JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
High-profile supporters of President Trump are once again trading verbal attacks and debating the future of their movement. The fight stems from an ongoing debate about the elevation of antisemitic ideas by some right-wing leaders. That conflict came to a head again yesterday during an event hosted by the conservative group Turning Point USA. NPR political correspondent Sarah McCammon has been following this, and she's here now. Hi.
SARAH MCCAMMON, BYLINE: Hey, Juana.
SUMMERS: So, Sarah, I mean, this is not the first time these questions have come up about the boundaries of the conservative movement recently. So if you can, just start by reminding us how we got here.
MCCAMMON: Right. You know, since the murder of the influential conservative activist Charlie Kirk in September, there's been an eruption of controversy around who belongs in the movement and where the movement should draw lines around things like antisemitic rhetoric and conspiracy theories. And so this came up again as Turning Point, which is the group Kirk founded, was kicking off its annual AmericaFest conference yesterday in Phoenix.
Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro has sharply criticized several of his fellow conservatives for their friendliness toward people like the white nationalist streamer Nick Fuentes, who has, among other things, praised Hitler. And in his speech at Turning Point, Shapiro said that Charlie Kirk had, quote, "despised" Fuentes.
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BEN SHAPIRO: 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. He built Nick Fuentes up, and he ought to take responsibility for that.
MCCAMMON: And Carlson, as you may remember, sparked an uproar for hosting a lengthy and rather friendly interview with Fuentes back in October. Now, Shapiro called out another prominent right-wing podcaster, Candace Owens, for promoting a variety of conspiracy theories, including the unsubstantiated claim that Turning Point was somehow covering up information about Kirk's death. Shapiro said that these high-profile conservatives have a responsibility to ask tough questions of the people they host on their platforms.
SUMMERS: Sarah, what's the reaction been like?
MCCAMMON: So Tucker Carlson also spoke, and he did not mention Shapiro by name, but he did criticize what he described as deplatforming and denouncing people. He suggested that Kirk would have wanted an open dialogue. It's worth pointing out here that Turning Point has actually banned Fuentes and his followers from some of their events in the past. But Carlson said he wanted to make one thing clear.
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TUCKER CARLSON: I'm not an antisemite because antisemitism is immoral. In my religion, it is immoral to hate people for how they were born. Period.
MCCAMMON: And Carlson added that he believes that racism against white men is, quote, "more widespread and so far much more damaging" than antisemitism. We should say here, reports of antisemitic violence are on the rise. And of course, just last weekend, 15 people were murdered at a Hanukkah celebration in Australia in what officials there said appears to be an ISIS-inspired attack.
SUMMERS: Sounds to me like there are some real divides emerging within Trump's coalition. What could this mean for the future of the party?
MCCAMMON: Well, Republicans are facing a tough climb in the midterm, so these divisions are not helpful right now. Charlie Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, who's now leading Turning Point, told the crowd they would be hearing ideas they may not agree with, but that's OK. She said Turning Point is working to ensure that Republicans will retain control of Congress, and she's looking ahead to 2028. She announced her support for Vice President JD Vance, who's widely expected to run for president and is speaking at Turning Point this weekend. So these questions about the future of the conservative movement will continue to loom large.
SUMMERS: NPR political correspondent Sarah McCammon, thanks.
MCCAMMON: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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