Turning Point USA Holds First College Event Since Charlie Kirk Assassination

Nonprofit conservative organization Turning Point USA (TPUSA) has held its first campus event since the Sept. 10 assassination of founder Charlie Kirk.

The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities hosted the event on Sept. 22, which was scheduled before Kirk’s death, and held one day after his memorial service at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. 

“This event was originally supposed to be a conversation between me and Charlie,” said conservative commentator Michael Knowles, who hosted the Monday event – which featured an empty chair on the stage for Kirk, draped with a white T-shirt with the word “freedom” on it – the shirt Kirk was wearing when he was killed. 

According to TPUSA college enterprise director Chris Gaffrey, the event opened with “the entire crowd standing together, hand over heart, singing God Bless the USA.”

“It was powerful. It was patriotic. It was a reminder that this movement is alive and stronger than ever. These people LOVE Charlie Kirk,” he wrote. 

🚨 This is The Turning Point Tour kicks off tonight at @UMNews, the first since Charlie Kirk’s assassination and it began with the entire crowd standing together, hand over heart, singing God Bless the USA. 🇺🇸

It was powerful. It was patriotic. It was a reminder that this… pic.twitter.com/jRxp0HnoFJ

— Chris Gaffrey (@politicalcmrg) September 23, 2025

As the Epoch Times notes further, all attendees were required to go through a security screening with metal detectors, according to the university’s event website. Water bottles, signs, banners, and other displayable items were prohibited inside the auditorium.

The tour’s next scheduled stop is on Sept. 24 at Virginia Tech, featuring journalist Megyn Kelly and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, according to a Turning Point USA social media post.

The tour will then continue at Utah State University on Sept. 30, featuring podcaster Alex Clark, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), former Congressman Jason Chaffetz, and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox.

Kirk was shot and killed during a tour stop at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. Authorities later arrested 22-year-old Tyler Robinson as the suspected gunman.

During the memorial service honoring Kirk on Sept. 21, which drew tens of thousands of people, Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, said in her speech that she forgave the suspected gunman.

“That young man, I forgive him. I forgive him because it was what Christ did, and it is what Charlie would do. The answer to hate is not hate,” she said. “The answer we know from the gospel is love and always love. Love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.”

Erika Kirk has vowed to carry on her husband’s legacy. She was appointed CEO and board chair of Turning Point USA on Sept. 18 following Kirk’s death.