Fort Collins will be the second stop on Kirk's "American Comeback Tour" to different college campuses, which starts on September 10 in Orem, Utah, before hitting Colorado, Minnesota and Virginia. Fort Collins is Kirk's only stop in Colorado, but he'll host two events at the CSU campus, one at noon and another at 6:30 p.m.
The September 18 noon event at CSU will feature a "Prove Me Wrong" table, where Kirk sets up a tent and microphone and lets students debate him on specific issues. At 6:30 p.m. that day, Kirk will host an "evening event," but Turning Point USA hasn't provided any additional details.
According to CSU, Kirk was invited to speak on the Fort Collins campus by a student organization, while Turning Point USA says its CSU chapter is hosting Kirk and his team. Kirk founded Turning Point USA in 2012 to advocate for conservative causes at high schools and colleges, and the nonprofit bills itself as the "largest conservative youth organization in history."
In a statement, CSU says that the university has to uphold Kirk's First Amendment rights on campus, but distanced itself from him and what he might say.
"His visit is not an official university event. As a public university, CSU is required by the First Amendment to uphold the right to free speech, which is outlined in CSU’s Free Speech and Peaceful Assembly policy," according to CSU spokesperson Tiana Kennedy. "The views expressed by speakers on campus are their own and do not represent the university’s positions, policies, or values."
According to CSU, Kirk was invited to speak on the Fort Collins campus by a student organization, while Turning Point USA says its CSU chapter is hosting Kirk and his team. Kirk founded Turning Point USA in 2012 to advocate for conservative causes at high schools and colleges, and the nonprofit bills itself as the "largest conservative youth organization in history."
In a statement, CSU says that the university has to uphold Kirk's First Amendment rights on campus, but distanced itself from him and what he might say.
"His visit is not an official university event. As a public university, CSU is required by the First Amendment to uphold the right to free speech, which is outlined in CSU’s Free Speech and Peaceful Assembly policy," according to CSU spokesperson Tiana Kennedy. "The views expressed by speakers on campus are their own and do not represent the university’s positions, policies, or values."
Kirk is known for viral videos from his campus visits where he argues against left-leaning or liberal views on touchy subjects, like abortion, trans rights and immigration. He's firmly conservative and touts that his values are Christian, traditionalist and pro-business. However, he's also been called racist, homophobic and a Christian nationalist.
Kirk's highlight reel includes saying law enforcement should arrest transgender athletes who use women's locker rooms, calling Martin Luther King Jr. "awful" and "not a good person," and writing on X that "Muslims killed 2,753 people on 9/11" after Zohran Mamdani won the New York mayoral primary in June. And, like plenty of online conservative personalities, Kirk pushed the narrative that Aurora was being taken over by Venezuelan gangs in August and September 2024.
In an August 6 episode of South Park, which has been trashing the Trump administration in its latest season, Eric Cartman mimicked Kirk's podcast setup and appearance. In the episode, Cartman creates a conservative podcast where he can spew his trademark hateful rhetoric, and then begins debating young students, similar to how Kirk does at his "Prove Me Wrong" tables.
"Let me ask you something. If a pregnant woman is killed and the baby dies too, why is the killer charged with a double homicide?" Cartman asks a woman debating him on abortion in an impersonation of the kind of red-herring rebuttals Kirk is known to make.
In an August 6 episode of South Park, which has been trashing the Trump administration in its latest season, Eric Cartman mimicked Kirk's podcast setup and appearance. In the episode, Cartman creates a conservative podcast where he can spew his trademark hateful rhetoric, and then begins debating young students, similar to how Kirk does at his "Prove Me Wrong" tables.
"Let me ask you something. If a pregnant woman is killed and the baby dies too, why is the killer charged with a double homicide?" Cartman asks a woman debating him on abortion in an impersonation of the kind of red-herring rebuttals Kirk is known to make.
Other conservative personalities, including Ben Shapiro, Steven Crowder and Aurora's own Will Witt, have a similar gimmick where they generate viral online content with soundbites from college campus debates.
An avid supporter of President Donald Trump since 2016, Kirk tried to recruit young students to support Trump for the 2020 election, which brought him to the CSU campus with Donald Trump Jr. Last year, he supported Trump's campaign against Kamala Harris by organizing the "You're Being Brainwashed" college campus tour and the AmericaFest conference for pro-Trump organizations.
Students at Utah Valley University, which will be Kirk's first stop on September 10, and at Utah State University in Logan, where he'll return on September 30, started a petition on Friday, August 29, to oppose Kirk's visit. So far they've collected nearly 3,000 signatures.
"As a university deeply committed to promoting diversity and inclusion, it stands at odds with the messages frequently associated with Charlie Kirk and his platform," the petition reads. "Allowing him to speak on our campus would not only misrepresent the values we hold dear but also create an environment where divisive rhetoric could flourish."
On Reddit's Fort Collins page, local residents are suggesting a protest while others are saying it would boost attendance and online content for Kirk, potentially playing into his hands.
Since Trump was reelected, notable conservative figures have made plans to come to Colorado for speaking and fundraising events, including Eric Trump, Steve Bannon and Kyle Rittenhouse. However, all three have had some trouble holding down a location, keeping protesters away or following through.
Bannon's speaking event in March had to be moved from Centennial to Colorado Springs after hotels planning to host him received angry letters and calls for boycotts. On the day of his event, protesters gathered and tried blocking attendees from entering. Eric Trump's visit in June had to be moved from a hotel in Golden to an undisclosed venue for security reasons. According to r/DenverProtests, Rittenhouse's event, also in June, was canceled. Those events charged anywhere from over $100 to $1,000 for tickets.
Turning Point USA has not responded to a request for comment.
