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{{Move|Turning Point USA}}

{{Move|Turning Point USA}}

'''Turning Point USA''' ('''TPUSA''') is an [[American]] [[right-wing]] [[nonprofit organization]]  founded by [[Charlie Kirk]] that advocates for limited government, free market, and support for [[capitalism]] and the [[Republican Party]]<ref name="threat">{{Citation|last=Mele|first=Christopher|title=Professor Watchlist Is Seen as Threat to Academic Freedom|date=November 28, 2016|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/28/us/professor-watchlist-is-seen-as-threat-to-academic-freedom.html|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref name=spec>{{Cite web|url=http://columbiaspectator.com/news/2016/11/30/columbia-professor-targeted-watchlist-published-conservative-group|title=Columbia professor targeted on 'watchlist' published by conservative group - Columbia Daily Spectator|website=Columbiaspectator.com|access-date=September 6, 2017}}</ref>. They work closely with [[PragerU]].

'''Turning Point USA''' ('''TPUSA''') is an [[American]] [[right-wing]] [[nonprofit organization]]  founded by [[Charlie Kirk]] that advocates for limited government, [[free market]] [[capitalism]] and the [[Republican Party]]<ref name="threat">{{Citation|last=Mele|first=Christopher|title=Professor Watchlist Is Seen as Threat to Academic Freedom|date=November 28, 2016|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/28/us/professor-watchlist-is-seen-as-threat-to-academic-freedom.html|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref name=spec>{{Cite web|url=http://columbiaspectator.com/news/2016/11/30/columbia-professor-targeted-watchlist-published-conservative-group|title=Columbia professor targeted on 'watchlist' published by conservative group - Columbia Daily Spectator|website=Columbiaspectator.com|access-date=September 6, 2017}}</ref>. They work closely with [[PragerU]].

TPUSA relies on funds from many big donors, including the [[Koch Brothers]]<ref>https://www.prwatch.org/news/2020/04/13557/koch-foundation-criticizes-turning-point-usa-even-koch-network-funds-group</ref><ref>https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Turning_Point_USA</ref>.

TPUSA relies on funds from many big donors, including the [[Koch Brothers]]<ref>https://www.prwatch.org/news/2020/04/13557/koch-foundation-criticizes-turning-point-usa-even-koch-network-funds-group</ref><ref>https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Turning_Point_USA</ref>. They claim to advocate for conservative values, yet their conservatism is lukewarm at best, despite what Charlie Kirk may say. They platform [[homosexuals]] and [[sexual immorality|sexually degenerate women]], as well as hosting [[drag queen]] performances at their events. On top of that, they were recently heard telling their employees to avoid discussing controversial social issues, and to instead focus solely on agreeable [[fiscal policy]].

Former employees of the organization have accused it of engaging in [[racist]] practices, as well as potentially illegal involvement in the [[2016 presidential election]].

Former employees of the organization have accused it of engaging in [[racist]] practices, as well as potentially illegal involvement in the [[2016 presidential election]].

==Formation and activities==

==Formation and activities==

Charlie Kirk founded Turning Point USA in 2012, when he was 18 years old. At the [[2012 Republican National Convention]], Kirk met [[Foster Friess]], a prominent Republican donor, and persuaded him to finance the organization.<ref name="bloomberg">{{cite news|title=This Boy Wonder Is Building the Conservative MoveOn.org in an Illinois Garage|url=http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20150507/NEWS02/150509859/this-boy-wonder-is-building-a-conservative-moveon-org-in-a-lemont-garage|agency=Bloomberg News|date=May 7, 2015}}</ref><ref name="atlantic" /> Friess also serves on the organization's advisory council, alongside [[Ginni Thomas]], wife of [[US Supreme Court]] Justice [[Clarence Thomas]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://tpusa.com/aboutus/advisory-council/|title=Advisory Council - Turning Point USA|website=Tpusa.com|language=en|access-date=September 6, 2017}}</ref>

Charlie Kirk founded Turning Point USA in 2012, when he was 18 years old. At the 2012 [[Republican National Convention]], Kirk met [[Foster Friess]], a prominent Republican donor, and persuaded him to finance the organization.<ref name="bloomberg">{{cite news|title=This Boy Wonder Is Building the Conservative MoveOn.org in an Illinois Garage|url=http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20150507/NEWS02/150509859/this-boy-wonder-is-building-a-conservative-moveon-org-in-a-lemont-garage|agency=Bloomberg News|date=May 7, 2015}}</ref><ref name="atlantic" /> Friess also serves on the organization's advisory council, alongside [[Ginni Thomas]], wife of [[US Supreme Court]] Justice [[Clarence Thomas]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://tpusa.com/aboutus/advisory-council/|title=Advisory Council - Turning Point USA|website=Tpusa.com|language=en|access-date=September 6, 2017}}</ref>

