‘AMERICAFEST’

Turning Point USA Conference Enlists Country Stars, Tries to Keep White Nationalists at Bay

TPUSA has kicked off their country music-themed gathering, but white nationalists look to derail it.

The conservative student activist organization Turning Point USA kicked off their multi-day winter gathering in Phoenix, Arizona, on Saturday evening, which this year includes numerous country music concerts wedged in between right-wing speeches. The four-day “America Fest” affair will feature live performances from country music singers including Brantley Gilbert, Dustin Lynch, and Russell Dickerson.

While there will be plenty of right-wing red meat tossed out to the high school and college-aged crowd, the youth organization will have to be on the lookout for white nationalists led by Unite the Right rally attendee Nicholas Fuentes. Fuentes’ followers have suggested they might invade the event and even floated the idea of holding an event in the Phoenix area to rival the TPUSA gathering. (A TPUSA spokesperson didn’t immediately return a Daily Beast request for comment on whether the organization has identified any white nationalists at the event.)

Dating back to late 2019, Fuentes and his “groyper” followers have been at war with TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk, which has resulted in white nationalists continually showing up at TPUSA events looking to ask Kirk oddly specific questions about his loyalty to the United States and Israel.

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Zachary PetrizzoFormer Politics Reporter

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