The open battle between MAGA motion stalwarts on the TPUSA AmericaFest has gotten fairly a little bit of protection from the MSM, however little or no of the underlying battle has been reported.
Let’s set the scene with POTUS Trump’s present abysmal ballot numbers:
📊 GALLUP POLL – Trump Approval
🟢 Approve: 36% (-23)
🟤 Disapprove: 59%
——
• Dem: 3-93 (-90)
• GOP: 89-8 (+81)
• Indie: 25-68 (-43)
—
• Ages 18-34: 25-68 (-43)
• Ages 35-54: 36-59 (-23)
• Ages 55+: 43-53 (-10)
—
• No Faculty: 37-55 (-18)
• Faculty grad: 37-59 (-22)… pic.twitter.com/HfE3GOeZSW— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) December 22, 2025
The Ghost Haunting the Convention
Earlier than I borrow Lambert’s waders and talk about the TPUSA audio system, we now have to debate the absent determine whose spirit dominated the convention.
And I don’t imply Charlie Kirk.
I’m speaking about Candace Owens, the self-proclaimed hottest podcaster on the planet (Spotify has her at #8 within the US, FWIW), whose absence haunted TPUSA and whose identify stuffed the mouths of many audio system.
The second paragraph of this the Washington Submit op-ed on TPUSA, or because the headline learn “A Convention of Clowns” confirms Owens’ significance to the proceedings:
No, the group didn’t ebook podcaster Candace Owens, who has spun a seemingly infinite number of conspiracy theories round Kirk’s homicide, insisting that the alleged murderer, Tyler Robinson, was merely a pawn of bigger, extra sinister forces. (In early October, Owens claimed that Kirk appeared to her in a dream and advised her “that he was betrayed.” It is rather tough to corroborate her sources.)
This Michelle Goldberg piece on the NYT op-ed web page titled “Candace Owens Is the Conservative Motion’s Frankenstein Monster” offers extra context, if by a glass darkly:
Owens’s musings are unhinged, however Erika Kirk’s journey to Nashville, brokered by the conservative star Megyn Kelly, demonstrates that they’ve turn into too influential for right-wing leaders to disregard. Kelly — a former Fox Information host who’d by no means been identified for her outré views — has refused to denounce Owens, insisting her concepts are respectable. On her podcast on Tuesday, Kelly stated that she buys the official story that Charlie Kirk was murdered by Tyler Robinson, the Utah man charged with the crime. However, she added, “many individuals consider there’s extra to this story, that we’re being lied to by our F.B.I., that there are too many inconsistencies across the official story. And people individuals are greater than entitled to that perception.”
Owens held a multi-hour personal one-on-one with Erika Kirk, the sainted widow of TPUSA however got here out unrepentant thereby incomes this Self-importance Honest hit piece:
For the final month, Owens has used her YouTube channel—on which she has practically 5.7 million subscribers—to spin fanciful theories about Charlie’s killing. She has claimed that Israel and France had one thing to realize from his loss of life and has advised that different staff of his right-wing group might need performed a task in it too. At first, Owens and Kirk’s Monday summit in Nashville appeared like an indication that Owens may ease off the conspiracies, simply in time for AmericaFest—TPUSA’s annual summit, which began Thursday and runs by December 21.
However let’s get into the muck of the convention itself.
Title Calling on the Sainted Widow’s TPUSA Stage
Regardless of the perfect efforts of the right-wing and Ezra Klein, the homicide of Charlie Kirk didn’t start a brand new political period.
As a substitute we bought just a few weeks’ of political witchhunts, months of backlash, and a right-wing that’s extra divided than ever.
In a distinction to the Bush-era GOP which dealt with its conflicts behind closed doorways (besides when Pat Buchanan bought out of the basement), the Trump-era GOP lets all of it hang around, on stage, in public, stay on TV and streamed on the net from Phoenix, Arizona at what Politico referred to as “a weekend-long pageant for 30,000 of President Donald Trump’s most ardent supporters.”
TPUSA hostess, Erika Kirk, the sainted widow of the martyred Charlie, summed it up as “like a Thanksgiving dinner the place your loved ones’s hashing out the household enterprise.”
