Daily Wire Co-Founder Defends Truth and Calls Out ‘Frauds and Grifters’ in Conservative Movement
Phoenix, AZ – In a powerful opening address at Turning Point USA‘s AmericaFest conference on December 18, Daily Wire Co-Founder and cultural commentator Ben Shapiro honored the legacy of the late Charlie Kirk while issuing a stark warning about threats to the conservative movement. Speaking to thousands in Phoenix at the first major TPUSA event since Kirk’s assassination in September, Shapiro emphasized the centrality of truth to conservatism and directly criticized several prominent figures for promoting conspiracism and dishonesty.
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Shapiro began by paying tribute to Kirk and his widow, Erika Kirk, who had spoken just before him.
“It’s obviously a massive honor to be here at Turning Point USA,” Shapiro said. “It’s even more of an honor to follow Erika Kirk, a heroic figure and a true American patriot… Erika and her children are in all of our hearts. And of course, this is an incredibly bittersweet moment. It’s absolutely bitter because of the murder of our friend Charlie Kirk, an irreplaceable human being.”
He recounted knowing Kirk since he was 18 and watching him build TPUSA into a powerhouse of conservatism. “I watched him build himself into one of the most powerful exponents of conservatism in America, one of the most powerful coalition builders in American history,” Shapiro noted, adding that the gathering was also “sweet” because so many continue to carry on Kirk’s mission.
Shapiro then pivoted to the core of his speech: the future of conservatism hinges on freedom, free markets, limited government—and most of all, truth.
“This country relies on truth because victory, true, real, lasting victory cannot be achieved without truth,” he declared. “Victory without truth is victory for a lie. And that is no victory at all. And unity without truth is no unity. It is merely solidarity in falsehood.”
He argued that the conservative movement faces dangers not only from the left but from internal “charlatans who claim to speak in the name of principle but actually traffic in conspiracism and dishonesty who offer nothing but bile and despair.”
“These people are frauds, and they are grifters, and they do not deserve your time,” Shapiro stated. “And they are something worse than that: a danger to the only movement capable of stopping the left from wrecking the country wholesale.”
Shapiro’s Five Duties for Conservative Voices
Shapiro outlined five obligations that public figures owe their audiences:
- Truth and Clarity: Avoid misleading vagueness. He criticized phrases like “they shot Charlie” without specifics, noting that the alleged shooter, according to evidence, was “a gay trans-loving furry.” Instead, target specific ideological issues, such as the radical trans movement’s rhetoric.
- Principle Over Personal Feeling: Moral judgment should not be swayed by friendships. Shapiro directly called out Candace Owens for “casting aspersions at TPUSA” and implying complicity in Kirk’s murder, including baseless claims involving French intelligence or TPUSA members.”We as people with a microphone have a moral obligation to call that out by name,” he said. “Erica Kirk and TPUSA never should have been put in the position to have to defend themselves against such specious and evil attacks, particularly in a time of mourning.”He accused those refusing to condemn Owens—including some speaking at the conference—of “cowardice.” Shapiro also criticized Tucker Carlson for staying silent on Owens’ attacks and Megyn Kelly for excusing her behavior.”There is only one moral side here: Erica Kirk’s side,” he asserted. “You know, the side of the widow with two children whose husband was shot live on camera in front of all of us.”
- Taking Responsibility: Hosts must own their platforming choices. Shapiro slammed Carlson for interviewing Nick Fuentes, whom Kirk refused to platform. “There is a reason that Charlie Kirk despised Nick Fuentes… 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.”
- Providing Evidence: Accusations require proof, not just questions or speculation. Shapiro criticized unsubstantiated claims, such as those about Jeffrey Epstein, that implicate good people without evidence.
- Proposing Solutions: Commentary should improve lives, not foster despair through endless problems without answers.
Shapiro concluded on an optimistic note about America’s greatness and the duty to preserve it through truth and action.
