More than 2,000 people filled an auditorium at the University of Minnesota for the first Turning Point USA event following Charlie Kirk’s assassination, MPR News reported.
The “This is the Turning Point” tour, which comes after Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, was hosted by conservative commentator and author Michael Knowles.
“Charlie accomplished more in his 31 years than most people could accomplish in many lifetimes,” Knowles said in his opening remarks. “His most public accomplishments were political. His most important were religious. He wanted to be remembered for his faith.”
Knowles later answered questions from the audience on topics including women’s suffrage and media bias, MPR News reported. Turning Point USA shared a video on X showing attendees chanting “Charlie! Charlie!”
The station noted that students began lining up for the Northrop Auditorium an hour and a half before doors opened.
“Charlie was an inspiration for me to speak out and be confident in what I believe in. He started Turning Point USA when he was 18 years old,” Keane Pfeifer, a high school senior taking classes at the University of Minnesota, told MPR News outside the event.
“It has shown that youth can make a difference … if we come together and work together,” Pfeifer added.
Around 50 demonstrators gathered near the auditorium, holding signs with messages including “Say No to Hate,” according to MPR News.
“Although we do not condone in any way the actions that led to his death, we also do not condone the things he said in life,” protester Trey Brumley said.
“The American Comeback Tour” began on Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University, where Kirk was shot by alleged assassin Tyler Robinson. The tour’s second stop was last Thursday at Colorado State University, where a vigil was held instead.
The renamed tour’s next stop is Wednesday night at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. On the tour’s official website , Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is listed among the speakers.