Turning Point holds several annual national conferences, including the Young Women's Leadership Summit (YWLS)<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/17/us/politics/women-conservative-trump.html|title=At Conservative Women's Conference, a Safe Space for Trumpism|last=Herndon|first=Astead W.|access-date=June 17, 2018|language=en}}</ref> and the Young Latino Leadership Summit.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tpusa.com/young-latino-leadership-summit/|title=Young Latino Leadership Summit|publisher=Turning Point USA}}</ref> The [[National Rifle Association]] was the headline sponsor of the YWLS in 2017 and 2018.<ref name=":2" /> According to ''The New York Times'', YWLS "styles itself as an alternative to a liberal culture of feminism that many Republicans characterize as oppressive" and had by 2018 "evolved into an ultra-Trumpian event complete with '[[Lock Her Up|lock her up]]' chants and vulgar T-shirts disparaging Hillary Clinton."<ref name=":2" /> Candace Owens, who days prior to the 2018 conference stirred controversy by saying "the entire premise of #[[Me Too movement|metoo]] is that women are stupid, weak, and inconsequential", was greeted with a standing ovation at the conference.<ref name=":2" />

Turning Point holds several annual national conferences, including the Young Women's Leadership Summit (YWLS)<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/17/us/politics/women-conservative-trump.html|title=At Conservative Women's Conference, a Safe Space for Trumpism|last=Herndon|first=Astead W.|access-date=June 17, 2018|language=en}}</ref> and the Young Latino Leadership Summit.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tpusa.com/young-latino-leadership-summit/|title=Young Latino Leadership Summit|publisher=Turning Point USA}}</ref> The [[National Rifle Association]] was the headline sponsor of the YWLS in 2017 and 2018.<ref name=":2" /> According to ''The New York Times'', YWLS "styles itself as an alternative to a liberal culture of feminism that many Republicans characterize as oppressive" and had by 2018 "evolved into an ultra-Trumpian event complete with '[[Lock Her Up|lock her up]]' chants and vulgar T-shirts disparaging Hillary Clinton."<ref name=":2" /> Candace Owens, who days prior to the 2018 conference stirred controversy by saying "the entire premise of #[[Me Too movement|metoo]] is that women are stupid, weak, and inconsequential", was greeted with a standing ovation at the conference.<ref name=":2" />

Turning Point UK's chairman is George Farmer<ref name="guardian-walker"/><ref name="independent-dearden"/> (fiance of Candace Owens)<ref name="thinkprogress"/> and it employs several staff.<ref name="cherwell-merwe"/>

Turning Point UK's chairman is George Farmer<ref name="guardian-walker"/><ref name="independent-dearden"/> (fiance of Candace Owens)<ref name="thinkprogress"/> and it employs several staff.<ref name="cherwell-merwe"/>

The organisation claims it has chapters at the universities of [[University of Sussex|Sussex]], [[University of Oxford|Oxford]], [[University of St Andrews|St Andrews]], [[York University|York]], [[University of Warwick|Warwick]], [[University of Nottingham|Nottingham]], [[King's College London]], [[University College London]], the [[London School of Economics]] and the [[University of the Arts London]].<ref name="cherwell-merwe" /> Like Turning Point USA, it does not disclose the identities of its donors.<ref name="cherwell-merwe" />

The organization claims it has chapters at the universities of [[University of Sussex|Sussex]], [[University of Oxford|Oxford]], [[University of St Andrews|St Andrews]], [[York University|York]], [[University of Warwick|Warwick]], [[University of Nottingham|Nottingham]], [[King's College London]], [[University College London]], the [[London School of Economics]] and the [[University of the Arts London]].<ref name="cherwell-merwe" /> Like Turning Point USA, it does not disclose the identities of its donors.<ref name="cherwell-merwe" />

