Particle.news
Download on the App Store

AmericaFest Puts MAGA Rift on Stage as Shapiro, Carlson and Kelly Clash

Onstage clashes over conspiracism, Israel, deplatforming exposed a widening split inside TPUSA’s orbit.

Ben Shapiro speaks during Turning Point USA's AmericaFest 2025, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
Megyn Kelly, center, speaks during Turning Point USA's AmericaFest 2025, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Benny Johnson speaks during Turning Point USA's AmericaFest 2025, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Erika Kirk smiles at a question and answer session during Turning Point USA's AmericaFest 2025, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)

Overview

  • Ben Shapiro opened the conference by blasting Tucker Carlson for hosting Nick Fuentes and rebuking Candace Owens and Megyn Kelly over what he called conspiracism and cowardice.
  • Carlson replied from the same stage, rejecting deplatforming, denying antisemitism, and dismissing talk of a conservative "civil war" as contrived.
  • Megyn Kelly told the crowd she no longer considers Shapiro a friend and later accused CBS News chief Bari Weiss of exploiting Erika Kirk in a televised town hall.
  • Steve Bannon escalated the fight by calling Shapiro "a cancer" and portraying the dispute as a proxy battle over Israel policy and 2028 positioning.
  • Utah prosecutors have charged Tyler Robinson, 22, in Charlie Kirk’s killing and are seeking the death penalty, undercutting Candace Owens’ unverified claims of foreign involvement.