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Conservative radio host Ben Shapiro called out what he described as “frauds and grifters” who pose a threat to the conservative movement, including Tucker Carlson, during his speech at AmericaFest 2025 on Thursday.
Shapiro opened his remarks at the Turning Point USA conference in Phoenix by denouncing figures like Carlson and Candace Owens, accusing them of undermining conservative principles.
“Today the conservative movement is in serious danger, not just from the left that all too frequently excuses everything up to and including murder,” Shapiro said. “The conservative movement is also in danger from charlatans who claim to speak in the name of principle but actually traffic in conspiracism and dishonesty, who offer nothing but bile and despair, who seek to undermine fundamental principles of conservatism by championing aggravation and grievance. These people are frauds, and they are grifters, and they do not deserve your time.”
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“The Ben Shapiro Show” host Ben Shapiro denounced Tucker Carlson during his comments at AmericaFest 2025. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)
While acknowledging that Carlson was also scheduled to speak at the conference later that night, The Daily Wire co-founder said commentators such as Carlson were “guilty of cowardice” for staying silent as Owens spread conspiracy theories regarding Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk‘s assassination.
“The fact that they have said nothing while Candace has been vomiting all sorts of hideous and conspiratorial nonsense to the public square for years is just as cowardly,” Shapiro said.
He also criticized Carlson’s methods as “lazy, stupid and misleading” for implying insider knowledge but refusing to show evidence under the guise of asking questions.
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People enter the main hall during AmericaFest, the first Turning Point USA summit since the death of Charlie Kirk, in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. December 18, 2025. (Caitlin O’Hara/Reuters)
“Our duty to provide you evidence means we actually have to do more than just ask questions,” Shapiro said. “Just asking questions is something my five-year-old does. And it’s really cute when it comes from my five-year-old, but when grown men and women spend their days ‘just asking questions’ without, you know, seeking answers, they are lying to you. In fact, they’re doing something even worse. They’re seeding distrust in the world around you, and they are enervating you in the process.”
He urged Carlson to take responsibility for platforming controversial guests like White nationalist Nick Fuentes while not condemning or questioning their positions.
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“There’s a reason Charlie Kirk despised Nick Fuentes and indeed chided Dinesh D’Souza for debating him. 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,” Shapiro said, referring to Carlson’s interview of him on his X program.
Both Ben Shapiro and Tucker Carlson were speakers at AmericaFest 2025. (Screenshot/TPUSA)
Shapiro had also criticized Carlson the night before during remarks at the Heritage Foundation.
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“A conservatism that treats Tucker Carlson as a thought leader is no conservatism,” Shapiro said. “If conservatives do not stand up and draw lines, conservatism and the dream of America itself will cease to exist.”
