Prominent conservative leaders in the United States had disagreements at the annual Turning Point USA (TPUSA) conference, revealing a divide within the Republican Party and among supporters of former President Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.
The four-day event took place in Phoenix, Arizona, and included Republican leaders, media personalities, and conservative activists. It showcased important differences in opinions within the conservative movement.
Well-known figures such as Ben Shapiro, Megyn Kelly, and Tucker Carlson criticized each other on stage, discussing topics like U.S. support for Israel, bigotry, free speech, and more.
So, what is Turning Point USA (TPUSA), and what are the main points from the AmericaFest conference, the first since the group’s founder, Charlie Kirk, was killed in September?
What Is TPUSA?
Turning Point USA (TPUSA) is a nonprofit conservative group based in the U.S. It was founded in 2012 by Charlie Kirk, who tragically died in September during an event in Utah. After his death, his wife, Erika Kirk, became the CEO of TPUSA.
The group has over 850 chapters on college campuses across the country. It aims to mobilize and train young conservatives in high schools, colleges, and universities, promoting free-market ideas and limited government.
The AmericaFest conference has been held annually since 2021. It includes political speeches, networking opportunities, and cultural programs to inspire young conservative activists.
What Issues Divided the Conservatives?
Ben Shapiro, the first speaker after CEO Kirk, criticized several fellow conservatives, especially Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly. He is a strong supporter of Israel and called some conservatives “grifters” and “charlatans” for promoting conspiracy theories and extremist figures in the movement.
Shapiro condemned Carlson for hosting far-right figure Nick Fuentes on his podcast, calling it “an act of moral imbecility.” Fuentes has been accused of anti-Semitism.
Carlson responded directly on stage. He mocked Shapiro’s comments and said that trying to exclude certain voices is divisive. He also stated that he “laughed” at the effort to censor differing opinions, which shows a major conflict within conservative media.
Shapiro also criticized Candace Owens, who has spoken against Israel’s actions in Gaza, describing them as genocide and asking for Washington to stop its military support for Israel. He said Owens, who was not at the event, “has been vomiting all sorts of hideous and conspiratorial nonsense into the public square for years.”
He accused former Fox News host Megyn Kelly of “cowardice” for failing to condemn Owens’ unfounded claims about a conspiracy involving the U.S. and Israeli governments regarding the killing of Charlie Kirk.
Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who was born in the U.S. to Indian immigrants, spoke against bigotry and hate on the right. He said that anyone who normalizes hatred towards any ethnic or religious group “does not belong as a leader” in the conservative movement.
During his speech, Carlson also condemned bigotry against Muslims. He said, “What you’re watching now… attacking millions of Americans because they’re Muslims? It’s disgusting.” He added, “I’m a Christian. I am not a Muslim. I know there’s a lot of effort to claim I’m a secret jihadi. I’m not.”
In his closing speech at the convention, U.S. Vice President JD Vance chose not to take sides in the debate over bigotry. He said the conservative movement should welcome everyone who “loves America.” He stated, “I didn’t bring a list of conservatives to denounce or to de-platform. We don’t care if you’re white or Black, rich or poor, young or old, rural or urban, controversial or a little bit boring, or somewhere in between.”
U.S. Support for Israel
The topic of Israel came up often during the conference. Steve Bannon accused Shapiro, who is Jewish, and others who strongly support Israel of being part of the “Israel First” group.
“Israel needs to be independent. If Israel wants to take on Syria, that’s its decision. But the U.S. should not get dragged into another endless war,” he said.
Some people on the right question whether the Republican Party’s long-standing support for Israel fits with Trump’s “America First” policy.
Tucker Carlson criticized some Christian ministers who he said justified the killing of innocent people in the context of Israel’s conflict in Gaza.
“If a man commits a crime, do we kill his kids? I don’t care if it’s in Minneapolis or Gaza City. No, we don’t,” Carlson said. “God is not on any country’s side. He doesn’t have a nationality,” he added.
Debate Over Who Is an American
Vivek Ramaswamy, a Republican candidate for Ohio governor, challenged the idea that a person’s ancestry should decide if they are American.
“The idea that a ‘heritage American’ is more American than another American is un-American,” he said at the conference.
“You are an American if you believe in the rule of law, freedom of conscience and expression, a fair merit-based system, the U.S. Constitution, the American dream, and if you are a citizen who pledges loyalty to our nation,” Ramaswamy wrote in an opinion piece for The New York Times on December 17.
Ramaswamy’s view on being American differs from that of his party colleague, Vice President J.D. Vance. In a July speech, Vance expressed concern about granting citizenship based only on agreement with the Declaration of Independence.
“America is not just an idea. It is a group of people with a shared history and a common future. In short, it is a nation,” he said.
During his speech on Sunday at the conference, Vance highlighted the Trump administration’s efforts to end diversity, equity, and inclusion policies aimed at helping historically disadvantaged communities.
“In the United States, you don’t have to apologize for being white anymore,” he said, adding that the U.S. “always will be a Christian nation.”
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