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Turning Point USA

Abbreviation	TPUSA
Formation	June 5, 2012; 13 years ago (2012-06-05)
Type	Nonprofit organization
Purpose	Advocacy of conservatism on education campuses
Headquarters	4940 East Beverly Road Phoenix, Arizona 85044
Region served	United States
Leader	Charlie Kirk
Revenue (2022)	US$55 million

Turning Point USA (TPUSA) is an American nonprofit organization. It works to share conservative ideas on high school and college campuses. Charlie Kirk and Bill Montgomery started TPUSA in 2012.

TPUSA has groups like Turning Point Endowment, Turning Point Action, and TPUSA Faith. Many people say it's the fastest-growing group for campus chapters in America. It's a major force in spreading conservative ideas at schools.

In 2016, TPUSA launched Professor Watchlist. This website lists teachers who they believe are unfair to conservative students. TPUSA has also tried to influence student government elections. They want to challenge liberal ideas on college campuses. In 2021, they started the School Board Watchlist. This site shares names and photos of school board members. It focuses on those who supported mask rules or anti-racist lessons.

TPUSA holds several big events each year. These include the Student Action Summit and the Young Women's Leadership Summit. The group gets money from conservative supporters and foundations.

How Turning Point USA Started

Donald Trump speaks at the 2019 Student Action Summit

In May 2012, Charlie Kirk, who was 18, gave a speech at Benedictine University. Bill Montgomery, a retired business owner, was impressed. He told Kirk to put off college and work full-time on political activism. A month later, after Kirk finished high school, they started Turning Point USA. It was set up as a nonprofit group. Montgomery helped Kirk with the paperwork and guided him.

At the 2012 Republican National Convention, Kirk met Foster Friess, a Republican donor. He convinced Friess to help fund the organization. Friess also joined the group's advisory council. Ginni Thomas, whose husband is a U.S. Supreme Court Justice, also served on the council.

Between 2016 and 2017, the group raised over $8.2 million. Records from that time showed the group sent money to student governments. This was to help elect conservative students. Some donors included Bernard Marcus (co-founder of The Home Depot), Bruce Rauner, and Richard Uihlein.

In March 2023, Charlie Kirk and Candace Owens announced a partnership. Owens' BLEXIT Foundation joined with TPUSA. BLEXIT would use TPUSA's style and structure. Candace Owens and Brandon Tatum would stay in leadership roles.

Key People at TPUSA

Charlie Kirk's Role

Kirk speaking at Culture War Tour, October 22, 2019

Charlie Kirk is a well-known Republican activist. In 2015, he spoke about applying to the United States Military Academy. He said he wasn't accepted, and that someone "less-qualified" got his spot. Later, he said he was being sarcastic.

Kirk spoke at the 2016 Republican National Convention. He said he would vote for Donald Trump, even though he wasn't his biggest fan. He also helped Donald Trump Jr. during the 2016 presidential campaign.

In October 2016, Kirk took part in a Fox News event. It had a pro-Donald Trump message. A TPUSA staff member said students who attended would have their costs covered.

In 2019, Kirk became the CEO of Students for Trump. In 2020, he was a main speaker at the Republican National Convention. He called President Donald Trump the "bodyguard of western civilization."

Bill Montgomery's Contribution

Bill Montgomery (1940–2020) was a marketing expert. He was also part of the Tea Party movement. He started Turning Point USA with Charlie Kirk in 2012. He was the group's secretary and treasurer until April 2020.

Montgomery passed away in July 2020 due to health issues from COVID-19.

Tyler Bowyer's Leadership

Tyler Bowyer became TPUSA's chief operating officer (COO) in 2017. He graduated from Arizona State University in 2012. Before joining TPUSA in 2015, he led the Republican Party in Maricopa County, Arizona. Bowyer also oversaw Students for Trump.

