In a weekend marked by sharp divisions within the Republican Party, Vice President JD Vance took the stage at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest on Sunday, December 21, 2025, to call for unity among conservatives. Speaking to a crowd of about 30,000 fervent Trump supporters at the Phoenix Convention Center, Vance urged the movement to move past internal conflicts and focus on defeating Democrats in the upcoming midterms.
“President Trump did not build the greatest coalition in politics by running his supporters through endless, self-defeating purity tests,” Vance declared, drawing loud applause. He added, “We have far more important work to do than canceling each other.”
The four-day event, the first since Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk was fatally shot in September, was meant to rally the MAGA base. Instead, much of it was dominated by bitter infighting that erupted on the opening night and continued through Saturday. Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro set the tone on Thursday, warning that the movement faced “serious danger” from “charlatans who claim to speak in the name of principle but actually traffic in conspiracism and dishonesty.” He singled out figures like Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, and Steve Bannon.
The feud escalated on Friday when Vivek Ramaswamy, a former presidential candidate now running for Ohio governor, described the moment as “a time for choosing in the conservative movement.” Ramaswamy zeroed in on Carlson’s recent interview with Nick Fuentes, a far-right influencer known for denying the Holocaust. Quoting some of Fuentes’ most extreme statements, Ramaswamy insisted they “have no place in this movement.”
Steve Bannon fired back on stage, labeling Shapiro a “cancer” that “spreads” and declaring him “the farthest thing from MAGA.”
By Sunday, the final day, high-profile speakers worked to heal the rifts. House Speaker Mike Johnson framed the gathering as an “epic and faithful battle that truly will determine the future of our great republic.” He emphasized retaining Republican control of the House in the 2026 midterms.
Vance echoed that priority, attacking Democratic Senate candidates like Graham Platner in Maine and Jasmine Crockett in Texas, both facing tough primaries. “We are gonna kick their ass next November,” he said, sparking chants of “USA” from the audience.
He also tied the internal drama to broader threats, blaming “far left” Democrats for policies he called harmful to Americans on issues like immigration, vaccines, and transgender rights. Vance invoked Kirk’s death, which has cast a shadow over the event, asking the crowd: “If you miss Charlie Kirk, do you promise to fight what he died for? Do you promise to take the country back from the people who took his life?”
Other speakers reinforced the unity message. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), a gubernatorial candidate, said, “You can’t form a winning unit if you can’t stay focused on the mission at hand.” He stressed building a movement based on “principle” and “strength,” even when disagreements arise.
Donald Trump Jr. redirected anger outward: “The real enemy? It’s not Steve Bannon or Tucker Carlson or Ben Shapiro, it’s the radical left that murdered Charlie and celebrated it on a daily basis.”
The alleged shooter, Tyler Robinson, faces charges including aggravated murder, but his political motives remain unclear and hard to categorize.
As AmericaFest wrapped up, the push for solidarity highlighted a key challenge for Republicans: maintaining a broad coalition under President Trump’s influence while navigating ideological clashes that could weaken them ahead of crucial elections.
