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Turning Point USA (TPUSA) drew thousands in Bozeman, Montana, on Tuesday night as part of its “This is the Turning Point” tour honoring Charlie Kirk.
The event, hosted at Montana State University, featured Montana Gov. Greg Giantforte and Vivek Ramaswamy, who answered a series of questions from the crowd in typical Kirk fashion. Gianforte also led the arena in prayer before launching into his speech.
Ramaswamy passionately defended freedom of speech during his time on stage as well, declaring that debate without censorship should be available to everyone, “from Nick Fuentes to Alex Jones to Jimmy Kimmel.”
“It means that words are not violence, that violence is violence,” Ramaswamy said. “And violence is never an acceptable response to words. It’s not just about our constitutional principles. That’s America. That’s who we are.”
Gianforte hailed Kirk for being self-educated, noting that the conservative activist was not a college graduate.
“He disciplined himself to learn economics, history, philosophy, theology. He read what the great minds had written. He studied the Bible, and then he challenged what he learned against the thoughts of others who disagreed with him in respectful debate,” Gianforte said.
TPUSA launched its “This is the Turning Point” tour in the days after Kirk’s assassination. So far, the tour has visited Utah, Montana and other states.
Despite his young age, Kirk had become a giant in the conservative movement and was a key facet of President Donald Trump’s 2024 election victory. He founded Turning Point USA in 2012 as an 18-year-old with encouragement from Tea Party activist Bill Montgomery.
TPUSA has seen a massive surge in popularity in the weeks following Kirk’s death. The organization said it received 120,000 inquiries from people wanting to start new campus chapters in just four days after the Sept. 10 assassination.
Currently, TPUSA operates 900 official college chapters and approximately 1,200 high school chapters.
Kirk’s memorial service at State Farm Stadium in Arizona was headlined by political heavyweights, religious leaders and conservative media figures.
Trump credited Kirk for galvanizing young Republican voters, helping him secure the presidency in 2024.
Fox News’ Rachel Del Guidice contributed to this report.
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