Ben Hayden-Smith

Messrs. @benshapiro, @michaeljknowles, @brentscher, and @bdomenech: Why are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints not welcome in The Daily Wire's conservative movement? Members of the LDS Church have been for more than a century and remain today predominantly conservative in their political orientation. They believe in the value of self-reliance, the participation of voluntary charity, and giving back to their families and communities, all while being active in their faith and worshipping their savior, Jesus Christ. They regularly are rated at or near the top in terms of practicing the religious tolerance they seek in others. They would, in other words, seem to be an ideal group for you to court as part of your audience. For over a year now, however, The Daily Wire has been willing to give voice to anti-LDS sentiment in its pages and on its programs in a way that I have not seen you do with other faiths. This has accelerated recently with the addition of Matt Fradd to your content roster, as multiple episodes of his show have worked to tear down the LDS Church and he has written an article you published titled "7 Reasons Joseph Smith Was A False Prophet." You have the right to hire and platform anyone you see fit. I am not arguing that, nor am I arguing for Fradd's dismissal from your organization. But what is the reasoning for not only turning your back on but actively insulting and attacking an important segment of your audience? As one of the foremost online publications catering to contemporary conservative thought, news, and action, The Daily Wire is a critical weapon in the fight against the left, and one that conservatives of all stripes have long been glad to have in their corner. Telling LDS Church members that they are not welcome in the fight that you are leading is not just a slap in the face to a group who has, to the best of my knowledge, done nothing to you to deserve it, but also a bewildering business decision on the part of a media group that would ostensibly benefit from bringing multiple conservative groups together rather than dividing them. I would like to encourage you to reconsider your stance actively turning aside LDS Church members who believe in the same things you claim to believe in and instead welcome them into your movement with the respect they, and those of all religious affiliations, deserve. You may not believe what they believe, but they believe what you believe--or at least what you have heretofore claimed to. You have the power to make the conservative tent bigger, not smaller. If you continue to refuse to exercise it, I would like to request that you at least do members of the LDS Church--and, in fact all conservatives--the courtesy of explaining to them why you want anyone and everyone else in your political movement and sampling your political content other than them. Many of them have joined me in canceling our subscriptions, and the numbers will likely only increase if you persist in this bizarre crusade against LDS Church members. I don't want that; none of them do. But your actions have all but required it if they are to maintain their dignity and commitment to their faith. I will repost this message once per day on X until I receive a response from one of you as to why you are actively excluding and defaming members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints instead of welcoming them to be a part of what you are creating.