Prominent US conservatives clashed at Turning Point USA’s annual conference, exposing fundamental rifts within the ruling Republican Party and US President Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) foundation.
The four-day conference in Phoenix, Arizona, brought together Republican leaders, members of the media, and conservative activists and exposed deep ideological differences within the conservative movement.
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Media luminaries including Ben Shapiro, Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson took turns attacking each other on stage about US support for Israel, bigotry, free speech and other related topics.
Essam Boley, a senior fellow at Cornell University’s Center for Global Democracy, told Al Jazeera: “The civil war on the right is really a succession struggle…The divide we’re seeing now is a succession struggle between two forces: ‘Make America Great Again’ and ‘America First.'”
“We both think they would be natural leaders of the conservative movement after Donald Trump, especially now that there are many signs that Trump is losing control and influence over the party, Congress, and conservatives generally.”
So what is Turning Point USA (TPUSA)? What are the key takeaways from the AmericaFest conference, the first since the group’s founder Charlie Kirk was murdered in September?
What is TPUSA?
Turning Point USA (TPUSA) is a US-based nonprofit conservative organization founded in 2012 by Charlie Kirk, who was killed during an event in Utah in September. After Kirk’s death, his widow, Erica Kirk, took over as CEO of TPUSA.
The organization operates more than 850 chapters on college campuses across the country and works to mobilize and train young conservatives in high schools, colleges, and universities to advocate free market principles and limited government.
The annual AmericaFest conference, starting in 2021, is a combination of political speeches, networking, and cultural programming aimed at energizing young conservative activists.
Who spoke at the AmericaFest conference?
The event was attended by Republican elected officials, prominent conservative media figures, and celebrities.
The most prominent voices are:
Ben Shapiro, Daily Wire co-founder, conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, journalist, president of the Tucker Carlson Network Megyn Kelly, journalist, host of The Megyn Kelly Show Vice President of the United States JD Vance Erica Kirk, CEO of TPUSA Steve Bannon, podcaster, former advisor to the first Trump administration
What issues are dividing conservatives?
Debate over bias, conspiracy theories, and platforming
Ben Shapiro, the first speaker after Kirk, was harshly critical of several fellow conservatives, particularly Carlson Kelly and Megyn Kelly. Mr. Shapiro, a vocal supporter of Israel, described others as “con artists” and “charlatans” for amplifying so-called conspiratorial and extremist figures in the broader conservative movement.
Shapiro said Carlson’s decision to have far-right figure Nick Fuentes host his podcast was “morally foolish.” Fuentes has been accused of anti-Semitism.
Carlson, on the other hand, responded directly from the same platform, mocking Shapiro’s criticism and condemning attempts to exclude certain voices as divisive.
He said he “laughed” at the effort, which he characterized as an attempt to censor the opposition, underscoring the sharp ideological clashes within media circles aligned with the Republican Party.
Shapiro also attacked conservative media commentator Candace Owens, who has criticized Israel’s war in Gaza, calling it a genocide. She called on Washington to end military aid to Israel.
The Daily Wire co-founder said Mr. Owens (who did not attend the event) “has been spewing all kinds of hideous conspiratorial nonsense into the public square for years.”
He said Kelly, a former Fox News host, had “committed the crime of cowardice” by refusing to condemn Owens for his unsubstantiated claims that there was a conspiracy involving the U.S. and Israeli governments to kill Charlie Kirk.
Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who was born in the United States to Indian immigrants, also condemned the right-wing’s bigotry and hatred, saying those who normalize hatred against any ethnic or religious group “have no place in leadership” of the conservative movement.
Carlson, a journalist, also spoke out against prejudice against Muslims in his speech. “What you’re seeing now is attacking millions of Americans because they’re Muslim? That’s disgusting.”
“And I’m a Christian. I’m not a Muslim. I never intend to be…I know there’s a lot of effort to claim that I’m a secret jihadist. I’m not,” he added.
In a speech Sunday, Vice President J.D. Vance refused to take sides in the bigotry debate, saying the conservative movement should be open to anyone who “loves America.”
“I didn’t come with a list of conservatives to denounce or strip the platform of,” Vance said in his closing speech.
“We don’t care if you’re white or black, rich or poor, young or old, rural or urban, controversial or a bit boring, or anything in between.”
US support for Israel
Israel came up many times during the conference.
Steve Bannon accused Shapiro, who is Jewish, and other staunch supporters of Israel of being part of the “‘Israel First’ crowd.”
“Israel needs sovereignty, Israel needs independence. If Israel wants to fight Syria, it should do so…but it should not drag the United States into endless wars again,” he said.
Some on the right have questioned whether the Republican Party’s historically strong support for Israel conflicts with President Trump’s “America First” platform.
Meanwhile, Carlson strongly criticized some Christian pastors who cited Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza and claimed they were justifying the killing of innocent people.
“If a man commits a crime, are we allowed to kill his children? I don’t care if it’s in Minneapolis or Gaza City. No, we’re not,” Carlson told the audience. “God is not on the side of any nation…(God) has no nationality,” he added.
Elia Bure, a senior fellow at the Center for Right-Wing Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, said right-wing support for Israel “has never been more total or ‘iron-clad’.”
“While ‘America First’ like Pat Buchanan have long opposed unconditional support for Israel, many evangelicals have effectively become ‘Christian Zionists’, either because they see Israel as having a role in the ‘end times’ or because of an imagined solidarity around ‘Judeo-Christian values,'” he told Al Jazeera.
“I think recent tensions over support for Israel should be seen in historical context. They are not new, but a continuation of ideological rifts that have been going on for decades.”
debate about who is an American
Ramaswamy, the Republican candidate for governor of Ohio, also questioned the idea of determining whether a person is American based on ancestry or heritage.
“The idea that ‘traditional Americans’ are more American than other Americans is inherently un-American,” he told the conference.
“If you believe in the rule of law, freedom of conscience, freedom of expression, color-blind meritocracy, the Constitution, the American Dream, and your sole allegiance to our country, you are an American,” Ramaswamy, a wealthy businessman, wrote in an op-ed in The New York Times on December 17.
Mr. Ramaswamy’s position on the United States appears to differ from that of his party colleague, Vice President Vance, who in a speech in July expressed concern about granting citizenship to some people, for example, because they agree with the principles of the Declaration of Independence.
“America is more than just an idea. It’s a group of people with a common history and a common future. In one word: a nation,” he said.
In his speech at Sunday’s conference, Vance highlighted the Trump administration’s efforts to end diversity, equity, and inclusion policies aimed at ensuring equal opportunity for communities that have historically faced obstacles.
“In the United States of America, we no longer have to apologize for being white,” he said, adding that America “will always remain a Christian nation.”
What does the infighting mean for next year’s midterm elections?
Boley said America First has “already won.” He described its leaders as “Christian nationalists, white supremacists, and economic populists.”
“The midterm elections will mark the end of President Trump’s reign and the beginning of America First’s reign. The midterm elections are the round the America First team is waiting to declare victory.”
“Trump is losing popularity and influence within the party left and right, but he still retains traditional influence and importance.”
