Vance refuses to set red lines over bigotry at Turning Point USA’s convention : NPR
Erika Kirk greets Vice President JD Vance during Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest 2025, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Phoenix.
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PHOENIX — Vice President JD Vance said Sunday that the conservative movement should be open to everyone as long as they “love America,” refusing to condemn a trend of anti-Semitism that has divided the Republican Party and disrupted the first days of the annual Turning Point USA convention.
After a long weekend of debate over whether the movement should exclude figures such as bigoted podcaster Nick Fuentes, Vance strongly opposed “purity testing.”
“I didn’t bring a list of conservatives to denounce or abandon,” Vance said during the convention’s closing speech.
Turning Point leader Erika Kirk, who took the helm after the assassination of her husband, Charlie Kirk, endorsed Vance as a potential successor to President Donald Trump, a helpful nod from an influential group with an army of volunteers.
But the tension displayed at that four-day gathering foreshadowed the dangerous political waters that Vance, or anyone seeking the next Republican presidential nomination, will have to navigate in the years to come. Leading voices in the “Make America Great Again” movement are vying for influence as Republicans begin to contemplate a future without Trump, and there is no clear path to maintaining his coalition.
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So far, it appears that resolving this issue will result in a lot of fighting among conservatives. The Turning Point conference featured arguments on anti-Semitism, Israel and environmental regulations, not to mention rivalries among leading commentators.
Ben Shapiro, co-founder of the conservative media outlet Daily Wire, used his speech on the opening night of the conference to denounce “charlatans who claim to speak on behalf of principles but who actually engage in conspiracy and dishonesty.”
“These people are frauds and scammers and they don’t deserve your time,” Shapiro said. He specifically called out Carlson for hosting Fuentes for a friendly interview on his podcast.
Carlson brushed off the criticism when he took the stage just an hour later, and he said the idea of a Republican “civil war” was “totally false.”
“There are people who are angry with JD Vance, and they’re stirring this up to make sure he doesn’t get the nomination,” he said. Carlson described Vance as “the only person” who subscribed to “the central idea of the Trump coalition,” which Carlson said was “America First.”
Turning Point spokesperson Andrew Kolvet framed the discord as a healthy debate about the future of the movement, an uncomfortable but necessary process of finding consensus.
“We are not hive-minded communists,” he wrote on social media. “Let him play.”
Supporters cheer during Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest 2025, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Phoenix.
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If you love America, you’re welcome in the movement, says Vance
Vance acknowledged the controversies that dominated the Turning Point conference, but he defined no boundaries for the conservative movement outside of patriotism.
“We don’t care if you’re white or black, rich or poor, young or old, rural or urban, controversial or a little boring, or somewhere in between,” he said.
Vance did not name anyone, but his comments came amid an increasingly contentious debate over whether the right should give a platform to commentators espousing anti-Semitic views, particularly Fuentes, whose supporters see themselves as working to preserve America’s white, Christian identity. Fuentes has a growing audience, as does prominent podcaster Candace Owens, who regularly shares anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.
“We have a much more important job to do than canceling each other out,” he said.
Vance listed what he said were the administration’s accomplishments as it approaches its first anniversary, highlighting its efforts on the border and on the economy. He highlighted efforts to end diversity, equity and inclusion policies, drawing applause by saying they had been relegated to the “dustbin of history.”
“In the United States of America, you no longer have to apologize for being white,” he said.
Vance also declared that the United States “will always be a Christian nation,” adding that “Christianity is America’s creed, the moral language shared from the Revolution to the Civil War and beyond.”
Those comments resonated with Isaiah White-Diller, an 18-year-old from Yuma, Arizona, who said he would support Vance if he ran for president.
“I have the right to be a Christian here, I have the right to say whatever I want,” White-Diller said.
Turning Point supports Vance
Vance has not revealed his future plans, but Erika Kirk said Thursday that Turning Point wants Vance “to be elected to 48 years in the most resounding way possible.” The next president will be the 48th in American history.
Turning Point is a major force on the right, with a nationwide volunteer network that can be especially helpful in early primary states, when candidates rely on grassroots energy to build momentum. In a surprise appearance, rapper Nicki Minaj spoke effusively about Trump and Vance.
Nicki Minaj speaks at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest 2025 on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Phoenix.
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Vance was close to Charlie Kirk and they supported each other over the years. After Kirk was assassinated on a Utah college campus, the vice president flew Air Force Two to collect Kirk’s remains and bring them home to Arizona. The vice president helped uniformed soldiers carry the casket to the plane.
Emily Meck, 18, of Pine City, New York, said she appreciated that Vance made room for a wide variety of views.
“We are free thinkers, we are going to have disagreements, we are going to have our own thoughts,” Meck said.
Trump has praised Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as potential successors, even suggesting they could groom a future Republican nominee. Rubio said he would support Vance.
When asked in August if Vance was the “heir apparent,” Trump said “very likely.”
“It’s obviously too early to talk about it, but he’s certainly doing a great job and he would probably be the favorite at this point,” he said.
