MAGA meltdown at AmericaFest: Carlson, Kelly, Bannon, Shapiro, and Owens clash in media fray

The conservative movement’s leading figures clashed repeatedly on stage at Turning Point USA’s annual AmericaFest, revealing deep divisions among the right-wing media and MAGA base itself. The four-day convention wsa led by Erika Kirk after the assassination of her husband and Conservative speaker Charlie Kirk.

“Say what you want about AmFest, but it’s definitely not boring,” said Kirk. “Feels like a Thanksgiving dinner where your family’s hashing out the family business.”


The event took no time to become a slander fest. Right-wing speaker Ben Shapiro set the tone with the first speech after Kirk’s opening remarks, criticising fellow commentators. Candace Owens, he said, “has been vomiting all sorts of hideous and conspiratorial nonsense into the public square for years.” He also attacked Megyn Kelly for refusing to condemn Owens regarding theories about Charlie Kirk’s death, calling her “guilty of cowardice.” Tucker Carlson, who hosted Nick Fuentes on his podcast, was criticised as committing “an act of moral imbecility.”

Carlson fired back within the hour, mocking Shapiro’s efforts to “deplatform and denounce” those with differing views. “I watched it,” he said. “I laughed.”

The media feud continued. Steve Bannon, former Trump loyalist, said, “Ben Shapiro is like a cancer, and that cancer spreads.” Kelly dismissed Shapiro as a marginal figure, saying their friendship is over. “I resent that he thinks he’s in a position to decide who must say what, to whom, and when,” she said. Owens was not welcome at the convention but still called Shapiro a “miserable imp” on her podcast.

Debates over Israel also emerged. Carlson criticised civilian deaths in Gaza, while Bannon accused Shapiro and other supporters of Israel of being part of “the Israel first crowd.” Kelly said criticism from Shapiro and Bari Weiss, now head of CBS News, “is about Israel.”

Amid the chaos, Turning Point reaffirmed its political priorities. Erika Kirk pledged support for vice president JD Vance to become the president in 2028. “We are going to get my husband’s friend JD Vance elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible,” she said.

The convention also mentioned the rising Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, led by Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy.