TPUSA Archives

Friday

December 22, 2023

Nicki Minaj 2028?

Fresh off her appearance at the United Nations, where she spoke eloquently about the persecution of Christians in Nigeria, pop star Nicki Minaj made a surprise appearance at this weekend’s Turning Point USA convention in Phoenix, leaving no doubt about where her politics lie. Of Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, she said, “This administration is full of people with heart and soul, and they make me proud of them. I love both of them. They're both powerful men. Smart, strong, all of that. But both of them have a very uncanny ability to be someone that you relate to.” The Turning Point conference, the first one since Charlie Kirk’s assassination, made enough news that you could call it “Talking Point.” Ben Shapiro and Tucker Carlson sniped at each other.

Cockburn

Inside TPUSA’s wacky AmericaFest convention

Roseanne Barr, the QAnon Shaman and a gang of angry white teenagers walk into a bar. This may sound like the start of a horrible joke, but it was also the scene in downtown Phoenix, Arizona as Turning Point USA hosted its annual AmericaFest at a local convention center. Normal speeches by GOP mainstays such as Senator Ted Cruz were overtaken by some of the shenanigans afterwards — most glaringly headlined by a group of purported white supremacists at a fringe event reportedly shouting “nigger,” “gay sex,” and “faggot” at Rob Smith, who is black, gay and conservative. In one video, posted by @ValleyZoomerVZ, Smith is asked “how does anal sex help us win the culture war?” among other highly relevant questions. Smith calmly left the premises.

Friday

October 10, 2025

Cockburn

Shutdown siestas

Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday Washington is ten days into the government shutdown, and the Republicans and Democrats remain at loggerheads. Members are accosting each other in the corridors of power – in front of a gawking media, naturally – and challenging their adversaries to debate on TV shows. The impression our leaders are trying to give us is that they are working hard to reach a solution to the impasse. The same can’t be said for admin officials: Cockburn understands a large swathe have taken the opportunity to head off on vacation – and are doing their best to ensure they don’t post any pictures. (As ever, if you’ve spotted a secretary soaking in the sunshine, let Cockburn know at cockburn@thespectator.com.

Monday

June 12, 2023

Cockburn

The GOP ballot harvesting bonanza has begun

A year after getting its clock cleaned thanks in large part due to abdicating mail-in ballots, everyone in the Republican Party is getting in on the ballot harvesting action. One of the latest entrants is Turning Point USA, which, through its Turning Point Action 501c4 plans to build the “first ever conservative ballot-chasing army,” according to plans obtained by The Spectator — and it won’t come cheap; Turning Point Action estimates that the total cost of its operation will be $108.6 million.