Charlie Kirk, conservative political activist and media personality, is coming to USC on Monday for the third stop of his “American Comeback Tour,” organized by Turning Point USA.
In a February 11 press release, the organization said its goal was to equip students to push back against “left-wing indoctrination in academia.” The tour is slated to stop at the University of Florida and Florida State University in the days before it arrives in Los Angeles.
A Turning Point USA board member said Kirk would be set up at a table by Tommy Trojan at noon with a microphone. People from the crowd will be free to come up to the table and ask Kirk questions.
Dakota Driemeyer, a junior and member of USC College Republicans, said the group was happy with the work being done at Turning Point USA. The newly elected USG senator said the group was “proud to work with them to bring Charlie Kirk to campus, which is something [they] wanted to do for a very long time.”
“I just hope he can come and paint the conservative viewpoint in a positive way to people that may not always understand it,” Driemeyer said. “A lot of what you see online is very negative, but the vast majority of the conversations he has are positive, and that’s what I hope he [homes] in on.”
Janani Mohabir Casipit, a freshman student member of USC College Republicans, said she “screamed” in excitement when she found out that Charlie Kirk was coming to campus.
“It really enlightened me when I watched his YouTube videos, and I think other people will start to be more enlightened as well,” Casipit said.
Naima Troutt, a USC student who went viral for roasting Kirk in a debate on Jubilee, said not only is Kirk mean to students on camera, but he also bullied her friend off camera saying “you don’t have enough testosterone to speak to me.”
Troutt also said she felt it was “very weird” that Kirk exclusively debates college students and doesn’t debate adults.
“I just don’t respect the fact that he’s like, over 30, and the only thing that he’s good at is debating kids,” Troutt said.
Troutt has also debated conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro, and remarked that Shapiro was a “better person” than Kirk.
“Ben Shapiro reminded me of the old time politics of, we debate and we disagree, but when we’re not in a debate, there’s no reason for me to be mean to you,” Troutt said.
Shapiro came to speak at USC in 2018. That event, which was also part of a larger tour, drew a crowd of more than 100 protesters. Thirty DPS officers were deployed to oversee the protest in anticipation of the controversy Shapiro’s presence would create.
Troutt said she plans on attending Kirk’s open table conversation Monday, and planned to confront him and further “roast” him, if possible.