America Fest opened its Thursday night event with sharp political fireworks, far beyond the stage pyrotechnics. The conference—TPUSA’s first major gathering without founder Charlie Kirk—saw conservative radio host Ben Shapiro launch a blistering critique of prominent figures during his keynote address in Phoenix.

Shapiro denounced Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens as “frauds and grifters” undermining conservative principles, accusing them of spreading conspiracism and grievance. “Today the conservative movement is in serious danger,” Shapiro stated, “not just from the left that all too frequently excuses everything up to and including murder… but also from charlatans who claim to speak in the name of principle but actually traffic in conspiracism and dishonesty.”

He specifically targeted Carlson for silence regarding Owens’ years of spreading conspiracy theories about 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 declared, adding that Carlson’s methods were “lazy, stupid and misleading.”

Carlson responded later in his speech with characteristic wit: “I just got here, and I feel like I missed the first part of the program. Hope I didn’t miss anything meaningful.” He mocked Shapiro’s criticism by stating, “To hear calls for deplatforming and denouncing people at a Charlie Kirk event… that’s hilarious.” Carlson emphasized his belief in free debate, saying, “I kind of thought we’d reached the end of that [cancel culture], and as far as I’m concerned, we have. I’m not gonna play by those rules.”