‘It’s Literally All Talk’: Gen Z At AmericaFest Takes Aim At GOP Infighting

PHOENIX, AZ — As students from across the country gathered for Turning Point USA's (TPUSA) annual AmericaFest, infighting among the most prominent figures in the conservative movement quickly became part of the conversation. But as those conversations played out on stage and on social media, some students told the Daily Caller News Foundation they were fed up.

Tensions surfaced publicly Thursday night after Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro criticized DCNF co-founder Tucker Carlson during his comments. Carlson fought back almost immediately after taking the stage Thursday. But by Friday, the controversy escalated further when conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly took on stage and called Shapiro a “coward” for not addressing her differences directly.

The altercation sparked a violent reaction in the conference room and quickly spread online. Among the students present, the main reaction was not excitement, but fatigue.

Students say they are over the feud

Over the course of the weekend, the debate led students into panel discussions where disagreements often centered less on ideology and more on whether public fighting was benefiting the movement.

Some students took a strong stand. Rhode Island native Ryan Goldich, 16, said he strongly supports Shapiro and rejects Carlson's views. (RELATED: J.D. Vance Shuts Down AmericaFest With Final Rejection of Ben Shapiro's Call for Cancellation)

“It’s funny,” Goldich said. “We see people who are no longer conservative. We see Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, Nick Fuentes, Steve Bannon. [former Trump administration chief strategist] spread your radical ideology, which is not MAGA.”

“He [Carlson] “This is incredibly anti-Semitic,” Goldich said, referring to Carlson and dismissing his podcast with Nick Fuentes. “Giving a platform to someone who idolizes Stalin and is openly anti-Semitic is not America First. And being together with Israel and having a strong ally in the Middle East is America first and foremost.”

As Goldich spoke, another student offered a different perspective, one echoed by others in the group who said the bigger problem was how disagreements were resolved.

“I actually have a little different opinion about this,” said 17-year-old Cole Chatham from Georgia. “I think the problem with the conservative movement now is that we focus more on our differences rather than on what we agree on.”

Chatham said even the central figures in the dispute had more common ground than the public clashes suggested.

“I think even Tucker Carlson and Ben Shapiro would agree on a lot of things, but this is the one they disagree on,” Chatham said. “I understand that this is a pretty big issue, but we can come together in many other ways.”

Addressing Shapiro's repeated criticism of Carlson and his podcast guests, Chatham said he believes the Daily Wire founder is “almost pandering to cancel culture in some ways.”

“But with Ben Shapiro, I believe he's almost pandering to cancel culture when he says we should deplatform people and deny people the right to a show because they have different opinions that he doesn't agree with,” Chatham told DCNF.

“I think, as he said, in some ways it’s cowardly to be afraid to hear other people’s opinions just because it hurts your feelings or they don’t agree with you,” Chatham added.

The exchange—one student firmly taking sides, another calling for restraint—captured the general mood of the weekend. While the seniors may have openly disagreed about who was right, they shared frustration with the tone that the public infighting brought to the conference.

“I think a lot of the infighting that goes on in the Republican Party is pretty absurd,” said Thatcher, 16, from Texas. “I think everyone shooting at each other in public is quite childish, to be honest.”

“I think no matter what side you're on in the fight within the party, I think we need to end this. It's too much. We need to, in order to beat the Democrats and continue the red tide, we need to come together,” Ashley, a 17-year-old student from Southern California, told DCNF. “Division is just a sign of weakness and we cannot allow this to continue.”

Others said the constant sparring was out of touch with everyday reality.

“Unfortunately, in great organizations and movements like this, no matter how good the intentions, there will always be drama,” Dylan, 17, also from Texas, told DCNF. “Honestly, in some cases it can be a good thing because it brings more people together. But it can also be a bad thing because at the end of the day there are a lot more problems that we have to face as a group together.”

“We have abortion, illegal immigration, immigration, homelessness, gas prices, affordability, inflation,” Dylan added. “We have all these huge, big problems, and unfortunately, when it comes to politics, it's literally all talk. Nothing gets done. And it's very sad to see that.”

As conversations moved toward the future, including the 2026 midterm elections and the 2028 presidential race, students and other Gen Z members returned to issues they said mattered more than media infighting, particularly the availability of funds.

“We have big problems”

“My biggest concern going into the next election and next year is affordability,” Lorenzo, 17, from Florida, told DCNF. “House prices have quadrupled. If you think back to 1965, all you needed was about one year's salary or about two years' work to be able to afford a house.”

“Now you need a few extra years,” Lorenzo added. “About 20% of millennials or people my age will be able to afford a home when they graduate from college.”

“We see all this talk, all this drama, and nothing gets done,” Dylan said. “I want to see more action, less drama and more teamwork.”

First-time AmericaFest attendee and Gen Z podcaster Jackson Crapuchetts said he noticed the same disconnect between the headlines and what attendees were actually focused on.

“The conservative fight—it’s a shame that Charlie Kirk was the only one who kept us from doing this to ourselves,” Crapuchetts told DCNF. “Charlie Kirk seemed to be the dam that kept the right-back from shooting himself in the foot.”

“So internal struggle can be beneficial if it is an internal debate about what is the right thing to do and what is the right path to the future,” he added. “But when you see people like Steve Bannon just calling Ben Shapiro a cancer, that's not a debate, that's just ad hominem.”

Crapuchetts says infighting quickly subsides when underlying issues come to the fore.

“If you can't afford groceries, the current agenda or the current fight between the Republican Party doesn't really matter that much because you need to eat,” Crapuchetts said.

“Who will replace Charlie?”

When asked about the movement's future without TPUSA co-founder Charlie Kirk, some students said they didn't believe anyone could replace him, but that his absence made unity more urgent, not less.

“Charlie did such a great thing because he did it all with our voice. Now it's our turn to take his microphone. We need to come together and I think Erica [Kirk] is already doing a wonderful job. She shows what a great leader she is,” Ashley said. “There are so many different people, but overall I think it's all of us together, us Turning Point students. We need to continue his legacy.”

Others supported the idea that the influence of TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk could not simply be transferred to one figure.

“Who will replace Charlie? No one,” Goldich said. “But who's rising up? As it goes viral, we're Charlie Kirk.”

Crapuchetts said the movement's next phase will depend on whether it can navigate disagreement without turning inward.

“There are a lot of strong personalities, and they would all like to express their opinion on this issue. We'll see what happens,” he said. “But I think either someone strong will rise up, or all these great personalities will leave.”

Despite the disappointment, most students said the controversy highlighted distinctive features of the conservative movement that they believe are worth preserving.

“I know it may seem strange, but at least we have some diversity within our conservative group. Unlike Democrats and liberals, where if one person says something on their side, everyone else agrees,” Lorenzo said. “I’ve never seen one of them disagree with another Democrat.”

Others argued that internal divisions, although disorderly, were preferable to forced unity.

“Yes, there is indeed a lot of division and conflict in the conservative movement, but at least we have diversity of opinion, whereas the difference is that the left is united by hatred of groups, hatred of people and violence,” Chatham told DCNF. “This is not the unification we need.”

“I would rather find unity through agreement of opinion than unity through hatred of certain groups because of beliefs,” Chatham added.

For many AmericaFest students, the message was consistent: disagreement is inevitable, but they are ready for the conservative movement to stop arguing publicly and focus on what comes next.

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