Staff Reports
Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest in Phoenix opened with exactly the kind of raw honesty the conservative movement desperately needs right now, and Ben Shapiro wasted no time putting the rot on the table. What was sold as a celebration of Charlie Kirk’s legacy instead became a crucial reckoning about who actually speaks for conservatism and who profits from chaos. The event ran December 18–21, 2025 and brought together the movement’s biggest names for a weekend that would expose more truth than spin.
Shapiro’s speech cut through the performative outrage and named names, calling out what he rightly described as frauds and grifters who traffic in conspiracism instead of conservative principle. That kind of plain-speaking is rare these days, and conservatives who care about limited government, free markets, and the rule of law should welcome it; the movement cannot be a free-for-all for attention-seekers masquerading as statesmen. His critique landed hard on stage and in Washington alike, sparking the debate this country needs about the difference between real leaders and media hustlers.
Most importantly, Shapiro refused to soft-pedal the danger of platforming extremists, specifically condemning Tucker Carlson for elevating Nick Fuentes without owning the moral consequences. Conservatives who cherish liberty cannot normalize alliances with white nationalists or Holocaust denialists, no matter how entertaining the clicks; the brand of conservatism that tolerates that is not worth defending. If the right is serious about winning the argument for America, it must police its own tent and stop pretending that all publicity is good publicity.
Shapiro even called out friends on the stage — including Megyn Kelly — for what he called cowardice in failing to condemn the poisonous conspiracy theories being pushed about Charlie Kirk’s death. That sting was no accident: holding friends accountable is how movements preserve their moral backbone, and those who package sympathy as an excuse for conspiracy deserve no pass. Conservatives should be unafraid to demand truth from their own side, especially when baseless accusations threaten innocent people and the credibility of our cause.
As fireworks predictably followed, Tucker Carlson’s measured mockery and the near-scuffles among attendees underscored the stakes — this is not kabuki theater, it’s a fight for the soul of a movement. Erika Kirk’s leadership and warnings about disagreement showed that TPUSA is trying to keep the event focused on ideas, but the public infighting laid bare the urgent need for leadership that unites around principle rather than personality. Conservatives who love this country should want a movement that wins hearts and minds, not one that trades on controversy and chaos.
Make no mistake: infighting like this is painful, but it can be purifying. We either stand for principle or we surrender to opportunism; the choice is stark and urgent. Patriots who built the conservative coalition through hard work and civic virtue should demand better of their leaders and demand accountability when influencers trade on spectacle instead of substance.
If America is to be preserved, conservatives must stop treating every loud voice as a leader and start rewarding those who actually conserve — institutions, values, and the truth. Support the voices who defend real conservatism, call out the grifters, and restore a movement that speaks for hardworking Americans, not for clicks and chaos.
This weekend’s showdown was uncomfortable but necessary, and every patriot who loves the country should cheer the conversation it forced into the light. We win by being honest, disciplined, and courageous — and by refusing to let cynics and conspiracy-mongers define what it means to be conservative in America.