She additionally warned that (since Charlie Kirk’s loss of life) “we’ve seen fractures, we’ve seen bridges being burned that shouldn’t be burnt.”
No phrase on whether or not the grieving widow handed out incendiary gadgets to the audio system however she may as nicely have.
Ben Shapiro Kicked It Off
Ben Shapiro opened the TPUSA festivities by glazing Mrs. Martyr saying, “It’s much more of an honor to comply with Erika Kirk, a heroic determine and a real American patriot. I actually consider that one of the simplest ways to guage a goodness of a person is to see the goodness of his spouse and his kids. And on that measure, Charlie was unsurpassed.”
The MSM protection has centered on his name-calling assaults on Candace Owens (“has been vomiting all kinds of hideous and conspiratorial nonsense into the general public sq. for years”), Steve Bannon (“a PR flack for Jeffrey Epstein), Megyn Kelly (“responsible of cowardice” for not condemning Owens), Tucker Carlson (platforming Nick Fuentes was “an act of ethical imbecility”) whereas stripping out the underlying context behind the conflicts.
Shapiro’s protection of the “good human beings like (FBI Director) Kash Patel and (Former FBI Deputy Director) Dan Bongino and (Lawyer Normal) Pam Bondi and sure, the President of america” additionally bought house within the MSM.
The WaPo quoted Shapiro’s assault on Owens at size:
“If Candace Owens decides to spend each day for the reason that homicide of Charlie Kirk casting aspersions at TPUSA and the individuals who work right here, who labored with Charlie each single day, his greatest buddies … and, sure, at Erica Kirk and to indicate or outright declare complicity in a cover-up over Charlie’s homicide, to spew completely baseless trash implicating everybody from French intelligence to Mossad to members of TPUSA in Charlie’s homicide or a cover-up in that homicide, then we as folks with a microphone have an ethical obligation to name that out by identify.”
However I discovered it rather more notable that a few of the largest viewers applause throughout Shapiro’s stage time got here when an viewers member requested him about Israel’s 1967 assault on the usLiberty.
Ben responded with “I’m questioning what your motivation is in mentioning a six decade outdated assault as if it’s the primary challenge in assessing the connection between Israel and america right this moment” earlier than dismissing the questioner.
The following speaker wouldn’t be so simply dismissed.
Carlson Fires Again With First Rules
MSM experiences have centered on Shapiro’s assaults at a lot higher size than the responses he bought from Tucker Carlson and others.
However, Carlson’s first evening closing slot and the gang response put the deceive any considered The Bowtied One being an after thought at TPUSA.
Tucker Carlson performed along with his meals earlier than he went for the kill to the pleasure of (a few of) the TPUSA crowd.
Tucker Carlson: I simply bought right here and I really feel like I missed the primary a part of this system. Hope I didn’t miss something significant.
I simply need to say I don’t suppose I did.
No, I’m simply kidding. I watched it. I laughed. I laughed. that form of bitter sardonic snort that emerges from you and like the other way up world arrives when your canine begins doing all of your taxes and also you’re like, ‘Wait, it’s not imagined to work this fashion.’
To listen to requires like deplatforming and denouncing folks at a Charlie Kirk occasion, I’m like, ‘What? That is hilarious.’
Carlson pulled the scab off of a few of the behind the scenes drama, whereas invoking the Martyr’s identify and his purported main worth — free speech:
Carlson: (Free speech) was the entire level of Charlie Kirk’s public life. And I believe that I believe that he died for it. I actually consider that. I do know so much about it as a result of the final a number of months of Charlie’s life have been devoted partially to arguing about this occasion.
The truth is, my speech right here, which (Kirk) requested me to do earlier this yr, this summer season, and he was instantly put underneath simply immense stress from individuals who give cash to Turning Level, I might assume good folks, however who wished him to take me off the roster.
And this has all turn into public and I the entire thing is so unhappy that I by no means speak about it besides to say Charlie stood agency in his usually said and deeply held perception that individuals ought to be capable to debate and that if in case you have one thing legitimate to say for those who’re telling the reality, you ought to have the ability to clarify it calmly and intimately to individuals who don’t agree with you and that you simply shouldn’t instantly resort to ‘Shut up racist.’
