Charlie Kirk, creator and executive producer of Turning Point USA, and Lara Trump, co- head of the Republican National Committee, speak at Turning Point Action’s” Women’s Protocol” on June 14, 2024. Adam Dewey/NurPhoto via AP
Turning Point USA, which casts itself as a liberal democratic youth movement, appears to be aging. TPUSA was established in 2012 by Charlie Kirk, who was then 18 and quickly gained the support of wealthy Republican megadonors who had been trying to reclaim young citizens who had largely been supporting Democrats. The party has since become a mainstay on college campuses, where it decries” withdraw society” and warns individuals of encroaching communism, and has been a key player in Trump world.
In 2019, Kirk started a nonprofit political action committee ( PAC ), Turning Point Action, to gain more sway in elections. This trip, the party is hosting a” People’s Protocol” in Detroit, with the regular fireworks, klieg lights and rock- music treatment for an all- star MAGA lineup that includes Donald Trump Jr., Lara Trump, and Donald Trump himself.
It would be difficult to define this as a junior motion if not from the first two weeks of the event. I sat in a breakout session on Saturday night with Scott Presler, a campaigner who supports voter registration. There were about 50 or 60 people in the room, almost all properly over 40. The second questioner when Presler opened the surface for a Q&A said he was 77 years old.
Waiting in line after to speak to Presler, I met Steve, a documented Democrat from Philly, who said he then felt more at home in MAGA world. When I inquired about the time gap, he suggested that Turning Point Action events be held for a wider audience than the typical school confabs. Steve is 74, so he should understand. He is more in line with some of the Women’s Convention’s biggest actors than Kirk is. Also on the speech portfolio: past Trump HUD director Ben Carson, 72, Trump assistant Roger Stone, 71, Steve Bannon, 70—and Trump, of course, only turned 78.
The Association of Mature American Citizens, a conservative alternative to the senior citizen superpower AARP, provides further evidence of the meeting statistical by the exhibit hall entry.
In front of cozy chairs, duplicates of the team’s publication were spread out on a coffee table. Riley Gaines, a young swimmer and anti-trans activist, was portrayed on the February include as” Person of the Year.” But in, I found advertisements for hearing aids, mobility scooter, and” an alternative to adult babies for people”.
I’ve come to expect an older audience at traditional meetings. Next week I attended Michael Flynn’s ReAwaken America party, even near Detroit, and that group was also grayer. However, right-wing donors favor Turning Point Action in particular because they believe it may appeal to young voters, and because Kirk, now 30, and his young enthusiasm for” Big Government Sucks” cartoons will undoubtedly help Donald Trump win reelection.
Its actual record in getting candidates elected, especially in its home state of Arizona, is n’t exactly stellar. Kari Lake, who lost a charge for governor in 2022 and is now running for Senate with the organization’s support, is one of the individuals Turning Point Action has lost.
The PAC has pledged to raise and spend more than$ 100 million this year, and the majority of its convention’s efforts are focused on efforts to encourage more grassroots activism among its foot soldiers. In order to reach out to “low disposition voters” and send them to Trump, it is hiring full-time staffers at the meeting to operate in bounce states like Arizona and Wisconsin.
Black conservative influencer Brandon Tatum, a former cop who also goes by” The Officer Tatum,” told convention attendees on Saturday afternoon,” They cannot beat us if we turn out the vote.” Turner, at least, is 37.