Other Important Figures

In 2019, Turning Point USA hired Benny Johnson as chief creative officer. In May 2019, Kyle Kashuv, a director for high school outreach, resigned. This happened after old comments he made using offensive language became public. In 2021, political activist Jack Posobiec joined TPUSA. He hosts the show Human Events Daily.

TPUSA's Activities

TPUSA states its goal is to "identify, educate, train, and organize students." They aim to promote freedom, free markets, and limited government. By late 2017, the group claimed to be active on 1,000 campuses. However, one journalist could only confirm 400 official chapters in 2018.

TPUSA supports the NRA and using fossil fuels. They are against groups like Black Lives Matter. TPUSA also works to fight what they call "Cultural Marxism" in universities. Kirk has described universities as "islands of totalitarianism."

Yearly Events and Summits

Turning Point USA hosts several national conferences each year. These include the Student Action Summit and the Young Women's Leadership Summit (YWLS). YWLS aims to encourage women's leadership. It also promotes women getting married, having children, and becoming homemakers. The National Rifle Association (NRA) was a main sponsor of YWLS in 2017 and 2018.

TPUSA also hosts the Young Black Leadership Summit and the Young Latino Leadership Summit. They provide housing and some meals for attendees. In December 2021, Turning Point USA launched AmericaFest. This is a four-day conference with conservative speakers and country music.

Professor Watchlist Website

Turning Point USA runs a website called Professor Watchlist, launched in 2016. Kirk said the site aims to "document and expose college professors." These are professors who they believe are unfair to conservative students or spread "leftist propaganda." By December 2016, over 250 professors were on the site.

Some reports say the list has many mistakes. It includes professors for things they didn't say or do. Critics have compared Professor Watchlist to actions by U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s. He tried to identify Americans as Communists. The New York Times called it "a threat to academic freedom."

In May 2017, a professor named Luis Fernandez said TPUSA's watching him led to threats. Professor Danielle Allen from Harvard University also said she was threatened after being targeted by Charlie Kirk.

School Board Watchlist Website

In 2021, TPUSA launched the School Board Watchlist. Kirk said this site would "hold district leaders accountable for 'dangerous agendas'." The website shares names and photos of school board members. It focuses on those who supported mask rules, vaccine rules, or certain ways of teaching history, race, and gender.

Involvement in Student Elections

Turning Point USA has been involved in student government elections. They have targeted schools like Ohio State University and the University of Maryland. At the University of Maryland, conservative candidates withdrew from elections. This happened after they didn't report help from Turning Point USA.

A private brochure for TPUSA donors showed a plan. It aimed to win most student government positions at many major schools. The goal was to stop progressive groups and promote "American Exceptionalism." TPUSA said it helped over 50 conservatives win student-body president elections. However, some reports found this success rate was much lower. Some students TPUSA claimed to support said they never spoke to anyone from the group.

Campus Activism and Events

In 2016, Turning Point USA students at Grand Valley State University sued the school. They wanted to stop a policy about "Speech Zones." They later settled the case.

In September 2017, a lecturer at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln was moved. This happened after a video showed her confronting a student recruiting for TPUSA.

In October 2017, TPUSA students at Kent State University protested "safe space" culture. They dressed up in diapers. After being widely mocked online, the chapter president resigned. The student newspaper reported the chapter had disbanded.

In April 2023, a TPUSA student group hosted an event at San Francisco State University. It featured former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines. She spoke about keeping trans women out of women's sports. After her speech, protestors met her. Campus police had to escort her to a room for several hours.

Recognizing Campus Chapters

At Drake University, TPUSA was denied official student group status in 2016. Students worried about the group's "hateful record" and "aggressive marketing." At Hagerstown Community College, a student's attempt to start a TPUSA group was first blocked. The school said it was too similar to an existing group. A lawsuit led the school to change its policy.

In February 2017, Santa Clara University's student government denied TPUSA recognition. But in March 2017, this decision was overturned. TPUSA became a registered student group. Wartburg College's student senate also denied TPUSA recognition in late 2017. The chapter had to change its rules to get approved.

