Charlie Kirk and Turning Point USA: Shaping a New Generation of Conservative Activists
Charlie Kirk dedicated his life to building a movement rooted in faith, freedom, and love of country. He believed America’s future depended on raising up a generation who would NEVER SURRENDER. That vision is alive and stronger than ever. Prayers are rising, support is pouring in, millions of students are rallying, volunteers are flooding in, and vigils are filling churches and schools across the nation. Now the responsibility is ours. We will honor his legacy by pressing forward-not slowing down, not surrendering. This is not a time to preserve what was built. We will make Charlie proud. We will defend America’s future. And we will not stop until freedom prevails.
Turning Point USA (TPUSA) is a youth-oriented political organization with a significant presence on college and high school campuses across the United States. Founded in 2012 by Charlie Kirk, TPUSA aims to promote conservative ideals among young people and empower them to become leaders in their communities and educate others on American ideals in a fun and compelling way.
The Genesis of Turning Point USA
In May 2012, 18-year-old Charlie Kirk gave a speech at Benedictine University's Youth Government Day. Impressed, retired marketing entrepreneur and Tea Party activist Bill Montgomery encouraged Kirk to postpone college and engage full-time in political activism. Kirk's father reportedly came up with the name Turning Point USA, and Montgomery registered the organization in July 2012.
That August, at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, Kirk met Foster Friess, an investment banker and well-known donor to conservative causes. Kirk told Friess about TPUSA, describing it as a conservative counterpart to the liberal activist group MoveOn.org.
Over the next several years, Kirk’s profile rose steadily among conservative politicos and donors. In 2014, after Kirk spoke at an event in Palm Beach, Florida, TPUSA received a series of six-figure donations from major GOP backers. And in 2016 Kirk was the youngest speaker at the Republican National Convention.
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Aims and Activities
With a presence on over 3,500 college and high school campuses, students are encouraged to be leaders in their communities and educate others on American ideals in a fun and compelling way. TPUSA actively works to reshape the culture on college campuses and provide students with the necessary resources to bring energy and passion to the conservative movement.
Club America is the student mobilization of America's most spirited, anti-woke warriors. With over 1,200 student-led chapters and counting, Club America is the leading youth movement for freedom-loving American values. We empower bold student leaders to promote free thinking, engage in grassroots activism, and bring their beliefs to life-both on and off campus.
Turning Point USA supports the NRA and the use of fossil fuels, and opposes political movements such as Black Lives Matter. Turning Point USA and Turning Point UK promote the Cultural Marxism conspiracy theory and said they are working to "combat it" in universities.
Student Activism and Chapter Development
TPUSA's college program boasts 800+ college chapters nationwide, standing as the largest and most impactful youth movement in the country. The organization empowers bold student leaders to promote free thinking, engage in grassroots activism, and bring their beliefs to life-both on and off campus. The organization supplies an activism kit for local chapters, and provides online resources that include presentations, games, recommended publications, and activity sheets on topics like “Socialism Sus,” “Big gov scares” and “Taxes are shady.” It shares videos on “hot topics” beyond those themes on “dealing with pushback,” “becoming a leader,” “Should children be able to transition?” and “Feminism, Therapy, and Gold Diggers: What’s Happening to American Women?”
Professor Watchlist and School Board Watchlist
Exposing Truth. Advancing Freedom. The mission of Professor Watchlist is to expose and document college professors who discriminate against conservative students and advance leftist propaganda in the classroom. The School Board Watchlist is the first in the conservative movement to actively identify school districts across the country that are abusing their power to push Leftist, racist, and anti-American propaganda.
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The Dean’s List
The Dean’s List is your all-in-one search engine for college prep. Check out our interactive map, scorecards, and debt clock to find the right university for you.
Alternative Broadcast
In 2026, the organization presented the All-American Halftime Show as an alternative broadcast scheduled to coincide with and rebut the Super Bowl LX halftime show headlined by Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny. In February 2026, in light of Kid Rock being the headliner of the halftime show, the lyrics of his song "Cool, Daddy Cool", used in the 2001 film Osmosis Jones, received renewed scrutiny. In "Cool, Daddy Cool", Kid Rock sang: "Young ladies, young ladies, I like 'em underage see, Some say that's statutory (But I say it's mandatory)", with co-lead artist Joe C.
Annual Conferences and Events
Turning Point USA holds several annual national conferences, including the Student Action Summit and the Young Women's Leadership Summit (YWLS). Turning Point USA also hosts the Young Black Leadership Summit and the Young Latino Leadership Summit.
Student Action Summit (SAS)
Student Action Summit (SAS) is one of TPUSA's signature annual events. It focuses on galvanizing conservative ideals and values towards high school/college students from all 50 states through networking, leadership workshops and guest speakers. The 2025 Student Action Summit saw its largest ever turnout with 5,000 attendees at the Tampa convention center with guest speakers Border czar Tom Homan, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump Jr.
AmericaFest
In December 2021, Turning Point USA also launched AmericaFest, a four-day conference that featured conservative speakers such as Donald Trump Jr., and Sarah Palin interspersed with country music acts. Keynote speakers in 2023 included Glenn Beck, Roseanne Barr, Mike Lindell, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Tucker Carlson, and Charlie Kirk. The event was TPUSA's largest conference yet, with 13,000 attendees visiting over the course of the multi-day event. In December 2024, AmericaFest was held in Phoenix, Arizona. In 2025, there were disagreements between Tucker Carlson (and to a lesser extent Nick Fuentes) and Ben Shapiro regarding Israel during the conference. Nicki Minaj was a surprise speaker on the fourth day of Americafest, who was then interviewed on stage by Erika Kirk. Minaj shared comments of support and admiration for president Donald Trump and vice president J.D.
Read also: The Charlie Kirk Controversy
Young Women's Leadership Summit (YWLS)
YWLS focuses to promote women's leadership, encourages women to get married, have children, and become homemakers.
Controversies and Criticisms
Turning Point USA has faced several controversies and criticisms, including accusations of discrimination, questionable financial practices, and the spread of misinformation.
Allegations of Discrimination
Several former employees and student volunteers for Turning Point USA claimed they had witnessed collusion between high-ranking TPUSA employees - including Kirk himself and top advisor Ginni Thomas - and the presidential campaigns of both Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.
In December 2017, The New Yorker published an article by Jane Mayer showcasing interviews with former minority members of TPUSA. Former staff members said they witnessed widespread discrimination against minorities in the group; "the organization was a difficult workplace and rife with tension, some of it racial," The New Yorker said. One former employee, an African-American woman, said she was the only person of color working for the organization at the time she was hired in 2014; she then said that she was fired on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The article also said that Crystal Clanton, a leading figure in the organization who had been the group's national field director for five years, and whom Kirk had praised in his book Time for a Turning Point as "the best hire we ever could have made", had texted to another Turning Point USA employee, "I hate black people. Like fuck them all … I hate blacks. End of story." Kirk responded to the revelations by saying that "TPUSA assessed the situation and took decisive action within 72 hours of being made aware of the issue." Justice Clarence Thomas, who hired Clanton after she left TPUSA, later commented on the incident regarding her text messages, stating, "I know Crystal Clanton and I know bigotry.
Criticism from Conservatives
In the Hillsdale College Collegian, opinions editor Kaylee McGhee wrote an article that referred to TPUSA as a "reactionary cancer" rather than a group supporting real conservatism that is "supposed to preserve the timeless principles of liberty and equality for all".
In June 2018, conservative radio talk show host Joe Walsh resigned from the TPUSA board because Kirk was too closely tied to Donald Trump. Walsh said: "It's so important to not be beholden to politicians, but to be beholden to the issues … When Charlie went to work for Trump, that crossed that line. During October and November 2019, Kirk launched the Culture War college tour of speaking events with appearances from many conservatives such as Donald Trump Jr., Lara Trump and Kimberly Guilfoyle. These events were frequently targeted by homophobic and antisemitic members of the alt-right and far-right who consider TPUSA to be too mainstream and not sufficiently conservative. In November 2019, the Dartmouth Review called TPUSA an organization that promoted Kirk and Trump first, rather than conservative values. The article added "True conservatives must eventually outgrow TPUSA and devote their efforts elsewhere.
