Carlson: Bias against white men 'as bad as antisemitism'

MAGA civil war over Israel erupts into the open at Turning Point USA conference

Ben Shapiro attacks conservative leaders for not calling out conspiracy theorists; Steve Bannon: Shapiro a ‘cancer’ who wants US to put Israel’s interests first

The first major gathering of Turning Point USA since the murder of its influential founder Charlie Kirk laid bare divisions over Israel and the embrace of antisemitic figures.

Key figures in the Make America Great Again movement took to the stage in Phoenix on Thursday and Friday to tear into each other, blasting opponents for cozying up to fascists or accusing them of besmirching the memory of Kirk.

Influential podcaster Ben Shapiro came straight out of the gate, attacking former Fox News host Tucker Carlson for an uncritical interview with self-described white nationalist Nick Fuentes.

Shapiro sharply criticized Carlson for interviewing the outspoken antisemite on his podcast, calling it “an act of moral imbecility.”

The Jewish podcaster, attacking Carlson for a second time within days, said the former Fox News host should never have given publicity to Fuentes, whom he called “a Hitler apologist, Nazi-loving, anti-American piece of refuse.”

Kirk had “despised” Fuentes, Shapiro added. “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.”

Shapiro also hit out at Carlson and other leaders within the conservative movement, including broadcaster Megyn Kelly, over what he said was their failure to call out figures such as Candace Owens, who often spreads conspiracy theories, many of them antisemitic.

Owens has alleged without evidence that Israeli spies were involved in Kirk’s death and that he was betrayed by people close to him. Authorities say his killer acted alone.

Owens, whose YouTube channel has 5.7 million subscribers, is also involved in a legal fight with French President Emmanuel Macron over her claims his wife Brigitte is actually a man.

“The conservative movement is also in danger from charlatans who claim to speak in the name of principle but actually traffic in conspiracism and dishonesty,” Shapiro said. “Those of us with a microphone have a moral obligation to call that out by name.”

Owens responded a day later, writing on X that “Every time Ben speaks I feel more certain Israel is involved in [Kirk’s killing].”

“Ben only cares about Israel’s interests. So Israel is involved,” Owens claimed.

Carlson also shot back, mocking Shapiro for suggesting censorship, which he claimed was anathema to the Turning Point founder.

“Deplatforming and denouncing people at a Charlie Kirk event. I’m like, what? It’s hilarious,” he told the audience a few hours later.

Carlson also denied being antisemitic, saying it was immoral to hate people for how they were born.

He then downplayed the problem of anti-Jewish hate by claiming it’s less pervasive than bias against white men.

“That is racism that is precisely as bad as antisemitism, but it is much more widespread and has been so far much more damaging,” he said.

Carlson also dismissed the idea of a civil war in Trump world as “totally fake,” saying a narrative of tension is ginned up by people who hope to prevent Vice President JD Vance from becoming the Republicans’ next leader.

Steve Bannon also responded a day later in a speech in which he accused Shapiro of wanting to take over Turning Point USA and put Israel’s interests ahead of the United States, NBC News reported.

“Ben Shapiro is like a cancer, and that cancer spreads,” Bannon said, to the cheers of thousands.

“This is a proxy on ’28,” said Bannon, a top adviser to Trump during the 2016 campaign, according to NBC news, claiming that Kirk opposed “this concept of greater Israel and Israel first.”

And Kelly said during a talk with conservative influencer Jack Posobiec at the conference that “there was a rift even before we lost Charlie… and it revolves around Israel,” NBC reported.

Prior to his death, Kirk at times questioned US backing for some of Israel’s policies.

Next leader after Trump

The brewing MAGA civil war is over who will take the reins when Trump steps back.

No one has formally declared their candidacy for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, but a number of names are being bandied around as pretenders to the throne.

They include Fuentes and firebrand congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who last month broke with Trump, saying his second-term agenda was a betrayal of his voters.

Vance, who is due to speak at the gathering on Sunday, got a significant boost Thursday when Erika Kirk endorsed him for a 2028 White House run.

“We are going to get my husband’s friend JD Vance elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible,” she said to cheers from the thousands-strong crowd. The next US president will be the country’s 48th leader.

The Vance endorsement from Turning Point’s new CEO is why Shapiro is annoyed, hinted Carlson, whose newsletter on Friday gloated “Sorry, Ben Shapiro, JD is America First.”

“Trump created this amazing coalition, bringing in people who had never voted Republican before… and that coalition took over the most powerful government in the history of the world,” Carlson told the audience on Thursday.

“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,” he continued. “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.”