The student union at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute also voted to deny TPUSA official status in January 2018. In 2021, Wichita State University's student court overturned a decision. The student senate had denied a TPUSA chapter recognition. The court said the denial was against the rules.

TPUSA in the Media

In October 2020, Charlie Kirk started hosting a daily radio talk show. It airs on Salem Media's "The Answer" channel.

Turning Point USA's online audience grew a lot in 2020. Their social media accounts had over 10 million followers. In September 2021, TPUSA launched "Turning Point Live." This is a three-hour streaming talk show.

In 2021, the TPUSA Productions film A Long Walk in Socialism won an Emmy Award. In 2022, Turning Point USA and Salem Media Group released "Border Battle." This was a series about America's southern border.

Involvement in Elections

2016 Presidential Election

Some former employees and student volunteers claimed they saw TPUSA employees working with political campaigns. This included Charlie Kirk and Ginni Thomas. They said Kirk coordinated with a pro-Cruz group to send student volunteers. They also claimed students were asked to hand out Cruz signs. One former employee said TPUSA gave student information to a Rubio campaign worker.

A TPUSA staff member wrote that students who attended an event would have their costs covered. Some experts said this might go against the group's tax-exempt status. TPUSA disagreed with this.

2020 Presidential Election

In September 2020, The Washington Post reported on Turning Point Action. It said the group paid young people, some under 18, in Arizona. They were paid to create many social media posts with TPUSA content. They used their own accounts and fake ones. They did not say they were connected to TPUSA.

In September 2020, Facebook removed many accounts and pages linked to TPUSA's marketing agency. The agency had paid teenagers to post pro-Trump and anti-Biden content. In October 2020, Facebook banned the agency permanently. Twitter also suspended many accounts. Neither company punished TPUSA directly. They said they couldn't tell if TPUSA leaders knew about the rule breaking.

Turning Point USA hosted rallies for Trump's reelection. Some featured Trump himself.

January 6, 2021, Rally

After the 2020 election, Kirk questioned the results. On January 4, 2021, Kirk tweeted that Turning Point Action would send over 80 buses to a rally. This rally was on January 6, 2021, near the White House. It was to protest the election outcome. They sent seven buses with about 350 people. Turning Point Action also gave money to some rally speakers. The rally ended in a riot and an attack at the U.S. Capitol. Kirk later deleted his tweet. He said on his podcast that entering the Capitol was "bad judgment" but not an "insurrection." A TPUSA spokesperson later said the group is against political violence.

Turning Point Organizations

Turning Point Action

Turning Point Action is a separate group that shares right-wing and conservative views. While it says it's "completely separate" from Turning Point USA, both were started by Charlie Kirk. They also use similar marketing styles. Kirk has received money from both groups. Donors to Turning Point Action received stickers with TPUSA's website.

In May 2019, it was reported that Kirk was getting ready to launch Turning Point Action. This group is allowed to target Democrats. During the 2020 presidential election, Turning Point Action paid teenagers to create social media posts. They did not say they were connected to the organization.

TPUSA Faith

In 2021, Charlie Kirk started TPUSA Faith. This group aims to get pastors and church leaders involved in political issues. It promotes a "culture war" message. It wants to attract religious conservatives. Its activities include voter drives and teaching members about TPUSA's main ideas.

Turning Point Endowment

Turning Point Endowment Inc. is a group that supports Turning Point USA. Its goal is to help TPUSA's charitable work and long-term health.

Turning Point Academy

In 2021, TPUSA announced Turning Point Academy. This is an online school for families who want an "America-first education." Plans to create lessons with a company called StrongMind were stopped. This happened when StrongMind's partner found out the client was TPUSA.

International Groups

In 2017, a group called Turning Point Canada started in Canada. In 2019, Turning Point UK was set up in the United Kingdom.