Neo-Nazi Protests and The View Controversy
In July 2022, neo-Nazis appeared outside of TPUSA's Student Action Summit in Tampa; they were subsequently not let in. Joy Behar of The View falsely stated that TPUSA invited and embraced neo-Nazi protesters and compared the summit to the Third Reich. The View later issued a retraction, clarifying that "Turning Point USA condemned the Neo-Nazi protesters who had 'nothing to do' with the organization." Host Whoopi Goldberg would later say, "But you let them in, and you knew what they were … My point was metaphorical." Following these comments, TPUSA issued a cease and desist request and a deadline of July 27, asking for The View to apologize.
Young America's Foundation Warning
In May 2018, an internal memo written by Young America's Foundation (YAF) was leaked, in which YAF leadership warned its members to not associate with TPUSA.
COVID-19 Misinformation
In 2021, Kirk compared Biden's vaccination efforts to an "Apartheid-style open air hostage situation", even though co-founder Bill Montgomery had died the previous year from COVID-related health complications. The organization also made misleading claims about the dangers of catching COVID-19. Kirk's spokesperson said they are not anti-vaxx, reiterating that "the vaccine makes logical sense for millions of Americans" but they should "have the freedom to choose".
Financial Matters
In the 2016-17 financial year, Turning Point USA reported US$8.2 million in donations to the IRS, an increase from $4.3 million the previous year. In August 2021, Turning Point USA distributed a "2021 Investor Prospectus" that sought to raise $43 million for its national field program, events, media, productions, special projects, Turning Point Academy, and TPUSA Faith.
Political Activities
Turning Point Action, the campaign arm of Turning Point USA, is a 501(c)(4) organization representing right-wing and conservative perspectives.
Turning Point Academy
In 2021, TPUSA announced Turning Point Academy as an online academy for "families seeking an 'America-first education'".
Partnership with Florida Governor
On October 27, 2025, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced he would be partnering with TPUSA to bring Club America chapters to high schools throughout Florida.
Charlie Kirk's Assassination
On September 10, 2025, Kirk was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University. In the aftermath of his death, TPUSA reported that it had received more than 120,000 inquiries from people who wanted to start chapters on their campuses. Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, became the organization’s CEO on September 18.
Reaction to Kirk's Death
Republican leaders at the state and national levels are propelling Turning Point USA, the conservative advocacy group co-founded by Charlie Kirk, further into K-12 schools following the activist’s assassination earlier this month.
The organization, which is known for its presence on college campuses, says it already has more than 1,000 chapters in high schools across the country and 48 representatives on staff meant to help students organize. Since the 31-year-old’s death, Kirk’s allies have pledged to expand the group’s reach and impact, and the organization has reported a surge in new interest. It received 54,000 inquiries about starting new chapters within days of Kirk’s death, a Turning Point USA spokesperson told CNN last week.
Turning Point USA is also getting an assist from Republican leaders. Department of Education last week announced it was partnering with the organization, along with dozens of other conservative groups, to launch a coalition to produce educational programming for schools and universities in advance of America’s 250th birthday next year. And prior to announcing his resignation Wednesday, Oklahoma’s state education chief vowed this week to put a Turning Point USA chapter into every high school in his state as part of a partnership with the organization.
State Superintendent Ryan Walters-who has pursued a number of conservative causes in public schools, instructing schools to teach the Bible and ordering schools to show a video of him praying for Trump, for example-said it was an effort to “fight back against the liberal propaganda, pushed by the radical left, and the teachers’ unions.”
A news release from the state education department laid out instructions for students on how to start a local chapter.
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