Thirteen-year-old CJ Pearson became an Internet sensation in conservative circles this year by posting videos with titles like President Obama: Do you really love America?, criticizing Hillary Clinton, and joining the Ted Cruz campaign, Mediaite reports. It helped him amass 5 million viewers on his YouTube channel and 100,000 Facebook followers, according to CNN. But now the African-American teen says he can "no longer be a mouthpiece for conservatism." "I was tired of being a champion of a party that turned a blind eye to racial discrimination," Pearson says. "Tired of being a champion of any cause that denies equal rights to every American. Tired of being a champion of a party that doesn't care about the issues important to young people."
In an interview with CNN, Pearson says the video of a Laquan McDonald's death released this week spurred him to reevaluate his views. He says he doesn't want to be popular just because he's the "anti-Obama kid" or because he makes Republicans feel good about having a young person on their side. But he won't be joining the Democrats either. Pearson says he doesn't want to be tied to the ideology of either party. (More teenager stories.)
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