Here’s what you missed at Turning Point’s chaotic conference

PHOENIX (AP) — As Turning Point USA’s annual AmericaFest convention approaches the halfway point, Erica Kirk tries to put a smile on things.

“Say what you want about AmFest, but it’s definitely not boring,” said Kirk, who has led the influential conservative organization since her husband, Charlie, was killed in September. “It feels like a Thanksgiving dinner where your family takes out the family business.”

That’s one way of putting it.

Some of the biggest names in the conservative media fired at each other on the main stage, spending more time targeting their right-wing opponents than their left-wing counterparts.

The spat could ultimately define the boundaries of the Republican Party and determine the future of President Donald Trump’s divided coalition, which appears primed for further division in the coming months and years.

Here are some notable moments from the four-day conference.

Shapiro burns podcasters

Ben Shapiro, co-founder of the conservative media outlet Daily Wire, set the tone with the first speech since Erica Kirk opened the convention. He attacked fellow commentators in deeply personal terms, saying the right’s most popular figures were morally bankrupt.

Candace Owens “has been spewing all kinds of disgusting and conspiratorial nonsense in the public square for years,” he said.

Megyn Kelly is “guilty of cowardice” because she refuses to condemn Owens for spreading unproven theories about Kirk’s death.

And Tucker Carlson’s decision to host antisemitism Nick Fuentes on his podcast was an “act of moral incompetence.”

Shapiro’s targets returned

Barely an hour later, Carlson took the same stage and mocked Shapiro’s attempt to “deplatform and condemn” those who disagreed with him.

“I’ve seen it,” he said. “I laughed.”

Others got their chance the next night.

“Ben Shapiro is like a cancer, and that cancer spreads,” said Steve Bannon, a former Trump adviser.

Kelly dismissed Shapiro as a fringe figure in the conservative movement and said their friendship was over.

“I’m angry that he thinks he’s in a position to decide who should say what, to whom and when,” Kelly said.

Owens, who spread unproven conspiracy theories about the death of Charlie Kirk, was not welcomed at the conference. But she responded on her podcast, calling Shapiro a “sad imp.”

A divide over Israel and antisemitism

Israel came up again and again during the conference.

Some on the right have questioned whether the Republican Party’s historically strong support for Israel conflicts with Trump’s “America First” platform. Carlson’s criticism of the civilian deaths in Gaza would not have been out of place in progressive circles.

Some participants dug deeper into history, highlighting Israel’s attack on the USS Liberty in the Sinai Peninsula in 1967. Israel says it mistook the ship for an Egyptian ship during the Six Day War, while critics have argued it was a deliberate attack.

Bannon accused Shapiro, who is Jewish, and others who are staunch supporters of Israel of being part of the “Israeli first crowd.” Kelly said the criticism of Shapiro and Barry Weiss, the newly installed heads of CBS News, is about Israel.

Vance gets a supportive nod

Erica Kirk pledged her support for Vice President J.D. Vance to be the next Republican presidential nominee for Turning Point.

“We’re going to get my husband’s friend J.D. Vance elected in the 48th as soon as possible,” she said on the first night of the convention. Vance would be the 48th president if he succeeds Trump.

Turning Point is a major force on the right, with a vast volunteer network around the country that can be especially useful in early primary states.

Vance was close to Charlie Kirk, whose support helped enable his rapid political rise. The Vice President is scheduled to conclude the session as the last speaker on Sunday.

Works together with MAHA MAGA

The Make America Healthy Again movement had a large presence at Turning Point, signaling rapid growth in the right-wing ecosystem.

MAHA is headed by Robert F. Kennedy, who heads the Department of Health and Human Services. However, there has been friction with other parts of the Make America Great Again coalition, particularly when it comes to rolling back environmental regulations.

Health influencer Alex Clark, whose podcast is sponsored by Turning Point, asked the crowd whether the Environmental Protection Agency is “with us or against us?”

“Big chem, big ag and big food are trying to split MAGA from MAHA so things can go back to business as usual, but we don’t want that, do we?” Clark said.

Clark and others have called on Trump to fire EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, who responded by contacting MAHA activists. EPA also said it will release a broad agenda for the agency.

“The Trump EPA wants to partner with the MAHA community and make sure everyone has a seat at the table,” EPA Press Secretary Carolyn Holleran said in response to Clark’s speech.