The group was launched in December 2018<ref name="cherwell-merwe"/> by Kirk and Owens<ref name="thinkprogress" /><ref name="dailydot">{{cite web|accessdate=5 February 2019|title=Turning Point's UK launch beset by memes|url=https://www.dailydot.com/layer8/turning-point-uk-memes/|date=4 February 2019|website=[[The Daily Dot]]}}</ref> at the [[Royal Automobile Club]] in London.<ref name="cherwell-merwe" /> Among those attending the event were [[Andy Wigmore]], [[Paul Joseph Watson]] and [[James Delingpole]].<ref name="cherwell-merwe" /><ref name="independent-dearden" /> On the day of its social media launch in February 2019, MPs including [[Jacob Rees-Mogg]] and [[Priti Patel]] tweeted supportive messages for the organisation,<ref name="guardian-walker" /><ref name="independent-dearden" /> while it was marked for criticism by left-wing British newspapers and their supporters<ref name="independent-dearden"/><ref name=thinkprogress>{{cite web|last=Barnes|first=Luke|title=''Turning Point USA launches British chapter to rocky reception''|url=https://thinkprogress.org/pro-trump-student-group-turning-point-usa-is-branching-out-to-the-uk-5d6abe71384c/|date=4 February 2019|work=[[ThinkProgress]]|accessdate=5 February 2019}}</ref> and the launch of its Twitter account was sabotaged by multiple parody accounts, including a few created by a ‘left-leaning student’ calling himself ‘Skeptical Seventh’.<ref name="dailydot" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.indy100.com/article/turning-point-uk-right-wing-conservative-twitter-charlie-kirk-8762621|work=The Independent|title=Turning Point's UK Twitter launch has gotten off to an exceedingly bad start|first=Lowenna|last=Waters|date=5 February 2019|accessdate=6 February 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Gian|last=Volpicelli|title=How an army of farcical fakes ruined Turning Point UK's big day|url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/how-an-army-of-fakes-took-on-rightwing-organisation-turning-point-uk|work=[[Wired UK]]|date=6 February 2019|access-date=7 February 2019|issn=1357-0978|via=www.wired.co.uk}}</ref> There was also a protest from the charity [[Turning Point (charity)|Turning Point]] over potential confusion caused by similarities between the two names.<ref>{{cite news |title=The battle over Britain's newest student movement |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-47159137 |accessdate=9 February 2019 |work=BBC News |date=9 February 2019}}</ref>

The group was launched in December 2018<ref name="cherwell-merwe"/> by Kirk and Owens<ref name="thinkprogress" /><ref name="dailydot">{{cite web|accessdate=5 February 2019|title=Turning Point's UK launch beset by memes|url=https://www.dailydot.com/layer8/turning-point-uk-memes/|date=4 February 2019|website=[[The Daily Dot]]}}</ref> at the [[Royal Automobile Club]] in London.<ref name="cherwell-merwe" /> Among those attending the event were [[Andy Wigmore]], [[Paul Joseph Watson]] and [[James Delingpole]].<ref name="cherwell-merwe" /><ref name="independent-dearden" /> On the day of its social media launch in February 2019, MPs including [[Jacob Rees-Mogg]] and [[Priti Patel]] tweeted supportive messages for the organisation,<ref name="guardian-walker" /><ref name="independent-dearden" /> while it was marked for criticism by left-wing British newspapers and their supporters<ref name="independent-dearden"/><ref name=thinkprogress>{{cite web|last=Barnes|first=Luke|title=''Turning Point USA launches British chapter to rocky reception''|url=https://thinkprogress.org/pro-trump-student-group-turning-point-usa-is-branching-out-to-the-uk-5d6abe71384c/|date=4 February 2019|work=[[ThinkProgress]]|accessdate=5 February 2019}}</ref> and the launch of its Twitter account was sabotaged by multiple parody accounts, including a few created by a ‘left-leaning student’ calling himself ‘Skeptical Seventh’.<ref name="dailydot" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.indy100.com/article/turning-point-uk-right-wing-conservative-twitter-charlie-kirk-8762621|work=The Independent|title=Turning Point's UK Twitter launch has gotten off to an exceedingly bad start|first=Lowenna|last=Waters|date=5 February 2019|accessdate=6 February 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Gian|last=Volpicelli|title=How an army of farcical fakes ruined Turning Point UK's big day|url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/how-an-army-of-fakes-took-on-rightwing-organisation-turning-point-uk|work=[[Wired UK]]|date=6 February 2019|access-date=7 February 2019|issn=1357-0978|via=www.wired.co.uk}}</ref> There was also a protest from the charity [[Turning Point (charity)|Turning Point]] over potential confusion caused by similarities between the two names.<ref>{{cite news |title=The battle over Britain's newest student movement |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-47159137 |accessdate=9 February 2019 |work=BBC News |date=9 February 2019}}</ref>

== External links ==

== External links ==

* https://www.tpusa.com/

* [https://www.tpusa.com/ TPUSA.com]

* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57wqwszU6ro TPUSA's "Conservatism" - Nathaniel Abbott

* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57wqwszU6ro TPUSA's "Conservatism" - Nathaniel Abbott]

[[Category:Organizations established in 2012]]

[[Category:Organizations established in 2012]]

[[Category:Activism]]

[[Category:Activism]]

[[Category:Koch Puppets]]

[[Category:Koch Puppets]]