Turning Level USA’s annual AmericaFest highlighted a rift within the conservative motion that’s emerged because the assassination of the group’s co-founder, Charlie Kirk, in September.
Over the course of the four-day convention, a number of the audio system criticized each other by identify. Podcaster and distinguished right-wing character Ben Shapiro known as out Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon and Megyn Kelly and accused them of being “frauds and grifters” and for entertaining far-right conspiracy theories following Kirk’s killing.
“The conservative movement is in danger from charlatans who claim to speak in the name of principle but actually traffic in conspiracism and dishonesty,” Shapiro stated throughout his remarks Thursday night time. He referred to Bannon as “a PR flack for Jeffrey Epstein.”
One fault line that’s emerged is the right way to deal with the rise of far-right antisemitic and white supremacist influencer Nick Fuentes after Carlson lately interviewed him on his podcast. Many conservatives had been outraged at Carlson for giving Fuentes a platform, although some have defended him.
At AmericaFest, Shapiro went after Carlson for internet hosting Fuentes — whom he known as “a Hitler apologist, Nazi-loving, anti-American piece of refuse” — on his podcast.
Bannon, in his remarks, in contrast Shapiro to “a cancer” on the conservative motion.
Vice President JD Vance speaks on the ultimate day of Turning Level USA’s annual AmericaFest convention on the Phoenix Conference Heart on December 21, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Caylo Seals / Getty Photos
“Ben Shapiro is like a cancer, and that cancer spreads,” Bannon stated. “Mark my word, he will make a move on Turning Point, because he’s always been envious of Charlie Kirk.”
The occasion was the primary of its sort since Kirk was assassinated in September whereas talking at a Utah college. The noticeable rift between audio system made a number of the attendees uneasy.
Deacon Jones, a 19-year-old Turning Level USA member from Tennessee, has attended two of the conservative group’s conferences up to now, and he stated this weekend’s AmericaFest felt noticeably totally different in comparison with earlier years after Kirk’s demise. Jones instructed Kirk’s absence appeared to make a palpable distinction.
“I I think Charlie used to be the beacon that everybody could trust; he would take everybody’s ideas and kind of boil it down to something that everybody could agree with,” Jones stated. “I think everybody’s just trying to figure out, like, ‘Where do we go from here? How do we figure out who to listen to, who to trust?’”
Jones was one of many greater than 25,000 individuals who attended the convention, which passed off in Phoenix, Arizona, and included distinguished conservatives akin to Vice President JD Vance, Home Speaker Mike Johnson, Bannon, White Home border czar Tom Homan, Carlson and a shock look by rapper Nicki Minaj. President Trump known as in to the convention by cellphone..
“He tries to manipulate things, and in some ways, trying to hide his radicalism, in some ways, so that he can gain those people’s trust,” he stated.
Jones added that latest infighting is stopping the younger conservative motion from discovering widespread floor it must construct on its momentum from 2024.
“We’re making major issues minor and minor issues major. We’re not talking about all the things we agree on. We’re talking about all the things we’re disagreeing on and splitting our party,” Jones stated.
Andrew Kolvet, Turning Level’s spokesman and govt producer of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” stated no single determine might help resolve MAGA’s inner battle within the vacuum left by Kirk’s demise, including that “it’s going to be a team effort.” However he was hopeful in regards to the extra optimistic course from Vance, who addressed the convention on Sunday, its remaining day.
“With JD Vance’s final address, the capstone of this event. It kind of felt like, you know, Dad’s home,” Kolvet stated. “He’s telling the kids to settle down. You know, here’s what we stand for, here’s the Northern Star, and this is what we’re chasing after.”
Vance, who acquired Erika Kirk’s endorsement for the 2028 race, took the stage and tried to clean issues over, telling conference-goers that the conservative motion is open to everybody so long as they “love America.”
“We have far more important work to do than canceling each other,” Vance stated. “Charlie invited all of us here for a reason, because he believed that each of us, all of us, had something worth saying, and he trusted all of you to make your own judgment.”
Nick Perisse, a 19-year-old scholar from Florida, stated he felt “carefully enthusiastic” about the way forward for the younger conservative motion following Vance’s remarks.
However, the tensions on show counsel the battle over the way forward for the conservative motion could be getting began.
