Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) suggested on Tuesday that Christian conservatives would be "victorious" in the next civil war.
While speaking at a Turning Point USA conference, Cawthorn told young conservatives that it would "cost" them something if they wanted to "radically change our country and get back to our founding values."
"We, patriotic Americans, were born for such a time as this," he continued. "We're going to face some dark times as a nation. I genuinely believe that. I think we have an opportunity in the next four to six years to prevent kinetic force -- countryman on countryman -- from ever meeting."
"Although I have no doubt we would be victorious if that would ever happen," Cawthorn added. "But remember, that would be so immoral and wrong if we said, 'Hey, you know what? Let's just kick off a civil war,' and then we'll just go ahead and go to that point."
Instead of immediately starting a civil war, Cawthorn said that conservatives need to stop "playing this defensive game."
"It's time for us to stop being sheep and to stand up and be lions!" he shouted. "The radical left should be terrified of who we are. The radical left should be terrified of what we are going to do."