Charlie Kirk draws controversy, support from about 1,200 at WSU stop
At WSU American Comeback Tour stop, Charlie Kirk said, “More women need to prioritize motherhood,” he loved Doug Wilson and George Floyd died of a drug overdose.
This story was written in partnership between FāVS News and RANGE Media, a worker-owned newsroom in Spokane. Learn more about RANGE’s work here.
News Story by Aaron Hedge | FāVS News and RANGE
Over the last 13 years, Charlie Kirk, 31, has emerged as one of the most prominent and furthest-right figures in the far-right movement that gained control of the American government in the last election.
On Thursday afternoon, a female student from Christian nationalist pastor Doug Wilson’s Moscow college tried to pull him further, debating him during the Washington State University stop on Kirk’s national American Comeback Tour. She cited classes she took at New Saint Andrews College, whose motto is, “Graduating leaders who shape culture living faithfully under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.”
“ We were going through the Bible and every instance of a woman being in charge, Israel is going through a terrible time,” the student said. “It seems that throughout history … every time there’s a woman who’s trying to get power, they’re awful. That’s totally against what God’s designed for them. Because I believe women are designed to be mothers and homemakers and to prioritize being in the home.”
Kirk replied, “I’m not there.”
They bantered a bit, with Kirk comparing Tulsi Gabbard to former President Joe Biden — he preferred Gabbard because she is conservative, among a number of historical examples, like the biblical story of Ruth (“She was important because she was a mother,” the student argued) and former conservative British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. (Gabbard ran for president in the Democratic primary in 2016, but later endorsed Republican Donald Trump and now serves as Trump’s director of national intelligence.)
But Kirk eventually struck a middle ground, saying, “ We should encourage godly people, regardless of male or female to come into government, but I will agree more women need to prioritize motherhood.”
TPUSA’s ‘American Comeback‘
The tour stops at university public squares across the country, erecting stands from which the firebrand conservative celebrity debates students and generates viral content for his YouTube channel. In some videos, Kirk relishes stumping confused-looking students on esoteric subjects he’s prepared for while they have not — a similar tactic to disgraced far-right Texas pundit Steven Crowder, who made a name off challenging college students to impromptu debates and cross-dressing to mock queer people.
It is organized by Kirk’s wildly successful advocacy nonprofit Turning Point USA (TPUSA), which he established in 2012 — at age 18 — as a bulwark against what he saw as overwhelming leftism on college campuses. There are chapters on hundreds of college and high school campuses across the country.
TPUSA has grown dramatically in recent years, creating a “faith” arm that rails against queer literature in libraries and an “action” arm that mobilizes conservatives to run for office. TPUSA Faith has boosted prominent events in the Pacific Northwest, including the anti-queer worship pastor Sean Feucht’s 2023 “Kingdom to the Capitol,” during which Christians took communion and waged “spiritual warfare” against the Capitol building. That event was organized by TPUSA organizers out of Spokane.
But one central theme of the American Comeback Tour harks back to one of the original reasons Kirk started TPUSA: his contention that “college is a scam.” Kirk defends this position by saying many people who go to college drop out with no degree, and many get jobs outside their field of study. American philosopher Gary Gutting, among many others, has argued the purpose of college also includes “to nourish a world of intellectual culture; that is, a world of ideas, dedicated to what we can know scientifically, understand humanistically, or express artistically.”
It’s not the first time Kirk has come to the Inland Northwest. He appeared at the Spokane Valley Assembly Church in 2022, which his then-employee Caleb Collier attended for a time and was then pastored by Brian Noble, who now leads the conservative think tank the Family Policy Institute of Washington.
About a dozen volunteers wandered the crowd asking spectators if they had a disagreement with Kirk.
The crowd of about 1,200 — speckled with red “Make America Great Again” and white-and-gold “47” baseball caps — held many students but also many people from off campus. The people who debated Kirk or asked questions were mostly students.
WSU spokesperson Phil Weiler told FāVS the university worked “closely with the organizers of the American Comeback Tour event.” Several Pullman and WSU police officers stood in the crowd and at least nine tough-looking private security agents wearing matching civvies and corded ear buds escorted Kirk to and from the booth. They traveled in a shiny black SUV.
Misinformation, racism
Kirk fielded dozens of questions from students — about half of them combative, about half approving — on a dizzying array of topics and had strong opinions, even about some he admitted he knew little about.
A student asked if Kirk was familiar with George Floyd, the Milwaukee man who was murdered by white police officer Derek Chauvin in 2020, spurring intense nationwide protests.
Kirk was familiar, but he had his facts, perhaps willfully, wrong. He said: ”The guy who drug overdosed?” As Kirk has said many times on his prolific podcast The Charlie Kirk Show, he framed Floyd as a drug addict and a criminal and told the student Chauvin had been wrongfully convicted of murder in the high-profile trial. (It’s not the only racist comment Kirk is known for: Last year, speaking about affirmative action programs, he said, “If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be like, ‘Boy, I hope he’s qualified.'”)
He told a female-presenting student who said they were struggling with their gender identity to avoid gender-affirming care and seek a relationship with Jesus. He said a 5-year-old who had a child from a rape in 1939 should not have had the opportunity to have an abortion, referencing an extreme case of precocious puberty. He cast “shame” on the state of Washington for protecting transgender health. He told a conservative student who was thinking about asking his liberal girlfriend to marry him to get out of that relationship.
“She will leak stories about you to her family,” he told the student.
And he promised a rugby player he’d match funds for them to get to nationals in Washington, D.C.
Under a small tent across the sidewalk from the event, students held a “nonengagement protest,” encouraging their classmates not to take the bait. They said Kirk does not engage with liberal students in an honest way.
“ So we’re not gonna go debate him,” said astrophysics major Casey Hollis, who was doling out literature and snacks from the booth. “That’s exactly what they want. Have our table. We’re handing out zines.”
Creative writing in women’s gender sexuality studies major Sierra Guadagnoli, a member of the Palouse chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, organized the booth. She said the hate brought to campus by Kirk does not represent how most of the campus feels.
“ I want people to know that despite what seems like an absolute torrent of hate, there is a community here and we are in here and you’re not going away,” Guadagnoli said.
‘I love Doug’: A measured Christian nationalism
Before the event, FāVS requested an interview from student volunteers in the booth Kirk would answer questions from, but they said TPUSA didn’t allow them to talk to reporters. We asked for an interview with Kirk himself, and one of the students said, “Absolutely not. He’ll only answer a question if you go to the mic.”
So we asked for a spot at the mic, and a woman triaging students for exchanges with Kirk — people who disagree with Kirk went to the front of the line — said “I’ll get you in.” As the event neared its close after three hours, it became clear we wouldn’t get a chance.
As he signed “MAGA” and “47” hats for onlookers after the debates, we handed him one and asked about his stance on whether Christians should control society. He said, “No.” We asked if lawmakers should be making Christian laws. He said, “Yes, but it’s more complicated: What we want is a free society.”
But he was leaving for a friendly interview with someone with a much harder-line stance: Wilson. We mentioned that to him.
“Oh yeah, I love Doug,” he said and walked away, private security guards escorting him to the SUV, which was stationed on the back side of Murrow Hall. His next stop is at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, April 22.
