On Wednesday afternoon, Charlie Kirk, conservative political activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA, visited East Carolina University as one of the last stops on his “You’re Being Brainwashed Tour.” North Carolina and it’s 16 electoral college votes have been high on the list for both politicos and presidential campaigns with frequent rallies and visits over the past months. Kirk is at High Point University Thursday with Republican vice-presidential candidate, Sen. J.D. Vance.
Initially, Kirk was scheduled to have Tulsi Gabbard, a former U.S. congresswoman from Hawaii and 2020 Democratic Presidential candidate, with him at ECU. Due to the election less than a week away, Tulsi attended a separate town hall event with Vance in Bedford, Pennsylvania.
Before the doors were set to open at 5:30pm at the Wright Auditorium located on campus, two lines were already forming around the building.
“I think he has really good ideas and he brings, you know, those Christian values that we’re all looking for as conservatives,” said student Sam Moore, standing amid a sea of students wearing red.
“it’s going to be educational for a lot of people and I think anybody, and everybody should come and see it. I think it’s really exciting,” said student Abbey Chase.
Earlier Wednesday afternoon, Charlie and his team held a public tabling event in the campus Brickyard, just outside Mendenhall. Here, Kirk engaged with students and gave them a chance to express their views. The table drew a crowd of students, with a generally positive and welcoming atmosphere.
These tabling events have gained traction on social media platforms as political discussions get heated. Kirk sat among the crowd, providing a microphone as students engaged him on a range of topics, including political ideologies, his personal views, and pressing daily issues that resonate with young voters. The atmosphere buzzed with curiosity and lively discussion, as students eagerly sought insights from the conservative activist. Kirk has become known among students for informed debate with left-leaning students, but there were few on the left who spoke at the ECU event Wednesday.
“I’d say there were 500 people there and five opposers that actually spoke, I did see some people who were strongly opinionated, but did not speak,” said Chase Anderson, a student who came out to support Kirk and said he’d already voted early.
The main event kicked off with a comedian named JoBob, giving an unfiltered set of jokes to energize the audience. He ended with an inspirational message “Never stop fighting for your freedom.”
Turning Point USA is focused on engaging students directly with chapters on 3,500 campuses nationwide. The group’s presence on social media, public policy, and in-person “freedom-loving parties” has sparked a loyal following among the next generation, but the group says they welcome everyone.
“Turning Point USA empowers citizens of all ages to Rise Up against the radical Left in defense of freedom, free markets, and limited government,” the site says.
At ECU, Kirk was introduced onto the stage to big applause from the students, many of whom sported Make America Great Again caps. Kirk said he wants to enlighten young voters on the impact of their vote.
“Policies live longer than personalities,” he said to the crowd. He asked how many students had already voted and said he was pleased with the big response. “We are doing very well with voter turnout in eastern North Carolina.”
His comments concluded with one of his famous, lively Q&A sessions. Students eagerly lined up at the microphone, ready to ask questions or debate with him. Kirk interacted respectfully, addressing pressing political topics such as abortion rights, safety, immigration, school vouchers, the federal budget, and Trump’s policies. The atmosphere was charged with enthusiasm as students sought to challenge and understand his perspectives.
Charlie took one final question from a student, that wrapped up the end of the night, encouraging voters to motivate undecided friends and family with advice to “ask questions, say ‘do you care about what happens to your country?’”
The stop at ECU underscored the vital role young voters play in shaping the political landscape of their futures. According to carolinaelections.com, More than 211,000 North Carolinians from ages 18-24 have already voted in the 2024 election. While young Republicans are up by 1,600 votes, closely in line with 2020 turnout, young Democrats are down by 37,000 votes, placing the two groups neck-and-neck in early voting turnout.
Gabriella Torres is a student at East Carolina University.