Turning Point USA was once merely a somewhat controversial right-wing student organization, but it has quickly turned into one of the most destructive forces in Republican politics.
Last weekend, Turning Point hosted its “People’s Convention” in Detroit with headliners including Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), and former President Donald Trump. Beyond politicians, controversial speakers at the event included conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, “Pizzagate” promoter Jack Posobiec, and Candace Owens, who recently left the Daily Wire because of her ignorant remarks about Israel.
Jones, who owes $1.5 billion to the families of Sandy Hook victims because he pushed claims that the shooting was a hoax, went on a bizarre rant about how “globalists” think “the future is not human.” Owens, in an interview conducted the day she spoke at the convention, said that the United States should not have entered World War II against Nazi Germany.
While there were plenty of college and high school students present, the audience was largely filled with middle-aged people. In addition, the event was attended by Lilly Gaddis, a TikToker who recently went viral for using the N-word and refusing to apologize, along with other controversial figures including pro-Palestine commentator Sulaiman Ahmed.
The People’s Convention was not the only event in Detroit this weekend, as white supremacist and “proud incel” Nick Fuentes hosted a competing rally outside. There, one attendee proclaimed, “I freaking love Hitler.” David Duke, the former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, showed up to support the fight against “Jewish supremacism.” The crowd for Fuentes’s anti-Israel rally included a number of People’s Convention attendees.
Turning Point’s mission extends far beyond large events such as this convention. Since the collapse of the College Republicans, TPUSA is sometimes the only right-wing club with national connections on university campuses. However, Turning Point is also trying to reshape the Republican Party completely.
Turning Point Action, which is the campaign wing of the organization, has set its sights on infiltrating state parties and the Republican National Committee. It has been particularly destructive in Arizona, effectively decimating the state’s GOP. After Turning Point Action-backed candidates lost in the 2022 midterm elections, its chief operating officer suggested that their goal of helping “actual conservatives” win primaries succeeded, but “moderates stayed home or didn’t vote for who we wanted them to vote for.” That shows the folly of the entire Turning Point mission: If Republicans lose the general election, winning the primary is not a success.
Turning Point has also had a considerable number of personnel problems. The organization had to fire a TPUSA ambassador earlier this year after she posted on X, “The Zionist Jews controlling our planet are all pedophiles who have no regard for the sanctity of human life and purity,” while a top official at Turning Point Action resigned in April after being accused of forging more than 100 signatures to get on the ballot for a state legislature election.
Turning Point, as it now stands, is doing far more harm than good for the conservative movement.
The Right has had to deal with forces similar to Turning Point and the “groyper” army in the past. In the 1950s and 1960s, the conspiracy-minded John Birch Society was becoming a formidable presence in Republican circles. Birch founder Robert Welch said that Dwight Eisenhower was a communist operative, and Birchers led a campaign to impeach Chief Justice Earl Warren because they believed the Supreme Court was assisting the supposed communist takeover.
The JBS reached as many as 100,000 members and attempted to shape the Right, but National Review founder William F. Buckley Jr. recognized the threat that the Birchers posed, regularly editorializing against them and their ideas. He worked on purging them from the conservative movement (with the help of Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan) and relegated the Birchers to total irrelevance. A similar expulsion from mainstream conservatism may be in order if Turning Point’s leaders continue to embrace the rhetoric of Alex Jones or Jack Posobiec.
The JBS analogy is not perfect because most people who are involved with Turning Point are not as crazy as many leading Birchers were. TPUSA members are often some of the most dedicated fighters for conservative values, and most employees of the organization genuinely want to help Republicans win elections. Moreover, the Birchers were ideologically driven, but TPUSA’s silliness is financially driven. Charlie Kirk recently purchased a $4.75 million mansion in Phoenix, and one RNC committee member said that Turning Point is “all about making money.”
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This being said, TPUSA may still be able to recover. Turning Point’s ballot chasing initiative is looking like a worthwhile endeavor for the 2024 election. The organization’s ability to fundraise and serve as a force-multiplier for Republicans knocking on doors and registering voters is another positive addition.
A healthy conservative movement cannot tolerate conspiracy theorists being presented as serious political figures. Following the model of Buckley and the John Birch Society, conservatives need to purge the fringe from the Right. If Turning Point’s toxic leadership continues down the unfortunate ideological path it is heading, it will need to be purged too.