Steve Bannon Says “Ben Shapiro is Like a Cancer, and That Cancer Spreads”

[Video below.] The first large-scale Turning Point USA conference held after the killing of founder Charlie Kirk exposed deep fractures within the conservative movement, with Israel emerging as the central fault line and accusations of antisemitism dominating the stage in Phoenix.

Even before Kirk’s death, tensions had been simmering. He had at times voiced doubts about U.S. support for certain Israeli policies, a position that now looms larger as rival factions argue over his legacy and direction.

Those divisions exploded over two days as prominent figures associated with the Make America Great Again movement publicly turned on one another, accusing rivals of dishonoring Kirk’s memory or, alternatively, of legitimizing extremists.

Ben Shapiro ignited the clash early, condemning Tucker Carlson for hosting self-described white nationalist Nick Fuentes. Shapiro said Carlson’s decision to give Fuentes airtime amounted to “an act of moral imbecility.”

Returning to the subject again days later, Shapiro escalated his rhetoric, arguing that Carlson never should have amplified Fuentes, whom he described as “a Hitler apologist, Nazi-loving, anti-American piece of refuse.”

According to Shapiro, Kirk himself had been fiercely opposed to 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.”

Shapiro broadened his criticism to other conservative figures, including Megyn Kelly, accusing them of failing to confront voices like Candace Owens, whom he said regularly promotes conspiracy theories, many of them antisemitic.

Owens has claimed, without evidence, that Israeli intelligence had a hand in Kirk’s killing and that those close to him betrayed him, allegations flatly contradicted by authorities, who say the suspect acted alone.

Owens, who commands an audience of 5.7 million subscribers on YouTube, is also embroiled in a legal dispute with French President Emmanuel Macron over her assertion that his wife, Brigitte, is actually a man.

Addressing the broader movement, Shapiro warned, “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.” He added, “Those of us with a microphone have a moral obligation to call that out by name.”

Owens fired back the following day on X, writing that “Every time Ben speaks I feel more certain Israel is involved in [Kirk’s killing].”

She doubled down with another post, claiming, “Ben only cares about Israel’s interests. So Israel is involved.”

Carlson responded from the conference stage hours later, ridiculing Shapiro’s comments as an attack on free speech and arguing that such calls would have offended Kirk’s values.

“Deplatforming and denouncing people at a Charlie Kirk event. I’m like, what? It’s hilarious,” Carlson told attendees.

He rejected accusations of antisemitism, saying it was immoral to judge people based on how they were born, but then minimized the scope of anti-Jewish hatred by comparing it to discrimination against white men.

“That is racism that is precisely as bad as antisemitism, but it is much more widespread and has been so far much more damaging,” Carlson said.

Carlson also brushed off suggestions of a looming internal rupture, calling talk of a civil war within Trump-aligned politics “totally fake” and suggesting it was being promoted to block Vice President JD Vance from becoming the party’s future leader.

The dispute continued after the conference. Steve Bannon, speaking a day later, accused Shapiro of attempting to dominate Turning Point USA while advancing Israel’s priorities over those of the United States, according to NBC News.

“Ben Shapiro is like a cancer, and that cancer spreads,” Bannon declared to loud applause.

Calling the conflict “a proxy on ’28,” Bannon, who served as a senior adviser to President Trump during the 2016 campaign, said Kirk had rejected “this concept of greater Israel and Israel first,” NBC News reported.

Kelly also acknowledged the internal strife, telling conservative activist Jack Posobiec during a conference discussion that “there was a rift even before we lost Charlie… and it revolves around Israel,” according to NBC News.

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{Matzav.com}