On December 18, 2025, the annual AmericaFest conference in Phoenix, hosted by Turning Point USA, was expected to be a moment of unity and commemoration for the conservative movement. Instead, it laid bare the deepening fractures and rivalries within the MAGA coalition, especially as the post-Trump era looms ever closer. The event, the first major gathering since the assassination of Turning Point’s influential founder Charlie Kirk, became a battleground for high-profile figures to air grievances, debate leadership, and question the future direction of the American right.
As reported by FRANCE 24 and AFP, the conference was marked by fierce infighting. Ben Shapiro, a prominent conservative commentator, wasted no time in criticizing former Fox News host and current far-right podcaster Tucker Carlson. Shapiro lambasted Carlson for granting a platform to self-described white nationalist Nick Fuentes, whose views have been widely condemned as anti-Semitic, misogynistic, and racist. "The conservative movement is... in danger from charlatans who claim to speak in the name of principle, but actually traffic in conspiracism and dishonesty," Shapiro declared from the stage. He went further, invoking Charlie Kirk’s legacy: "He 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."
Carlson, never one to back down from a public spat, fired back later that day, mocking Shapiro’s calls for censorship. "Deplatforming and denouncing people at a Charlie Kirk event. I'm like, what? It's hilarious," he told the audience, drawing both laughter and a few raised eyebrows. Carlson’s willingness to interview controversial figures like Fuentes—and his defense of that choice—became a flashpoint for broader anxieties within the movement about the boundaries of free speech and the dangers of conspiratorial thinking.
But the divisions didn’t end there. The question of who will lead the movement after Donald Trump was ever-present, with names like JD Vance and Marjorie Taylor Greene circulating among attendees. Vice President JD Vance, in particular, received a significant boost when Erika Kirk, the widow of the slain Turning Point founder, publicly endorsed him for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination. "We are going to get my husband's friend JD Vance elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible," she said, prompting thunderous applause. The endorsement, as noted by FRANCE 24, was seen as a signal of the movement’s potential direction and a source of irritation for some, including Shapiro.
The rivalry between Carlson and Shapiro was only the tip of the iceberg. Candace Owens, a former Daily Wire host with a massive YouTube following, added fuel to the fire with her own controversies. Owens has been embroiled in a bizarre dispute with French President Emmanuel Macron, accusing his wife Brigitte of being a man, and has also clashed with Erika Kirk over unsubstantiated conspiracy theories involving the US and Israeli governments in Charlie Kirk’s death. Shapiro singled out Carlson and others for failing to condemn Owens’ rhetoric, saying, "The fact that they have said nothing while Candace has been vomiting all sorts of hideous and conspiratorial nonsense into the public square for years is just as cowardly."
Meanwhile, the specter of foreign conflict loomed in the background. Only days before the conference, Tucker Carlson found himself at the center of another controversy. According to Mediaite and The Washington Post, Carlson had predicted that President Trump would announce a war with Venezuela during his December 18 primetime address. Carlson, citing unnamed members of Congress, told Andrew Napolitano on the Judging Freedom podcast, "Here’s what I know so far, which is that members of Congress were briefed yesterday that a war is coming and it’ll be announced in the address to the nation tonight at nine o’clock by the president. Who knows, by the way, if that’ll actually happen."
But when Trump finally took to the airwaves, the reality was far less dramatic. As reported by Mediaite and FRANCE 24, Trump’s speech veered into familiar territory—blaming Joe Biden for various woes, railing against migrant “invasions,” violent crime, and transgender rights, and claiming, "I inherited a mess, and I'm fixing it." The much-anticipated war announcement never materialized. Instead, Trump introduced “warrior dividend” checks for military service members, leaving Carlson’s prediction looking more than a little off the mark. Social media quickly seized on the error, and Carlson was widely mocked for his failed forecast.
Yet, the story didn’t end with a mere prediction gone awry. In the days following the address, Carlson revealed to The Washington Post that he and Trump had been in frequent contact, especially regarding U.S. military actions against alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean, many of which were linked to Venezuela. Carlson, reflecting the more isolationist “America First” wing of the Republican Party, urged Trump to avoid pursuing regime change in Venezuela. "I’ve never talked to him more," Carlson said of his recent conversations with Trump. The former president, for his part, accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of orchestrating drug smuggling operations, and claimed Venezuela was "completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America," vowing further pressure until Caracas handed over oil and other assets. The basis for these demands, however, was never clearly explained.
The episode highlighted not only the unpredictability of the Trump-Carlson relationship but also the deep policy divides within the MAGA movement itself. On one side are isolationists like Carlson, wary of foreign entanglements and regime change. On the other are those who see assertive U.S. action abroad as necessary to protect American interests. Trump’s own rhetoric—at times bellicose, at times more reserved—has done little to clarify the direction of U.S. foreign policy or to unite his supporters.
Back at AmericaFest, the mood was tense. The murder of Charlie Kirk, which many hoped would serve as a rallying point, instead seemed to have deepened existing rifts. Erika Kirk, seeking to calm the waters, acknowledged the challenges. "When he was assassinated, we saw infighting. We've seen fractures," she told the assembled crowd. "We've seen bridges being burned, that shouldn't be burned."
As the MAGA movement grapples with questions of leadership, legitimacy, and ideological boundaries, the events of December 2025 have made one thing clear: unity remains elusive. The battle over who inherits the Trump mantle—and what they do with it—will define the American right for years to come.
