There were plenty of fireworks at Turning Point USA’s America Fest opening night, and not just the ones blasting off behind the stage. The real sparks flew from the podium, where conservative media heavyweights decided to air out grievances in front of thousands of activists, donors, and camera phones itching for a viral moment.
This year’s America Fest carried extra weight. It marked the first major conference hosted by Turning Point USA without its founder, the late Charlie Kirk. That context made the opening night clashes feel even more raw, especially when keynote speaker Ben Shapiro took the stage and aimed his fire inward, squarely at fellow conservatives.
Rather than focusing on Democrats, Washington, or the media, Shapiro spent much of his speech ripping into what he described as “frauds and grifters” within the conservative movement. Among his top targets was Tucker Carlson. According to reporting from Fox News, Shapiro accused Carlson and others of undermining conservative principles through conspiracism and grievance politics.
“Today the conservative movement is in serious danger,” Shapiro said, warning not only about the left but also about figures who “claim to speak in the name of principle but actually traffic in conspiracism and dishonesty.” He did not mince words, calling such people “frauds” and “grifters” who “do not deserve your time.”
BREAKING: Ben Shapiro directly calls out Tucker Carlson at TPUSA Amfest and receives a roaring applause from the crowd.
Notice how Ben uses facts to go after Tucker, but Tucker just uses ad-hominem attacks.
pic.twitter.com/sd1Dq9M8q0— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) December 19, 2025
Shapiro went further, criticizing Carlson for staying silent while Candace Owens spread conspiracy theories about Charlie Kirk’s assassination. “The fact that they have said nothing while Candace has been vomiting all sorts of hideous and conspiratorial nonsense to the public square for years is just as cowardly,” Shapiro said. That line alone guaranteed the speech would not quietly fade into the conference archives.
He also mocked Carlson’s interview style, saying it was “lazy, stupid and misleading” to imply insider knowledge without offering evidence. “Just asking questions is something my five-year-old does,” Shapiro said, adding that grown commentators who do this “are lying to you” and seeding distrust. He even criticized Carlson for platforming figures like White nationalist Nick Fuentes without adequate pushback.
Carlson, who spoke later that night, clearly had no interest in letting the critique stand unanswered. As reported by Mediaite, Carlson opened with sarcasm. “I just got here, and I feel like I missed the first part of the program,” he joked, before admitting he watched Shapiro’s speech and “laughed.”
Ben Shapiro slams Candace Owens, Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson; defends Trump and others.
Love him or hate him, this was fire.
— Pino Americano (@PinoAmericano) December 19, 2025
Carlson framed the attack as an attempt at ideological policing, comparing it to the kind of cancel culture conservatives have spent years opposing. He defended Charlie Kirk’s belief in open debate, saying Kirk had faced pressure from donors to remove Carlson from the event but refused. “Charlie stood firm,” Carlson said, emphasizing that debate, not deplatforming, was the point of the movement.
https://twitter.com/RyanSaavedra/status/2001827269195764063
The clash underscored a growing divide on the right, not over policy, but over tone, trust, and who gets to define conservatism in the post-Trump era. America Fest opened not with unity, but with a very public argument about what the movement is, and what it is not.
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