'You can't handle the truth!' Steve Bannon torches fellow AmFest speaker in MAGA clash

Longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon ignited fresh infighting inside MAGA world on Friday after unloading on fellow right-wing influencer Ben Shapiro during remarks at AmericaFest 2025, Turning Point USA’s annual conference.

Speaking from the main stage in Phoenix, Bannon mocked Shapiro’s speech from the night before and accused him of being fundamentally opposed to President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement.

“Now, Benji Shapiro sat up here last night, and he was all, you know, it’s all about the truth,” Bannon said. “Ben, I’ve known you a long time, brother. You can’t handle the truth!”

While some in the crowd appeared to be surprised, most erupted in cheers and applause. He went on to declare: “Let’s face it, Ben Shapiro is the farthest thing from MAGA. Let’s be blunt, he is a hardcore 'Never Trumper.”'

Bannon then accused Shapiro of attempting to undermine Trump during the 2016 campaign, claiming Shapiro tried to shift support to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and “barely supported Donald Trump” in the general election. He also claimed Shapiro “tried to upend Breitbart,” the conservative publication, and alleged that the MAGA influencer “hated Donald Trump.”

But Bannon wasn’t done just yet. He added that once Trump left the Oval Office after losing the 2020 election, Shapiro quickly backed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

“Those were the darkest days we had,” Bannon told the crowd, referring to the post-2020 election period. “He’s consistently been against Trump.”

Shapiro, for his part, called Bannon during his speech on Thursday a "PR flake for Jeffrey Epstein," and labeled him and fellow conservatives, including Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens and Megyn Kelly as “frauds and grifters," Salon reported.