Roger Stone Dismisses Battles Among Conservatives, Sees GOP Momentum Ahead of Midterms

The longtime Trump ally is among the high-profile conservatives speaking at AmericaFest 2025.

Roger Stone speaks to Epoch Times reporters in Phoenix on Dec. 20, 2025. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

PHOENIX—At AmericaFest 2025, viewers have witnessed conflicts between major conservative commentators, including dueling speeches from Ben Shapiro and Tucker Carlson.

In an interview with The Epoch Times, Roger Stone suggested that the sound and fury signifies very little to much of the United States.

“I think a lot of this is inside baseball,” said Stone, a longtime ally of President Donald Trump.

Stone said he was in line at a grocery store the previous evening with seven people who told him they intend to vote next year in the midterm elections.

“Not a single one of them knew who Candace Owens was. Not a single one of them knew who Ben Shapiro was. A few of them knew who Tucker Carlson was, and they liked him,” he said.

“We gotta stop fighting amongst ourselves.”

The Republican operative, who will speak on AmericaFest’s main stage on Dec. 21, assisted Trump during his brief exploratory campaign for president in 2000 with the centrist Reform Party before he withdrew because of party infighting. The party was founded by independent Ross Perot in 1995.

Stone also worked on Trump’s 2016 campaign.

Decades before that, Stone launched his career during President Richard Nixon’s 1972 reelection campaign.

The seasoned observer of conservative and libertarian politics said he was heartened by what he has seen at AmericaFest this year—the first since Turning Point USA (TPUSA) founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 10.

Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk speaks at Turning Point USA's AmericaFest in Phoenix on Dec. 18, 2025. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

He drew attention to the large turnout. More than 30,000 people were at the event, held at the Phoenix Convention Center in downtown Phoenix.

“It’s very, very encouraging as we approach the 2026 elections,” Stone said.

There is also evidence that TPUSA is reaching new audiences.

In the aftermath of Kirk’s death, TPUSA reported receiving tens of thousands of requests to open new chapters at schools throughout the United States.

On Dec. 18, the opening night of AmericaFest, Turning Point CEO Erika Kirk told the crowd that 80 percent of the event’s attendees had never been to a previous TPUSA gathering.

“This is the most dynamic gathering of young conservatives in American history,” Stone said.

He traced that to Kirk’s assassination, saying that it gave the conservative movement “determination that his death should not be for nothing.”

Recent off-cycle election losses have fed the perception that Republicans could face serious challenges in the midterms, including losing the House.

Stone, who advised Reagan’s 1980 presidential campaign, said the atmosphere reminded him of the first few years of President Ronald Reagan’s first term.

Roger Stone in Phoenix on Dec. 20, 2025. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

“He enacted deep tax and regulatory cuts,” Stone said, recalling initial misgivings about those policies.

Then came an economic boom that, by 1984, had changed the conversation.

“I think the president’s policies do take time,” Stone said, referring to Trump’s agenda.