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The widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk says the organization he founded, Turning Point USA, will help elect J.D. Vance as president in 2028, even though the current US vice president has yet to announce his candidacy.
Erika Kirk showed her support Thursday on the opening day of Turning Point’s annual America Day conference, the organization’s largest gathering since her husband was shot and killed in September.
“We are going to elect my husband’s friend J.D. Vance as the 48th president in the loudest way possible,” Kirk said, referring to the 48th president. Trump is No. 47.
Vance, meanwhile, is scheduled to speak at Sunday’s event.
“Turning Point” is credited with helping Republican President Donald Trump expand his coalition of supporters and win him the 2024 presidential election.
Her announcement comes ahead of Trump’s first anniversary in office, signaling an early push to become his successor ahead of the 2028 election.
After Kirk delivered his opening remarks, the stage at the Phoenix, Arizona, convention center turned into a political smear contest, with tensions within the conservative movement laid bare.
Podcaster Ben Shapiro has attacked media rivals Candace Owens, Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly and Steve Bannon, calling them “liars and liars.”
“Those who refuse to condemn Candace’s truly vicious attack – some of whom are speaking here tonight – are guilty of cowardice,” Shapiro said.
Owens, a former Turning Point staffer who hosts a popular podcast, has been a thorn in the side of Republicans and has promoted various conspiracy theories, including baseless suggestions about the murder of Charlie Kirk.
It comes amid growing speculation about Trump’s control of the Republican Party and infighting among factions of the president’s supporters over the future of the MAGA movement.
Shapiro also criticized former Fox News host Carlson for interviewing far-right political commentators Nick Fuentes and Holocaust denierson the podcast in late October, drew widespread condemnation.
After Shapiro, Carlson took the stage to hit back at Shapiro.
“That guy has a lot of ego,” Carlson said. “Calling for deplatforming at a Charlie Kirk event? This is hilarious.”
Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point events are known for tackling controversial and divisive topics. Supporters argue it is necessary for free speech. Critics say it’s hate-mongering.
Charlie Kirk’s assassin Taylor Robinson told his lover he killed Kirk because he “had enough of the hate,” authorities said.
“You’re not going to agree with everyone on this stage this weekend. That’s OK. Welcome to America,” Erika Kirk said at the Turning Point conference.
Since the assassination, “we’ve seen fractures, we’ve seen bridges burned that should not have been burned,” she said.
Trump has suffered a series of recent setbacks within the Republican Party, including a public falling out with former ally Marjorie Taylor Greene and the impending release of the Epstein documents, which a majority of Republicans voted for despite Trump’s initial objections.
The four-day America Day conference was scheduled to continue through the weekend, with Vance and Donald Trump Jr. scheduled to be speakers on Sunday.
