Charlie Kirk’s MAGA empire 'up for grabs'

AmericaFest, an annual convention run by the late Charlie Kirk's Turning Point USA, kicked off this week under a cloud of chaos and contention, according to an MS NOW analysis, as the organization contends with conspiracies and control of Kirk's MAGA media empire being "up for grabs."

This year's convention, set to run from Thursday to Sunday in Phoenix, marks Turning Point's first since Kirk was shot and killed in September. Since then, "a revolving door of Republican politicians and commentators" has been "vying for screen time" on "The Charlie Kirk Show," the late pundit's web series noted for its popularity and influence on the far right.

As MS NOW's Andy Campbell noted in his analysis of the event, "none have emerged as a clear replacement for" at the head of Turning Point USA, not even his widow, Erika Kirk, who has taken over as CEO. Kirk's "audience and podcasting empire remain very much up for grabs," as does his position as "leader of a nationwide political youth movement."

"The events at AmericaFest may narrow the field: meet-and-greets have been scheduled with far-right provocateurs who built substantial podcast followings of their own amid Trump’s rise to power, including Jack Posobiec, Alex Clark and Michael Knowles." Campbell wrote.

The event also comes as Turning Point is contending with significant infighting among the MAGA influencer crowd over conspiracies surrounding Kirk's killing. This has been led largely by conservative commentator Candace Owens, who has floated numerous conspiracies about who she suspects might have been behind Kirk's death, ranging from the Israeli government to the French government to even unnamed members of Turning Point against whom she has "lodged vague accusations of financial fraud" without evidence.

Owens was initially invited to a livestream conversation about the dispute with Erika Kirk, but the event ultimately did not take place. Instead, the pair had what Owens described as "a 4.5-hour conversation" that left her still unconvinced of the official story of Kirk's death.

In September, 22-year-old Utah resident Tyler Robinson was arrested and charged with shooting Kirk at a Utah Valley University event. His parents turned in Robinson after they recognized him from security footage released to the public and after a conversation in which he allegedly implied he was the shooter.