Candace Owens did not speak at Turning Point’s sold-out conference, but that didn’t stop people from talking about her.
The rightwing podcaster who has stoked conspiracy theories about Charlie Kirk’s murder was a major topic on the first night of “AmericaFest,” Turning Point’s annual conference at the Phoenix Convention Center.
Conservative commentators Tucker Carlson and Ben Shapiro clashed over issues animating the right such as Owens, controversial live-streamer and white supremacist Nick Fuentes; and Israel.
Shapiro said the GOP is in “serious danger” and accused Carlson of “going silent” on Owens while she targets Turning Point on her show.
Carlson, for his part, argued for free speech.
Their debate illustrated the way the right has frayed without Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed during a Turning Point event on the Utah Valley University campus in September. Speakers lauded him as a unifying voice in the party.
“To hear calls for like, de-platforming and denouncing people at a Charlie Kirk event, I’m like, what? This is hilarious,” Carlson said. “I kind of thought we reached the end of that, and as far as I’m concerned, we have, and I’m not going to play those rules.”
Nearly every speech on Dec. 18 addressed Owens or made indirect reference to her and Fuentes, another divisive figure on the right.
Owens, a former Turning Point contributor, has claimed without evidence on her podcast that top Turning Point staff and Israel may have been involved in Charlie Kirk’s murder. Owens, relying on unnamed sources, has alleged that Erika Kirk was being followed by Egyptian planes.
“We as people with a microphone have a moral obligation to call that out by name. Erika Kirk and Turning Point USA never should have been put in a position to have to defend themselves against such specious and evil attacks, particularly at a time of mourning,” Shapiro said.
Erika Kirk has called on Owens to “stop” and denied her allegations. She made several jokes about Owens during her speech opening the conference.
Shapiro previously employed Owens at the Daily Wire and fired her in 2024, after she began fiercely criticizing Israel in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and was accused of antisemitism.
His remarks received a mixed reaction from the crowd, with cheers, jeers and a few boos. Owens said on X that Shapiro’s remarks made her “more certain Israel is involved” in Charlie Kirk’s murder.
Shapiro also knocked Carlson for hosting Fuentes on his show, saying that Charlie Kirk “knew that Fuentes is an evil troll.” Turning Point removed Fuentes, who is a Holocaust denier, from an event last year.
Carlson and others who took the stage disagreed with Shapiro. The former Fox News host compared Shapiro’s call to the political left.
“Charlie stood firm in his often-stated and deeply held belief that people should be able to debate and if you have something valid to say, if you’re telling the truth, you ought to be able to explain it calmly and in detail to people who don’t agree with you, and that you shouldn’t immediately resort to ‘Shut up racist,’” Carlson said.
Comedian and actor Russell Brand also weighed in on the controversy during his speech.
“I’ve spoken to Nick Fuentes. I’ve spoken to Candace Owens. They’re Christians like you and me. They’re broken human beings like you and me,” Brand said. He received applause from the crowd.
Podcaster Michael Knowles, who hosts a show affiliated with the Daily Wire, took another path. He said that “some things are out of bounds” on the political right.
Carlson addresses Israel
At several points in his remarks, Carlson also addressed Israel.
Earlier this year, he was accused of antisemitism in his remarks at Charlie Kirk’s public memorial at State Farm Stadium in September, when he compared the activist’s murder to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Carlson said at AmericaFest that he is “not an antisemite because antisemitism is immoral” in his Christian religion. He said he was also against “hate against whites” which he believes is “every bit as bad as hate against Jews.”
Carlson denounced the killing of innocent people in Gaza during Israel’s war with Hamas. The crowd applauded when he said it’s “obviously not” America First for politicians to take money from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, also known as AIPAC.
Attendees welcome debate
Conservatives who attended the conference were split over how to handle Owens, but many said they welcomed debate and disagreement.
“I don’t think it’s wrong for her to question at all. Question everything. But when there’s a lot of evidence in one way, and you’re trying to paint a narrative, but you don’t have a lot of evidence, it just paints a bad story,” said Nathaniel Pyenta, a 22-year-old college student from Texas. “I think it’s fine that she’s questioning. I think that’s great, but make sure that it’s based in questions that actually are trying to solve something and not just stir up controversy.”
Josiah Lazalde, a 17-year-old high school senior in Texas, said that he finds Owens’ theories “outlandish” and that it’s not the right time to target Erika Kirk while she is grieving her husband’s murder.
However, Lazalde said he supports free speech.
“I think Ben Shapiro calling her out was a good thing. I think the way he did it was not what we needed,” Lazalde said.
Kris Wilhelm of San Diego, 58, is skeptical about the details officials have shared about Charlie Kirk’s killing, particularly the size of the bullet he was shot with.
“If Charlie Kirk were my best friend and I had that kind of platform, and I saw that the narrative didn’t make any sense, I would do the same thing,” Wilhelm said.
Stephanie Murray covers national politics and the Trump administration for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Reach her via email at stephanie.murray@gannett.com and on social media @stephanie_murr.