You shouldn’t instantly go to motive. By the way in which, ‘Shut up, racist’ is the primary cause I voted for Donald Trump.
Carlson went on to denounce anti-Semitism, anti-white racism (“That’s exactly as dangerous as anti-Semitism, however it’s rather more widespread and has been up to now rather more damaging”), id politics (satirically in gentle of the earlier quote), “collective punishment” within the Center East, however the half I need to share at size is his prognosis of the dynamic driving the battle at TPUSA:
Carlson: Let me simply say one thing extra broadly about the place the conservative motion, no matter that’s, the individuals who voted for Trump, the Trump coalition, the supposed civil warfare occurring inside that group.
I don’t suppose it’s actual. I believe it’s pretend. I believe it’s completely pretend.
And I’ve had trigger to suppose so much about this as a result of I’ve been unwittingly concerned within the proxy warfare.
There are two issues occurring right here and I’m not guessing.
One is jockeying for place submit Trump. So Trump created this superb coalition bringing in individuals who had by no means voted Republican earlier than however have been very keen about him.
And that coalition took over probably the most highly effective authorities within the historical past of the world. So there’s so much lot at stake right here.
And so the query turns into who will get to run it after? Who will get the equipment when the president exits the scene?
There are lots of people in Washington, possibly even on this room, who aren’t fairly positive what they need, however they know they don’t need J.D. Vance. Okay?
And so the assault, and also you heard it from the stage tonight, ‘There’s somebody right here who’s a really dangerous man, and he’s buddies with J.D. Vance.’
May very well be me.
I’m unhappy about being utilized in a proxy warfare over politics wherein I’m not concerned in any stage. I’m not adviser to anyone. However I simply suppose I ought to say that out loud.
Okay, there are people who find themselves mad at J.D. Vance they usually’re stirring up lots of this as a way to ensure he doesn’t get the nominations that that is true.
So this raises the apparent query which is why are they mad at J.D. Vance? Such a pleasant man which he’s. They’re mad at J.D. Vance as a result of he’s the one particular person…proper now who actually form of buys the core concept of the Trump coalition.
Now, what’s that concept, girls and gents? Anybody know? Anybody know? America first.
After a spirited protection of the America first idea Carlson launched into an elliptical protection of Nick Fuentes earlier than occurring the offense in opposition to their mutual enemies:
Carlson: I might additionally name your consideration to the very apparent prohibitions within the New Testomony in opposition to killing the harmless.
We’re not as Christians allowed to kill the harmless. Interval. We’re not. And also you see elaborate arguments on behalf of doing so or ignoring it.
‘Oh, that all the time occurs in warfare.’
Properly, you’re proper. One of many causes I’m not that into wars. However when it does occur unavoidably, we now have to say that’s unsuitable. We’ve got to say that. We’ve got to acknowledge that was unsuitable and (say) I’m sorry for the extent to which I participated in it.
Forgive me as a result of killing individuals who dedicated no crime is immoral. It’s going to all the time be immoral.
And individuals who do will probably be punished for it. And nations that endorse will probably be punished for it. That’s a reality.
And you might be seeing now, you might be seeing now a really intense effort to persuade you in any other case.
‘Oh, it’s nice. They deserved it.’
Actually? Do their kids deserve it? If a person commits a criminal offense, will we kill his youngsters?
I don’t care if it’s in Minneapolis or Gaza Metropolis. No, we don’t.
And if we do unintentionally, we are saying, ‘I’m so sorry that we murdered somebody who did nothing unsuitable.’
As a result of it’s homicide. And to see Christian pastors make excuses for that is without doubt one of the most and that’s not a partisan query. That’s not a political query. That’s the solely query that issues.
Do we now have the appropriate to homicide folks? And the resounding reply that Christianity supplies us isn’t any.
The MSM had little interest in that portion of Carlson’s TPUSA speech.
Steve Bannon’s Uncomfortable Truths In regards to the 12 Day Warfare
Steve Bannon, the self-styled Thomas Cromwell/Vladimir Lenin of the MAGA motion, spoke the subsequent day and was not intimidated by Shapiro.
