Tucker Carlson praises Erika Kirk for continuing Charlie Kirk's commitment to protect free speech during his AmFest 2025 speech

Tucker Carlson praised Erika Kirk, the widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, during his speech at Turning Point USA’s America Fest 2025, applauding her for continuing her late husband's commitment to protecting free speech.

Turning Point USA, the non-profit organization that Charlie Kirk co-founded, held its annual America Fest months after the conservative activist was fatally shot at Utah Valley University this September. The first day of the four-day event kicked off in Phoenix, Arizona, on December 18, 2025, with speeches from prominent conservative commentators, including Tucker Carlson and Ben Shapiro.

During his speech, Carlson commended Erika Kirk for continuing her husband's work after she stepped in as the CEO of Turning Point USA after his death. Carlson added that Erika was "totally committed to continuing the core principle of Charlie's public life," which he said was "the right of every person to express what he believes."

"Erika, who I just saw backstage, and whom I love, and who I can tell you is totally committed to continuing the core principle of Charlie's public life, which is the right of every person to express what he believes. That is rooted in Christian faith. We believe people should be able to say what they think because they have souls. They're human beings created by God."

He further added:

"You cannot tell another human being to shut up, even ‘shut up, racist,’ because you don't own him. He is an independent, autonomous person created by God as an individual. OK, so that's where that belief comes from. That's where free speech comes from. And there's no accident, this is the only country in the world that protects it."

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Tucker Carlson and Ben Shapiro verbally clash at AmFest 2025

Ben Shapiro and Tucker Carlson clashed at AmFest 2025, with Shapiro denouncing Carlson as one of the "grifters," "frauds," and "charlatans" who aimed to "undermine fundamental principles of conservatism."

On December 18, the conservative political commentator and Daily Wire co-founder took to the stage ahead of Carlson, where he called out several conservative commentators, including Candace Owens, Megyn Kelly, Steve Bannon, and Nick Fuentes.

According to Fox News, Shapiro publicly said Tucker Carlson and others were "guilty of cowardice" for refusing to denounce Candace Owens' varied conspiracy theories about Charlie Kirk's assassination.

For the uninitiated, Owens, who previously worked with Kirk in Turning Point USA and with Ben Shapiro on The Daily Wire, has alleged that Israel and France were possibly involved in Kirk's assassination. She has also accused the leadership at Turning Point USA of "betraying" Kirk, alluding to their alleged involvement in his assassination.

Ben Shapiro criticized Tucker Carlson and others for staying quiet while Owens was "vomiting all sorts of hideous and conspiratorial nonsense to the public square for years." He also condemned Tucker Carlson's method of "just asking questions" instead of finding answers and evidence, accusing him of "seeding distrust in the world."

"Our duty to provide you evidence means we actually have to do more than just ask questions. Just asking questions is something my five-year-old does. And it's really cute when it comes from my five-year-old, but when grown men and women spend their days 'just asking questions' without, you know, seeking answers, they are lying to you," Shapiro said.

He continued:

"In fact, they're doing something even worse. They're seeding distrust in the world around you, and they are enervating you in the process."

Additionally, Ben Shapiro slammed Tucker Carlson for interviewing Nick Fuentes on his self-titled show in October, urging him to "take responsibility" for platforming Fuentes. For context, Carlson's interview with Fuentes divided conservatives due to the latter's antisemitic rhetoric.

Meanwhile, Tucker Carlson addressed Shapiro's criticisms during his speech, claiming that he watched The Daily Wire co-founder's speech backstage and laughed. He also mocked Shapiro's attempt at "deplatforming and denouncing people" at a Charlie Kirk event, saying:

“To hear calls for deplatforming and denouncing people at a Charlie Kirk event, I’m like, what? This is hilarious.”

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Meanwhile, Erika Kirk told the public that she and Turning Point USA would work towards electing current United States Vice President JD Vance as the next President of the United States in 2028 during her speech at AmFest 2025.

Edited by Juhi Marzia