'It just felt hopeful for the country': Thousands pack Utah State University for Turning Point USA event

LOGAN — A wave of energy and patriotism swept through Utah State University Tuesday night as Turning Point USA wrapped up its latest tour stop. Organizers said more than 6,000 people filled the venue to capacity, with lines stretching four deep before doors even opened. [gallery ids="826582,826581,826804,826805,826806,826807"] “Definitely energetic, patriotic — ‘USA’ was chanted like eight times, ‘Charlie’ even more. It was awesome,” said Xilin Weaver. Inside the stadium, the atmosphere was electric. “There was a lot of clapping, a lot of standing, everyone was like ‘wooh,’” said Charlie Garr, a student who attended the event. “Sitting in the stadium tonight with all of those young people with all of those morals and values — it’s all going to be good,” Renee Janzen, another attendee, said. Weaver described the mood as deeply optimistic. “The vibe was hopeful, like the United States was being revived," Weaver said. "A lot of Christian views, too. It just felt hopeful for the country.” But not everyone felt welcome. A few students on campus who didn’t attend the rally expressed discomfort with the tone of the event. Security was tight throughout the evening. The Cache County Sheriff’s Office deployed two dozen deputies, supported by several other agencies, to ensure safety and crowd control. Speakers at the event discussed a variety of topics, like faith, inclusion, the recent shooting in Michigan and how to have a conversation with people who hold differing beliefs. The main speaker for the event, podcast host Alex Clark, talked about how healing doesn’t come from blending in. "We fear God, nobody else. We don't fear the left. We don't fear trending for the wrong reason on social media. We don't fear what our friends think or even what our family thinks sometimes, we only fear God," Clark said to the crowd. Clark also said that Tuesday's event at Utah State was the biggest turnout TPUSA has ever pulled on tour. Several Utah leaders were invited to speak at the event. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox was there, and was booed multiple times while speaking. The Turning Point host had to ask the crowd to give him room to speak. Even so, Cox seemed to bring the crowd around. He expressed that it’s dangerous to believe speech is violence, and then to justify violence as a response to speech. He said peacemaking is not soft, rather it's the hardest thing to do. Utah Sen. Mike Lee also prerecorded a message explaining that he could not attend the event because of the impending government shutdown. After the panel discussion, students had the opportunity to ask questions and have a dialogue, just like Charlie Kirk would have. Despite differing opinions, the night was marked by high energy, strong turnout and a clear message from attendees: they came to honor Charlie Kirk’s legacy — and they left feeling inspired.

Contributing: Jacob Freeman

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