Bannon wasted no time in reminding the TPUSA viewers that Shapiro had been a “By no means Trumper” in 2016, “barely supported” Trump within the common election and was “the very first person that jumped on the Ron DeSantis prepare, the Israel first prepare.”
The MSM has coated Bannon’s name-calling of Ben “he’s a most cancers” Shapiro at TPUSA however with out context, as all the time.
Let’s get again to what Bannon really stated at TPUSA.
Bannon went on, invoking the Sacred Martyr’s identify, to scattered applause and a few gasps from the TPUSA crowd:
Steve Bannon: The Israel first crowd is Ben Shapiro, “Tel Aviv” Mark Levin, and lots of others that need to put (Israel) forward of America’s pursuits. Charlie Kirk fought that. the place Charlie Kirk fought it? Within the White Home. I do know as a result of I used to be there. Charlie Kirk was working with (US Ambassador to Indis) Sergio Gor, sure folks across the vice chairman to ensure that that we didn’t get sucked right into a land warfare, a decapitation of the Iranian elites that may lead to an enormous civil warfare that American troops would get sucked into as a result of that was Netanyahu’s plan from the start.
Bannon went on to explain the 12 Day Warfare between Israel and Iran in phrases that can be acquainted to any listener of Choose Napolitano, however that stay verboten within the MSM:
We all know that The Occasions of Israel has revealed that there was no urgency to go after (Iran’s) nuclear weapons.
We all know the very fact (Israel) couldn’t end what they began. We all know for a reality we all know for a undeniable fact that that they had they wanted American Aegis missiles (and) Patriots to defend themselves.
On day 10 of the warfare they have been shedding they usually didn’t have the offensive functionality, And I don’t imply the B2s coming in and taking out the (Iranian) caves. (Israel) relied upon our Seventies expertise of cruise missiles fired from submarines within the North Arabian Sea to take out the above floor (Iranian missles). We needed to deliver that warfare to conclusion.
And President Trump in his brilliance stated, ‘We’ll do this and we’ll name it the 12-day warfare and it’s over.’
Now, the Israel first crowd, they’re those which are destroying Israel.
Solely then did Bannon get to the half that bought picked up within the MSM, right here’s the “Ben Shapiro is a most cancers” riff in context.
After describing the position of Breitbart (which Bannon ran on the time) within the 2016 election of Trump and reminding TPUSA attendees that Shapiro referred to as them “Trump Pravda” on the time, he goes for the kill:
Ben Shapiro is sort of a most cancers and that most cancers spreads. It’s a most cancers and it metastasizes. He tried to take over Breitbart and I ran him out of there.
He tried to take over David Horowitz’ (Freedom Middle) …
Don’t ask me. Ask the blokes related to David Horowitz what he did there. He tried to take that over.
And mark my phrase, he’ll make a transfer on Turning Level as a result of he’s all the time been envious of Charlie Kirk. This isn’t about speech. It’s not about deplatforming. That is about energy politics.
Readers will forgive me for lacking elements of the TPUSA livestream to observe movie star boxing for my different gig, so I’m not solely positive when Megyn Kelly took the stage for an interview with Jack Posobiec, however we’ll cowl her half after a quick detour.
Nationalist Pink Meat the Background Noise at TPUSA
I don’t need readers to suppose I’m shedding the forest for the timber so let me embody this quote from Posobiec, by way of Self-importance Honest, to provide a really feel for the underlying dynamic at TPUSA:
Jack Posobiec, identified for selling the “PizzaGate” conspiracy concept, spoke in histrionics in regards to the combat in opposition to political opponents. “We’re up in opposition to radical Marxist home terrorism, and they will maintain taking pictures us till they’re stopped,” he stated. “The one factor that stops the bully is a present of pressure,” concurred Posobiec’s co-host. Posobiec added that “leftists” will not be curious about dialog. “If that signifies that we will’t play good, then we’re not gonna play good.” The group cheered. The co-host clarified that they weren’t encouraging violence. “We’re not an extrajudicial folks,” he stated. The group went quiet.
Okay, perspective restored, let’s get again to the breaking information from TPUSA.
