Controversy at TPUSA Summit: Confrontations, Bannings, Blacklists, and a Heavy Police Presence
Shane Trejo
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Turning Point USA (TPUSA) is set to conclude their annual Student Action Summit in West Palm Beach, FL, which has featured speeches from leading Republican figures such as President Donald Trump, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), and Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX).
However, most of the buzz has not come from the official event prepared by the TPUSA organizers. The controversy that has created a stir on social media comes from the insurgency of “America First” patriots of the event.
Big League Politics reported on Thursday that former TPUSA organizer Jaden McNeil was tossed from the event abruptly without any reason being given after previously being approved for attendance.
“This was obviously a coordinated attack planned so that I had no time to cancel flights or lodging. Shows just how pathetic and petty these people are,” McNeil wrote in a tweet.
“They encourage abortion activists and Communists to attend, but if you are opposed to mass immigration, they ban you,” he added.
Others reported experiencing similar treatment as McNeil at the event, as TPUSA – an organization that publicly trumpets the values of open debate and freedom of speech – creates a blacklist of unapproved conservatives guilty of wrongthink.
Disclaimer: Spencer Sims is not associated with Nick Fuentes not the groyper movement. He was just in the crowd that formed while a public debate was being held on the street.
— Hotep Virgin Mary (@_realjgoodwin) December 21, 2019
https://twitter.com/westoffensive/status/1208046531280019456
The most noteworthy happening at the event was a brief confrontation between “Never Trump” neocon Ben Shapiro and paleoconservative video blogger Nick Fuentes.
Shapiro gave a speech about Fuentes last month in which he accused Fuentes of being a neo-Nazi and a white supremacist due to offensive statements the commentator has made in the past. Fuentes maintains he was joking in the comments, and has criticized Shapiro for refusing to debate with him.
While Fuentes and his supporters were on a street corner being interviewed by journalists, he saw Shapiro on the opposite side of the street about to cross. As Shapiro crossed, Fuentes approached him while he was with his family and questioned him about the speech.
The video can be seen here:
Nick Fuentes confronted Ben Shapiro and his family (including his young children) outside the TPUSA conference. pic.twitter.com/ZBaJBORkZA
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) December 20, 2019
Prominent liberal and conservative figures have hammered Fuentes for questioning Shapiro, including journalist Megyn Kelly, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, TV host Meghan McCain, and creepy porn lawyer Michael Avenatti.
I’m no fan of @benshapiro as everyone knows. But @NickJFuentes – you are a PUNK. You don’t confront a man in public when he is with his family and young kids. You are very fortunate your stunt ended the way it did. https://t.co/j2ouzbH5CO
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) December 21, 2019
This is a perfect example of what NOT to do unless you just are trying to get attention. Confronting someone with their kids and family with cameras is wrong on every level. Do better next time. There are better ways to get your point across. This wasn’t it. https://t.co/WXaNRw7XTP
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) December 21, 2019
.@benshapiro handling himself beautifully despite a nasty provocation in front of his children. Not easy to maintain one’s dignity while under this kind of attack but as usual Ben manages it. https://t.co/8MtO5NqpPU
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) December 21, 2019
Others downplayed the controversy, and thought the reaction from Shapiro’s defenders was unwarranted.
https://twitter.com/CassandraRules/status/1208297441017110530
Whatever you think of Fuentes, the fact they need 6 security guards to hunt for him in order to prevent him from potentially expressing an opinion is quite frankly pathetic. https://t.co/FgiHBLABPm
— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) December 20, 2019
If you think @NickJFuentes asking Ben Shapiro why he slandered him in a 45 minute speech in front of his family is worse than Shapiro slandering him in a 45 minute speech, you might be a leftist.
— Liberty Hangout (@LibertyHangout) December 21, 2019
The “I’ll debate anyone, anywhere, anytime” crowd sure seems to be having problems debating anyone, anywhere, anytime.
— Pete D’Abrosca (@pdabrosca) December 21, 2019
https://twitter.com/NickerNation/status/1208280401795538946
The police were called on Fuentes when he announced he would be outside of the Palm Beach County Convention Center the following day. Fuentes could be seen surrounded by cops after it was determined he was too close to the convention center.
https://twitter.com/JacobCLloyd/status/1208540744706904070
Fuentes said he was not arrested by police, but was given a written notice that he was trespassing and then let go. He left the event premises and held an impromptu press conference.
Meanwhile, inside the event, Shapiro was ragging on President Trump and telling conservatives to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and outcompete Big Tech monopolies in the rigged marketplace.
https://twitter.com/NickerNation/status/1208574057735737346
https://twitter.com/NickerNation/status/1208573090529206272
The chasm between the Conservative Inc. and the populist grassroots is only widening, and TPUSA is ground zero of this war for the future of the movement.
BONUS FOOTAGE: Can you believe this is what TPUSA thinks will impress young voters?
https://twitter.com/thebavarianchad/status/1208137517507084288?s=12
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