At the recent AmericaFest in Phoenix, Arizona, Emma Martin and Sofia Gatti – both Turning Point USA (TPUSA) chapter presidents – spoke with Fox News' Kayleigh McEnany about how their campuses have been affected by Charlie Kirk and the conservative organization that he founded.
At Montclair University in New Jersey, Gatti said her chapter submitted the form to get started in April and was having trouble finding people to join because of the pushback and the backlash associated with the organization.
Kirk was assassinated shortly after the chapter registered, and its first event was his vigil. Gatti said interest in her liberal campus' Turning Point chapter exploded after Kirk's death.
"People are talking on campus more, and I feel like it's less taboo that we have a chapter on campus," she told Fox News.
At Millersville University in Pennsylvania, Emma Martin said when she and a few others saw Kirk get assassinated, they realized they needed to do something to "be a light" on their "very liberal campus."
"Before that, nobody was really talking, especially the conservatives," Martin accounted.
She said they faced "a ton" of pushback at first, especially from staff and students.
"People were just not kind," Martin reported.
But once the chapter got approved and started, it gained "a lot of traction" among conservatives.
"It's really exciting to see that people are ready and they're excited to put themselves in a position to be challenged and to challenge others and have conversation," Martin told McEnany.
Gatti added that Charlie Kirk inspired her to dive deeper into her faith instead of "hookup culture and all the worldly things" society has to offer, and TPUSA has helped her realize she is not alone in that.
"Society tells us one thing, and we're really meant for more," Gatti stated. "It's hard because it feels like wanting traditional values and following Christ is taboo."
"For so long, we've been told it's embarrassing to stay home with your kids and to not pursue the career, but now, I think we're really seeing a shift," Martin continued. "Women are saying no, it's OK to be provided for and to biblically be a woman and be called what God says that we're called to, and so I think we're really feeling encouraged; I can preach the gospel, and I do have a voice, and I can be a light on my campus, or … around the world and in the culture right now."
They agreed that Charlie Kirk helped young women find their voice and a biblical perspective.
The 2024 conference, the last one attended by Kirk, drew a crowd of nearly 20,000 people over the four-day event. Approximately 30,000–31,000 people attended AmericaFest 2025.
