Overview
- Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk endorsed Vice President J.D. Vance for 2028 at the Phoenix gathering, positioning him as the organization’s preferred future nominee.
- In his closing speech, Vance told attendees he would not "denounce or deplatform" conservatives and framed the America First movement as a big tent.
- In a subsequent UnHerd interview, Vance said "anyone who attacks my wife … can eat s---," condemned antisemitism and ethnic hatred, and refused to break with Tucker Carlson while downplaying Nick Fuentes’ influence.
- AmericaFest featured public clashes as Ben Shapiro castigated conspiracy peddling and Carlson, Steve Bannon, and others retaliated, with debates intensifying over hosting Nick Fuentes, widely described as a white supremacist and Holocaust denier.
- Analysts and participants warned the schism could complicate GOP cohesion for the 2026 midterms and 2028 jockeying, even as a TPUSA straw poll showed overwhelming attendee support for Vance.