The annual AmericaFest conference in Phoenix, Arizona, hosted by Turning Point USA, took on an especially charged atmosphere this December. Amid ongoing turmoil within the conservative movement, Erika Kirk, the recently appointed CEO of Turning Point USA and widow of the group’s late co-founder Charlie Kirk, delivered a headline-grabbing endorsement that could shape the Republican landscape for years to come. On December 18, 2025, Kirk threw her full support behind Vice President JD Vance for president in 2028, vowing to marshal the considerable resources and influence of Turning Point USA to help propel Vance to the White House.
"We are going to get my husband’s friend JD Vance elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible," Kirk declared during her opening remarks, drawing loud applause from the thousands-strong crowd gathered in Phoenix. Her words, reported by Advance Local Media and GB News, reverberated far beyond the conference hall, quickly becoming a focal point of political chatter among conservatives and the broader media alike.
This endorsement carries particular weight not merely because of Kirk’s position, but because of the legacy of her late husband. Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot during a campus event at Utah Valley University in September 2025, founded Turning Point USA in 2012. Under his leadership, the organization played a pivotal role in mobilizing young conservatives, helping to elect President Donald Trump and shaping the direction of the modern right. In the wake of Charlie’s death, the conservative movement has been grappling with infighting and uncertainty, making Erika Kirk’s decisive support for Vance all the more significant.
Turning Point USA, under Erika Kirk’s stewardship, is now redoubling its efforts to “build the red wall” in swing states like Arizona, Nevada, and New Hampshire. The organization is also working to ensure that the GOP maintains majority control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections—a crucial step, Kirk emphasized, for advancing President Trump’s agenda. According to Advance Local Media, Kirk made it clear that Turning Point’s resources and energy would be directed toward ensuring Vance’s victory should he run for president in 2028.
JD Vance, for his part, has not yet formally declared his candidacy for the presidency. However, he is widely viewed as the clear front-runner among Republican figures in early polls. His close relationship with both Charlie and Erika Kirk only adds to the momentum behind his potential campaign. When asked about his future plans in a November 2025 interview with Fox News, Vance struck a cautious tone: “Whenever I think about that, I try to put it out of my head and remind myself the American people elected me to do a job, right now, and my job is to do it. And if you start getting distracted and focused on what comes next, I think it actually makes you worse at the job you have.”
Still, Vance acknowledged that he has “thought about what that moment might look like” after the 2026 elections. He noted that he intends to sit down with President Trump to discuss the prospect of running in 2028, but insisted that his current focus remains on the vice presidency and the upcoming midterms. “We’re going to win the midterms, we’re going to do everything that we can to win the midterms, and then after that, I’m going to sit down with the president of the United States and talk to him about it,” Vance told Fox News. “But let’s focus on the now.”
President Trump, meanwhile, has openly floated the idea of a 2028 ticket featuring Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. While Trump is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term, he has not been shy about his preferences for his potential successors. “I’m not sure if anybody would run against us,” Trump told reporters in October, as reported by Advance Local Media. “I think if they ever formed a group, it would be unstoppable. I really do. I believe that.” Trump reiterated in late October that Vance and Rubio would be “great” options for presidential candidates, adding, “I think if they ever formed a group, it would be unstoppable.”
Rubio himself has signaled strong support for Vance, telling Vanity Fair in December 2025, “If JD Vance runs for president, he’s going to be our nominee, and I’ll be one of the first people to support him.” This growing chorus of endorsements from influential conservative figures underscores the sense that Vance is the favorite to lead the GOP into the next presidential cycle, should he choose to run.
The 2025 AmericaFest conference, the largest since Charlie Kirk’s tragic assassination, unfolded against a backdrop of deepening divisions within the conservative movement. Infighting was on full display, with prominent commentators like Ben Shapiro labeling other featured speakers as “frauds and grifters,” according to Advance Local Media. Tucker Carlson, never one to shy from controversy, responded by gloating in his newsletter, “Sorry, Ben Shapiro, JD is America First.” Carlson praised Trump’s ability to build a new coalition, noting, “So there’s a lot of blood at stake here, as the question becomes, who gets to run it after, who gets the machinery when the President exits the scene. There are a lot of people in Washington, maybe even in this room, who aren’t quite sure what they want, but they know they don’t want—JD Vance.”
Adding to the turbulence, former Daily Wire host Candace Owens has been embroiled in a series of controversies, including a very public spat with Erika Kirk over unsubstantiated conspiracy claims related to Charlie Kirk’s death. Owens’ provocations have only intensified the sense of discord within the conservative ranks, with her YouTube channel’s vast audience amplifying her claims and criticisms. In her speech, Erika Kirk addressed these fractures head-on: “When he was assassinated, we saw infighting. We’ve seen fractures. We’ve seen bridges being burned, that shouldn’t be burned.”
The stakes for the conservative movement are undeniably high. As of December 20, 2025, no one has formally declared their candidacy for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, but names like JD Vance, Nick Fuentes, and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene are being discussed as possible contenders. Greene, notably, broke with Trump last month, accusing his second-term agenda of betraying his voters, according to AFP reporting. Former presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy captured the mood succinctly: “We’re at a fork in the road, and I think that there are competing visions for the future of the right. I think it’s great for us to have that conversation.”
All eyes are now on JD Vance, who is scheduled to deliver a keynote address on the final day of the conference, December 21, 2025. Whether or not he formally announces a run for the presidency, Erika Kirk’s endorsement and the full backing of Turning Point USA have already shifted the dynamics of the 2028 race. As the conservative movement seeks to mend its internal divisions and chart a path forward, the question of who will lead it into the next era remains as urgent—and as contentious—as ever.
In a moment marked by uncertainty and upheaval, Erika Kirk’s bold declaration has given the GOP’s future a new focal point. The coming months will reveal whether JD Vance and his allies can unite the party—or if the fractures exposed in Phoenix will widen further.
