Candace Owens is a star of the right-wing, anti-woke movement. She has come under heavy fire for her outrageous, unfounded assertions regarding the alleged murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA. Kirk, the intellectual leader of the right during his movement-building heyday and beyond, died under suspicious circumstances, which led to a firestorm of speculation. Fortunately, Owens has used her popular podcast to introduce an interesting alternate theory. She claims that Kirk’s death is part of a bigger global conspiracy with its roots in Israel, raising both progressive and conservative eyebrows and ire.
Owens first gained recognition when she joined Turning Point USA in 2017 as the director of urban engagement, where she worked closely with Kirk. Looking back, her tenure was a time of intense outrage. It hit its nadir in 2019 when she came under fire for her resignation after comments widely criticized as praising Adolf Hitler. Here’s how this past week, Owens has used his platform to try to blow up the narrative of Kirk’s death. He advises that the scene may indicate that a lone gunman was not involved in the attack.
In her recent episodes, including one titled “Charlie Kirk Suspect Charged,” Owens has suggested that Kirk’s demise may be connected to his evolving stance on Israel. She argues, in part based on Kirk’s direct implications, that Kirk told her he was under threat from the Israeli government and billionaire financier Bill Ackman. She does explicitly blame Israel for helping along Kirk’s death. As her insinuations go, these unheard comments have raised eyebrows and brought down widespread criticism.
Owens has long identified “Zionists” as the puppet masters behind media narratives. She asserts that they had a huge impact on Kirk’s ongoing legacy during his life. Many pro-Israel Jewish organizations and commentators have criticized this framing. They claim that her inflammatory speech reinforces negative generalizations and helps create a culture of conspiratorial thinking.
“I’m not trying to mutter darkly or imply anything … but I think it’s important to say that out loud because it’s a fact, and there are many liars out there trying, Bibi Netanyahu, No 1 among them, shamefully, who are trying to distort the truth, a truth that I know and can prove.” – Candace Owens
The response to Owens’s criticism has been intemperate. Even some supporters have expressed outrage at her for allegedly using Kirk’s tragic suicide to further her own agenda and gain notoriety. She remains a polarizing figure in conservative media. Her podcast currently ranks No. 2 on Spotify’s trending charts, illustrating her ability to draw listeners despite mounting criticism.
Most notably, critics of Owens’s approach like Derek Beres are right to be alarmed. Beres describes the landscape as an “accelerationist, shock-doctrine environment,” suggesting that trust in information has eroded amid rampant conspiracy theories. He further developed this reasoning by arguing that today’s atmosphere breeds distrust of information coming from anyone in the form of some elected leaders.
“Everything I’ve seen over the last two weeks has been disgusting – the level of merch, the recruitment drives – all of it is craven opportunism.” – Derek Beres
Owens’s narrative on this differs greatly from other competing theories making the rounds in conservative circles. Most impressively, she debunks the Donald Trump-helmed conspiracy to pin Kirk’s death on leftist actors. For one, she reasons that Kirk’s vacillating support for Israel most certainly provoked the threats on his life. This became particularly pronounced as he rubbed shoulders with more controversial figures like Tucker Carlson and comedian Dave Smith at Turning Point USA events.
To be sure, Owens makes lofty claims about her mission, but few people are buying it Owens’ false motives. Critics contend that her track record of being an opportunist severely waters down the credibility of her claims. Beres pointed out that Owens has a history of shifting the goal posts for attention instead of principle.
“One thing about Candace is that she’s an opportunist – at every stage. She started off on the left, and since then she’s figured out different ways of getting attention.” – Derek Beres
The discussion surrounding Charlie Kirk’s death is ever-growing and ever-changing. Owens’s behavior has already raised deeply ethical questions about the role of conspiracy theories in American political discussion. Her comments on “Zionist-controlled publications” open up a much bigger conversation. They call for increased accountability and responsibility in media portrayals.
In the face of this backlash, Bill Ackman took to twitter to declare that he had never threatened Kirk or done anything threatening. He stated emphatically, “At no time have I ever threatened Charlie Kirk, Turning Point or anyone associated with him,” distancing himself from the implications raised by Owens.
Owens’s theories pack some serious punch as more than just theoretical conjecture. They tackle systemic issues in negative perceptions of anti-Semitism and the whitewashing of American media as it relates to Jewish communities. Critics caution that such rhetoric runs the risk of reinforcing negative stereotypes and creating further fissures in an already divided society.