercenter prizes,” remarked Vice President JD Vance in a post on X, praising Shirley's work. The official White House account echoed this sentiment in January, stating, “MINNESOTA FRAUDSTERS WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE! The videos from Nick Shirley have shed tremendous light on the situation in Minnesota.”

In his viral video, Shirley claimed to investigate daycare facilities in the Minneapolis area, alleging they were empty while still receiving federal funding. He posed questions to staff about their services and asserted that he had uncovered $110 million in fraudulent activities.

Following the release of his video, the Trump administration took significant action by freezing federal childcare funding in Minnesota and deploying 2,000 federal troops to the state as part of an immigration enforcement initiative. This move was reported by various news outlets.

However, Tikki Brown, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families, countered Shirley's claims by stating that all facilities mentioned had undergone audits. “Each of the facilities mentioned in the video has been visited at least once in the last six months as part of our typical licensing process,” Brown stated during a virtual press conference. “There have been ongoing investigations with several of those centers. None of those investigations uncovered findings of fraud.”

Brown also raised concerns about the timing of Shirley's visits to these daycare centers and whether they occurred during regular operating hours. An independent news outlet reported that the Minnesota Inspector General's office conducted unannounced compliance checks on nine of the ten centers featured in Shirley's video, finding that all but one were functioning normally with children present.

As for the remaining two facilities highlighted in his video, one had not opened for business that day when state inspectors arrived, while the other had been closed for years and had not received federal funds during that period.

Since his initial video, Shirley has testified before Congress and initiated another investigation into alleged voter fraud in California. He was also invited as a guest to the State of the Union address by Rep. Pete Stauber (R-Minn.), further solidifying his presence in political discourse.