Billionaire Bill Ackman has been accused by right-wing provocateur Candace Owens of staging an ‘intervention’ with Charlie Kirk over his views on Israel during a private meeting weeks before the late Turning Point chief’s assassination.
Speaking on her popular YouTube show, Owens alleged that Ackman was angered by Kirk’s souring views on Israel and that ‘threats were made’ — a story Owens admits she heard secondhand and welcomed Ackman to publicly dispute.
Owens, who was once an employee of Turning Point USA, described Ackman as ‘very upset’ by Kirk’s ‘rational thoughts about Israel’.
Ackman – who is Jewish and a vocal Israel supporter – has dismissed the claims, calling them ‘totally false’ in a post on X.
‘At no time have I ever threatened Charlie Kirk, Turning Point, or anyone associated with him,’ the billionaire wrote. ‘I have never blackmailed anyone, let alone Charlie Kirk. I have never offered Charlie or Turning Point any money in an attempt to influence Charlie’s opinion on anything.’
In response to a request for comment, Owens told the Daily Mail via a spokesman: ‘I don’t need to comment because left and right, people are awake now. This smear campaign will be ineffectual.’
Prior to Kirk hiring Owens as his director of urban engagement in 2017, she was a little-known blogger. Kirk gave Owens her first megaphone and brought her into relevance in the conservative mainstream.
Kirk’s organization regularly included Jewish individuals and promoted strong ties between the US and Israel.
Bill Ackman (with wife Neri Oxman) has blasted claims he confronted Charlie Kirk over Israel
Kirk (with wife Erika) was a longtime Israel supporter but his views on the current government had reportedly soured
But Owens – who has compared Benjamin Netanyahu to Hitler and claims there is a sinister ‘small ring’ of Jewish people in Washington DC involved in something ‘quite sinister’ – claims Kirk’s views on Israel’s government were souring.
Other provocateurs have gone even further, blaming Israel for somehow being involved in Kirk’s death.
Ackman, a billionaire hedge fund manager and longtime Democrat who switched to supporting Donald Trump in 2024, met with the Kirk during the first week of August at the activist’s Save The West retreat in the Hamptons.
The gathering was pitched as a ‘meeting of the minds’ where Kirk could gauge top conservative voices on key public issues.
Sources told the Daily Mail that the event covered a wide range of topics and was not focused on Israel, including housing affordability and socialist Zohran Mamdani’s NYC mayoral primary win.
Turning Point spokesman Andrew Kolvet confirmed on X that the Ackman-Kirk meeting was ‘cordial,’ with team members denying any pressure from Ackman over Kirk’s Israel positions.
In an X post on Monday night, Kolvet revealed: ‘Bill never yelled at Charlie, never pressed him on Bibi, never gave him a list of Charlie’s offenses against Israel.’
‘Charlie personally told me he had a very cordial relationship with Bill, and the event was productive,’ Kolvet concluded.
Owens’s claims have been elevated by other prominent right-wing voices, including Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson and Matt Gaetz.
Carlson claimed on his program that Kirk hated Netanyahu and his war against Gaza despite loving Israel, and that Kirk was ‘tormented’ until the day he died by Zionist donors for platforming Carlson at his event.
The pair’s alleged confrontation took place at this hotel at the Hamptons in August. Pictured: Topping Rose House in Bridgehampton, Long Island
Gaetz posted Carlson’s claims were ‘100 percent true.’
Texas Senator Ted Cruz weighed in on Wednesday to push back on Carlson, writing on X hat he ‘knew Charlie well & indeed the very last conversation we had was how deeply concerned he was about the rising, toxic wave of antisemitism on the right.’
Xaviaer DuRousseau, a Conservative influencer who attended the summit, told Daily Mail that Owens’ claims were ‘bizarre’.
DuRousseau said he has no idea where ‘the narrative that Bill and Charlie got into a fight’ originated. ‘If that happened, it was behind closed doors with nobody around, because whenever I saw them together, they were in great spirits — laughing and talking.’
‘Bill discussed marriage, dating, and economics with us, then hung out with the creators. It was just a cool, chill experience. He and Charlie never had any heated debate when we were in meetings together. I really don’t know where this threat narrative is coming from,’ DuRousseau added. ‘Everything about it feels bizarre and exploitative.’
Public records show Kirk regularly engaged with Jewish communities and received tributes from Netanyahu after his death.
One Jewish conservative leader called Owens’s claims ‘revisionist history,’ recalling Kirk’s participation in a nearly three-week Israel trip in 2019 alongside numerous Turning Point student leaders.
Justine Broke Murray, a Jewish conservative influencer who hosts MRCTV, told the Daily Mail that ‘Charlie would host Shabbat dinners at TPUSA conferences with Young Jewish Conservatives’ help. He made sure to attend and speak with each of us.’
Murray noted that Kirk included programming about ‘defeating Jew hatred on campus’ at virtually every Turning Point event she attended.
Owens’ remarks have drawn criticism, with critics accusing her of exploiting Kirk’s death to advance her anti-Israel rhetoric.
After leaving Turning Point, Owens was fired from Daily Wire for making anti-Semitic statements and has since positioned herself as a vocal Israel critic.
After Kirk’s assassination last week during a speaking event at Utah Valley University, Owens was one of the earliest figures to post a heartfelt tribute to her former boss and longtime friend.
The day after Kirk’s assassination, Ackman posted on X that he was ‘incredibly privileged to have spent a day and shared a meal with Kirk this summer’.
‘He was a giant of a man,’ Ackman said.