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By Andrew Stanton
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The MAGA civil war was on full display during a Turning Point USA event on Thursday.
Why It Matters
Turning Point USA’s America Fest began on Thursday, marking the organization’s largest meeting since the assassination of its founder, Charlie Kirk, in September. The night's events highlighted the divisions among prominent conservative activists and influencers who were in attendance, revealing how the movement remains divided during President Donald Trump’s second term in office.
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What To Know
Conservative podcaster and activist Ben Shapiro delivered a fiery speech at the event in which he took direct aim at other conservatives. He warned the conservative movement is “in danger from charlatans who claim to speak in the name of principle, but actually traffic in conspiracism and dishonesty.”
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He criticized those on the right who “offer nothing but bile and despair” and “seek to undermine fundamental principles of conservatism.”
“These people are frauds, and they are grifters, and they do not deserve your time,” he said.
He called out some well known conservatives by name.
Shapiro criticized Candace Owens for “casting aspersions at TPUSA and the people who work here, who worked with Charlie every single day” and spewing “absolutely baseless trash, implicating everyone from French intelligence to Mossad to members of TPUSA in Charlie’s murder.”
Anyone with a platform has a “moral obligation” to call that out, he said. Anybody who does not is “cowardice,” he said.
“Every time Ben speaks I feel more certain Israel is involved in 9/10z He’s just way too invested in Charlie’s murder. He never liked Charlie and he’s now suddenly pretending he had a duty to defend his legacy. Ben only cares about Israel’s interests. So Israel is involved,” Owens wrote on X, referring to the date Kirk was killed.
Owens was a friend of Kirk's before his death and has publicized theories about his murder. Those she's accused of being involved with include pro-Israel people, people involved with TPUSA and Charlie's podcast, French President Emmanuel Macron, and, most recently, the military, Newsweek previously reported.
She has also questioned Erika Kirk's leadership at the organization.
Shapiro also criticized other conservatives, like Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly, over their previous remarks about Owens.
“So no, Tucker Carlson is not an excuse to go silent on Candace’s targeting of TPUSA, or to mirror her bulls*** lines of questioning because you love Candace personally,” he said. “The same holds true of Megyn Kelly, a person I consider a friend, characterizing Candace as a ‘young mother,’ and thus shying away from condemning her actions.”
He also criticized far-right influencer Nick Fuentes as a “Hitler apologist, Nazi-loving, anti-American piece of refuse” and referred to former Trump White House strategist Steve Bannon as “PR flack for Jeffrey Epstein.”
What People Are Saying
Meghan McCain voiced agreement with Shapiro on X: “All of this @benshapiro.”
Bari Weiss, editor-in-chief of CBS News, wrote to X: “@benshapiro delivered a barnburner tonight @TPUSA.”
Progressive commentator Wajahat Ali wrote to X: “Tucker Carlson, Ben Shapiro, Nick Fuentes, Candace Owens and the lot of em are grifters who have made millions off of hate and division. The sooner all become irrelevant the better it is for America. Let them all eat each other alive.”
Conservative journalist Brian Glenn said on Real America’s Voice: “This does nothing to improve anyone’s life. If I seem a little angry about it, it’s because I am. We waste so much dadgum time on ‘Who said this, who said that,’ all these conspiracy theories. When it comes down to it, is your life better right now than it was a year ago? Do you think it's going to be better off two years from now than it was when he took office? Those are the things I wish we'd talk about! All this other bulls***, I'm sorry, I'm just over it!”
What Happens Next
Conservatives have remained divided about key policy issues heading into 2026, and it’s unclear whether these divisions will mend or widen ahead of the key midterm elections in November.
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