Turning Point USA (TPUSA) returned to Utah on Sept. 30 for a tour stop at the Utah State University (USU), marking its first event in the state since the assassination of founder Charlie Kirk.
Kirk, the conservative commentator who founded the nonprofit TPUSA, was shot and killed on Sept. 10 while speaking to a crowd of students at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
TPUSA, now led by Kirk’s widow, Erika, has since vowed to continue its college campus tours, with its most recent stop being at USU.
“Each stop is a chance to honor Charlie’s mission and keep the fight alive. We know he wouldn’t want us to surrender or be coerced into silence,” the nonprofit stated on its website.
The USU event featured conservative podcaster Alex Clark and a panel with Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), former Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox.
TPUSA posted a video on social media showing the “massive turnout” of attendees at the event.
In another video, the crowd can be heard chanting the name “Charlie” while holding posters that read, “In honor of Charlie Kirk” and “I am Charlie Kirk.”
In her address, Clark described the event as “the biggest crowd Turning Point USA has ever pulled on a tour,” with more than 6,500 people participating.
“If you are expecting a funeral, if you came to mourn the death of America, the death of masculinity and femininity, of faith, of truth, then you are at the wrong event. It is not over; it is not even close,” she said. “I’m not here to eulogize Charlie Kirk. I am here to pass the torch on to every single one of you.”
Lee made a virtual appearance at the event as he was required in Washington for a floor vote on a funding bill.
Just hours before the event, USU temporarily evacuated a campus building after a “suspicious device” was found and detonated by the bomb squad, according to the university.
The device was located outside of the university’s Old Main building at around 2:45 p.m. local time on Sept. 30, prompting a response from both university and local law enforcement.
“Officers located the device and deemed it to be non-explosive. Out of an abundance of caution, the bomb squad detonated the device,” USU said in a statement.
The university issued an all-clear at around 3.45 p.m. local time, allowing all events to resume “as normal.” The incident remains under investigation, and USU believes it is not related to the TPUSA event.
“The situation is under investigation, and we expect to provide more information in the coming days. At this time, we do not believe it was an intentional threat or related to the TPUSA event,” it stated.
USU had heightened campus security ahead of the event. On Sept. 17, the university announced several safety precautions for the TPUSA event, including requiring event participants to go through security screening with a metal detector and enforcing a no reentry rule.
The university also said that it was coordinating with local, state, and federal partners to ensure safety.
Authorities have arrested Tyler Robinson, 22, as the suspect in Kirk’s assassination. He faces multiple charges, including aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, witness tampering, and committing a violent offense in the presence of a child.
