The first major conference of Turning Point USA since the murder of its founder, Charlie Kirk, was intended to be a moment of unity for America's right-wing activists. Instead, the event held in Phoenix laid bare the profound and public fractures within the Make America Great Again coalition, highlighting internal battles over ideology and future leadership.
Public Clash Over Ideology and Legacy
The divisions erupted into open conflict as prominent conservative voices turned on each other. Influential podcaster Ben Shapiro launched a direct attack on former Fox News host Tucker Carlson for his recent interview with Nick Fuentes, a self-described white nationalist.
Shapiro accused figures like Carlson of endangering the conservative movement by engaging with extremists. "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. He emphasized that Charlie Kirk had "despised" Fuentes, whose views are widely condemned as antisemitic and racist, calling Carlson's decision to platform him "an act of moral imbecility."
Carlson Fires Back and a Battle for the Future
Tucker Carlson responded hours later, mocking Shapiro's criticism as a form of censorship he argued was contrary to Kirk's principles. "Deplatforming and denouncing people at a Charlie Kirk event. I’m like, what? It’s hilarious," Carlson told the audience, framing the dispute as a fundamental clash over free speech and the direction of the movement.
This public feud underscores a broader MAGA civil war over who will lead the movement as former President Donald Trump, who cannot run again, eventually steps back. While no one has formally declared for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, the conference became an early staging ground for potential contenders.
Endorsements and Electoral Anxieties
The gathering revealed not just ideological splits but also growing concerns about the coalition's electoral prospects and Trump's declining popularity. In a significant moment, Charlie Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, endorsed Vice President JD Vance for a 2028 White House run. "We are going to get my husband’s friend JD Vance elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible," she announced to cheers from the crowd on Thursday, December 20, 2025.
Other figures speculated as potential future leaders include the controversial Nick Fuentes and firebrand congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who recently broke with Trump. The event, which continues through the weekend with a speech from Vance scheduled for Sunday, has transformed from a memorial into a stark preview of the intense power struggle set to define the next chapter of American conservatism.