Megyn Kelly Will get the Camel’s Nostril Below the MSM Tent
Right here’s a juicy morsel from the Posobiec-Kelly interview:
Jack Posobiec: Do you suppose that there was an inseparable rift within the conservative motion that we’ve seen for the reason that loss of life of Charlie?
Megyn Kelly: I imply, there’s a rift, however it was beginning even earlier than we misplaced Charlie, and it revolves round Israel.
Um, there simply is. It’s gotten worse with out him. He was serving to us navigate it.
And that is one other space wherein I miss him a lot as a result of I really feel like Charlie and I have been utterly in lock step on this.
And also you guys could have seen the episode that we put out, what we re-released of Charlie and yours really speaking about Israel weeks earlier than he died the place we had a extremely highly effective heart-to-heart on the place we each have been.
We have been each ardent Israel supporters…then we had a dialogue on the Scholar Motion Summit in July the place there was a passing remark about if Epstein was an intel asset, whose would he have been, which Charlie requested me.
And I stated it might make sense that it was the Israelis since he was very shut with the previous prime minister and um the previous president. After which we each bought referred to as anti-Semites by some respectable Jewish organizations for that dialog…and we have been each on our heels.
The identical Self-importance Honest article quoted above has two extra paragraph that reveals why the fights at TPUSA matter a lot:
A younger couple I spoke with had traveled from Waco, Texas, for the occasion. After some time, Dan, the husband, introduced up Israel. A Baptist like his spouse, he grew up immersed in evangelical zeal for Zionism. “As a Baptist, I used to be taught that supporting Israel is biblical, so supporting it throughout tough instances appeared easy,” he stated. Now they’re each questioning Republicans’ unequivocal help for the nation. “The Ted Cruz interview was a turning level for me,” stated his spouse, referring to Tucker Carlson’s interrogation of the Texas senator, who struggled to elucidate his help for Israel.
“What Charlie and I noticed on the similar time was that the nation is popping,” Kelly stated. “And younger Republicans are turning on Israel.” She argued that figures like Shapiro and Weiss are literally fueling the rise of antisemitism by their makes an attempt to censor criticism of Israel. “They’re making antisemites,” she stated. “Tucker will not be making antisemites. They’re.”
If that’s the climax of our take a look at TPUSA, the Vice-President delivered the anti-climax.
I’m Sorry Did the Vice-President Say One thing?
The bearded boy from Appalachia bought the closing slot. Right here’s his full remarks.
I’ll let a picture seize of headlines from Google Information serve in lieu of one other 1000 phrases on this already over-long piece:
— Nat Wilson Turner (@natwilsonturner) December 23, 2025
And listed below are a few of the Vance statements NPR quoted in its protection and the way they summed it up:
“We don’t care for those who’re white or black, wealthy or poor, younger or outdated, rural or city, controversial or somewhat bit boring, or someplace in between,” he stated.
Vance didn’t identify anybody, however his feedback got here within the midst of an more and more contentious debate over whether or not the appropriate ought to give a platform to commentators espousing antisemitic views, notably Fuentes, whose followers see themselves as working to protect America’s white, Christian id. Fuentes has a rising viewers, as does top-rated podcaster Candace Owens, who routinely shares antisemitic conspiracy theories.
“We’ve got much more necessary work to do than canceling one another,” he stated.
Vance ticked off what he stated have been the accomplishments of the administration because it approaches the one-year mark, noting its efforts on the border and on the financial system. He emphasised efforts to finish range, fairness and inclusion insurance policies, drawing applause by saying that they had been relegated to the “dustbin of historical past.”
“In america of America, you don’t must apologize for being white anymore,” he stated.
Vance additionally stated the U.S. “all the time can be a Christian nation,” including that “Christianity is America’s creed, the shared ethical language from the Revolution to the Civil Warfare and past.”
Women and gents, the present favourite to be the Republican nominee for President in 2028.
Too dangerous for J.D. that Trump has three extra years to drive his polling numbers even deeper underneath water.
Vance has some severe work lower out to disassociate himself from the catastrophe that’s Trump 2.0.
We’ve got many miles to go earlier than we sleep and I’ll be again subsequent week with extra.
