Overview
- Turning Point USA convened its first AmericaFest since Charlie Kirk’s September assassination, with Erika Kirk taking a central role in Phoenix.
- Erika Kirk told attendees the group will help elect Vice President JD Vance in 2028 and focus electoral efforts on building a Republican “red wall” in Arizona, Nevada and New Hampshire.
- The Justice Department is considering federal hate‑crime charges against 22‑year‑old Tyler Robinson, who already faces state charges and has not entered a plea.
- Authorities say Robinson told a partner he killed Kirk because he had “had enough of his hatred,” a claim cited in court records and reported by the Associated Press.
- Factional rifts were on display at the conference’s opening, with Ben Shapiro and Tucker Carlson trading barbs and Candace Owens persisting with unsubstantiated theories despite a private meeting with Erika Kirk.