Chicago – December 22, 2025
Vice President JD Vance said Sunday that the conservative movement should remain open to anyone who “loves America,” declining to directly condemn rising antisemitism that has divided Republicans during Turning Point USA’s annual convention. Addressing the conference’s closing session, Vance pushed back against ideological “purity tests” after days of debate over whether controversial figures like Nick Fuentes should be excluded from conservative spaces. “I didn’t bring a list of conservatives to denounce or to de-platform,” Vance told attendees.
Growing Tensions Inside the GOP
The four-day gathering exposed deep rifts within the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement as Republicans quietly begin preparing for a future without Donald Trump, who is constitutionally barred from seeking another term. Turning Point USA leader Erika Kirk, who assumed leadership after the assassination of her husband Charlie Kirk, has endorsed Vance as a potential successor to Trump boosting his standing with a powerful conservative grassroots network. However, disagreements over antisemitism, Israel, environmental policy, and media influence dominated the conference.
Conservative Leaders Clash Over Direction
Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, co-founder of The Daily Wire, sharply criticized figures he accused of promoting conspiracy theories and dishonesty. He specifically condemned Tucker Carlson for hosting Fuentes on his podcast. “These people are frauds and they are grifters,” Shapiro said. Carlson, meanwhile, framed the broader question facing Republicans: “Who gets the machinery when the president exits the scene?”
