Latest news with #AmericanComebackTour.com
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Who is Charlie Kirk? Conservative firebrand coming to these Florida universities
MAGA star Charlie Kirk is taking his "American Comeback Tour" to universities across Florida. The first stop was at the University of South Florida in Tampa on Thursday. Next up is the University of Florida in Gainesville on Thursday, Feb. 27, and then Florida State University on Friday, Feb. 28. At his campus stops, Kirk, conservative activist, author, radio talk show host and cofounder and chief of the conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA, debates students who challenge him at an open mic. 'America's students are still only given one side of the story, the leftwing side, so we intend to continue balancing the scales and equipping local students to fight for their values,' he said in a statement. 'If you're a progressive, you get to come to the front of the line and make your best argument, and I'll make mine.' In 17 Politico fact-checks over Kirk's statements, 87% were found to be at least "Mostly False" with 17% coming in as "Pants on Fire." Kirk has been a powerful fundraising force in the GOP and is regularly name-dropped by President Donald Trump, who invited him to speak at a viewing event at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. following the inauguration. According to an Arizona Republic story last year, Turning Point "and its allies have become the conservative movement's youth mobilizers-in-chief and, in some states, top enforcers of loyalty to former President Donald Trump. Plus, adds its spokesperson Andrew Kolvet, 'We're fun.' ' In January, Kirk accompanied Donald Trump Jr. on a trip to Greenland after the president had talked about acquiring the Arctic island. Tickets are available at Illinois native Charles James Kirk, 31, cofounded the nonprofit Turning Point USA in 2012 when he was 18. The organization's stated goal is to "build the most organized, active, and powerful conservative grassroots activist network on high school and college campuses across the country." TPUSA claims to be on over 3,500 campuses and has spawned other activist measures, including, among others, an online academy, Turning Point Faith, and Turning Point Action, a political advocacy group that heavily involved itself, without results, in the 2022 cycle in Arizona and other swing states. Among Turning Point USA's first initiatives was creating a professor watchlist, a listing of those it said advanced 'leftist propaganda' or were hostile to conservative students. Turning Point USA had its own turning point in 2016 when it began enthusiastically promoting Trump's 2016 campaign and Kirk served as a personal aide to Donald Trump Jr. Kirk's compensation soared from $27,000 in 2016 to more than $407,000 by 2021, according to the Associated Press, while other Turning Point officials collected large salaries and enjoyed lavish perks. A 2020 ProPublica investigation found irregularities with TPUSA's auditor and how the group is run, and in 2017 The New Yorker exposed racial text messages from the group's former field director. Kirk also hosts "The Charlie Kirk Show" on Salem Media's "The Answer" radio channel. In 2021, it was ranked as the 21st most popular podcast on Apple podcasts. Apple currently lists it as No. 15 for U.S. news podcasts, just above NPR. Kirk has spoken out against the validity of the 2020 election and said he didn't think Black History Month deserved a whole month and that only married heterosexual couples should be able to adopt children. Kirk has called for an immediate end to immigration and abortion, spread misinformation on COVID, suggested that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had issued a 'stand-down order' when Hamas militants attacked in 2023 to justify an assault on Gaza, and does not consider climate change to be a real threat. Kirk and TPUSA focus on removing what he calls critical race theory and DEI, programs. Earlier last year Kirk kicked off more outrage when he focused on DEI in commercial flying, saying, "If I see a Black pilot, I'm going to be like, 'Boy, I hope he's qualified.'" In April, Kirk declared that women in their 30s were past their prime and blamed birth control for making them "angry and bitter." "And birth control like really screws up female brains, by the way," he said, according to "Every single one of you need to make sure that your loved ones are not on birth control." In 2024, AP reported that Kirk owned three properties, including a Spanish-style mansion near Phoenix, Arizona (although he put it up for sale), a nearby apartment and a two-bedroom, two-bath beachside condo on Longboat Key on the Gulf Coast of Florida he bought for $855,000, according to property records. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA CEO, speaking at Florida universities
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Don't call it a 'comeback': Charlie Kirk returning to Florida State University
The conservative firebrand that progressives love to hate is coming to Tallahassee. MAGA star Charlie Kirk is bringing his "American Comeback Tour" to the campus of Florida State University on Friday, Feb. 28, according to a recent Facebook post. Fans were ecstatic in the comments. "Awesome love to see you coming to my hometown! Will be there with full support," said one person. Another wrote: "Wish I could be there! I work at FSU and believe me, this school needs you there!!" Kirk is the founder of Turning Point USA, which promotes conservative values and aims to energize younger voters, especially on college campuses. His speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention helped introduce him to a national audience. Kirk will "debate conventional narratives promoted by leftist academia," the group's website says. "In the spirit of open inquiry, debate, and free speech, the tour will provide students of all viewpoints the opportunity to discuss important subjects ...." Kirk travels to campuses and records debates with various students who challenge him at an open mic. He last visited FSU in May 2023 as part of his "Live Free" Tour. 'America's students are still only given one side of the story, the leftwing side, so we intend to continue balancing the scales and equipping local students to fight for their values,' he said in a statement. 'If you're a progressive, you get to come to the front of the line and make your best argument, and I'll make mine.' According to a USA TODAY story last year, Turning Point "and its allies have become the conservative movement's youth mobilizers-in-chief and, in some states, top enforcers of loyalty to former President Donald Trump. Plus, adds its spokesperson Andrew Kolvet, 'We're fun.' ' Tickets are available at From USA TODAY: Trailing MAGA acolytes and enemies, Turning Point ascendant in national GOP politics This story contains previously published material. Jim Rosica is a member of the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jrosica@ Follow him on X: @JimRosicaFL. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Conservative icon Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA coming to FSU
