Conservatives Clash at Turning Point   12/19 06:11

   

   PHOENIX (AP) -- A simmering battle over the future of President Donald 
Trump's political movement exploded on one of the right's biggest stages 
Thursday, as prominent conservative influencers used Turning Point USA's annual 
youth conference to attack each other and their competing visions.

   The feuding threatened to eclipse efforts to memorialize Charlie Kirk, the 
organization's charismatic founder who was assassinated in September, even as 
participants insisted they were honoring the legacy of a unifying figure within 
the Republican Party.

   First up was Ben Shapiro, who described Tucker Carlson and others as 
grifters and charlatans, guilty of misleading their audiences with falsehoods 
and conspiracy theories. Shapiro sharply criticized Carlson, a former Fox News 
host, for interviewing outspoken antisemite Nick Fuentes on his podcast, 
calling it "an act of moral imbecility."

   Barely an hour later, Carlson took the same stage and mocked Shapiro's 
attempt to "deplatform and denounce" people who disagree with him.

   "I watched it," he said. "I laughed."

   The raw bitterness on the opening night of the four-day conference reflected 
deep divisions over the meaning of "America First" and next steps for the "Make 
America Great Again" movement defined more by the force of Trump's personality 
than loyalty to a particular ideological project.

   It could also foreshadow more schisms within an increasingly fractious 
Republican Party, something that Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk's widow and Turning 
Point's new leader, warned about in her opening remarks.

   Since the assassination, she said, "we've seen fractures, we've seen bridges 
being burned that shouldn't be burnt."

   Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old charged with shooting and killing Kirk while 
he spoke at Utah Valley University in September, appeared in court last week. 
Robinson has not entered a plea. Authorities say he told his romantic partner 
that he killed Kirk because he "had enough of his hatred."

   Conservatives jockey to steer the MAGA movement

   The last time Turning Point held its AmericaFest conference, weeks after 
Trump's comeback victory, the mood was ebullient as Republicans prepared for a 
new era of total control in Washington. The organization is known for highly 
produced events that feel more like rock concerts or megachurch services than 
political rallies, complete with pyrotechnics and floor-shaking bass.

   Now the party faces challenging midterm elections, with Trump 
constitutionally prohibited from running again and his more ideologically 
motivated acolytes positioning themselves for after he leaves office. 
Meanwhile, conservatives have been roiled by conflicts over antisemitism in its 
ranks, which Trump has declined to mediate.

   Shapiro said too many of his fellow conservatives are failing their 
audiences by winking at conspiratorial claims and claiming they're "just asking 
questions."

   He also continued his criticism of Carlson for his friendly interview with 
Fuentes, whose followers, known as "groypers," see themselves as working to 
preserve a white, Christian identity in America.

   Shapiro said Charlie Kirk "knew that Nick Fuentes is an evil troll, and that 
building him up is an act of moral imbecility, and that is precisely what 
Tucker Carlson did."

   In response, Carlson said Shapiro's position would be antithetical to Kirk, 
who was killed while debating students on a college campus.

   "To hear calls for deplatforming and denouncing people at a Charlie Kirk 
event, I'm like, what?" Carlson said. "This is hilarious."

   Carlson denied being antisemitic, saying it is immoral to hate people for 
how they were born. He then downplayed the problem of anti-Jewish hate by 
claiming it's less pervasive than bias against white men.

   "That is racism that is precisely as bad as antisemitism, but it is much 
more widespread and has been so far much more damaging," he said.

   Carlson dismissed the idea of a civil war in the Trump coalition as "totally 
fake," saying a narrative of tension is ginned up by people who hope to prevent 
Vice President JD Vance from becoming Republicans' next leader.

   All the turmoil, he said, is about "who gets the machinery when the 
president exits the scene."

   Erika Kirk confronts conspiracies

   Turning Point has also faced turmoil over conspiracy theories spread by 
Candace Owens, a former employee who hosts a top-rated podcast. Owens has 
alleged without evidence that Israeli spies were involved in Kirk's death and 
that he was betrayed by people close to him. Authorities say Robinson acted 
alone.

   Asked about Owens and others spreading conspiracy theories during a CBS News 
town hall, Erika Kirk responded with one word: "Stop." She said Owens is making 
money off her family's tragedy, adding that conspiracy peddlers risk tainting 
the jury pool and allowing her husband's killer to get away with it.

   Last weekend, with the Turning Point conference looming, Kirk and Owens 
agreed to a temporary dtente until a private meeting. It didn't last long.

   After the meeting Monday, Owens said on her show that she and Kirk spoke for 
four-and-a-half hours but she still doubted that Robinson acted alone.

   Owens also responded to criticism from Shapiro, who is Jewish, by doubling 
down on her claim that Israel was involved in Kirk's assassination.

   "Ben only cares about Israel's interests," she wrote on X. "So Israel is 
involved."

   Shapiro's critiques of Owens and Carlson reflect a deepening fissure within 
the Republican Party over Israel and its war in Gaza, with some younger 
conservatives questioning whether unflinching support for the country is in 
line with Trump's "America First" agenda.

   Carlson criticized Israel's military operations and said it was immoral to 
kill innocent children, adding, "I don't care if it's in Minneapolis or Gaza 
City."

   Turning Point draws thousands

   There are still three more days to go for the Turning Point conference, 
which has drawn thousands of people. Vance is scheduled to speak Sunday, as is 
Donald Trump Jr.

   There are more appearances expected from media personalities, administration 
officials, Christian rock bands and pastors. Attendees will have the chance to 
take selfies with popular figures and participate in discussions about 
political organizing, religion and conservative critiques of American culture.

   On Thursday, right-wing podcasters and YouTube hosts taped their shows from 
the hallways as fans watched. Anti-abortion groups and Christian colleges 
recruited new members and students. Recruiters for Immigration and Customs 
Enforcement and the U.S. Border Patrol were on hand, along with an armored 
tactical vehicle they drove into the exhibition hall.

   Many dressed in red, white and blue or wore "Make America Great Again" hats. 
Some stopped for selfies in front of a sign saying, "we are all Charlie Kirk."

   "I just felt like I had an obligation to be here," said Daren Struiksma, 20, 
of Harrisburg, South Dakota.