âWHAT HAPPENED: Turning Point USA (TPUSA) high school club chapters, known as Club America, have surged by over 100 percent since the assassination of TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk.
đ¤WHO WAS INVOLVED: TPUSA’s Enterprise Director Nick Cocca, spokesman Andrew Kolvet, and the late Charlie Kirk.
đWHEN & WHERE: The surge occurred after Kirk’s passing, with the announcement made on Kirk’s show, hosted by Andrew Kolvet.
đŹKEY QUOTE: “There are two types of high schools in this country: high schools that have Club America chapters and high schools that will soon have Club America chapters.” â Nick Cocca
đŻIMPACT: Over 1,500 new chapters have been added, with 120,000 total inquiries to start chapters nationwide.
The Turning Point USA (TPUSA) high school program, known as Club America, has more than doubled in size following the assassination of TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk. The number of chapters grew from about 1,200 to over 2,700 in just a few weeks, a surge TPUSA attributes to renewed enthusiasm for Kirkâs vision of student-led conservative activism in schools.
The announcement came during an episode of The Charlie Kirk Show, now hosted by TPUSA spokesman Andrew Kolvet. Joining him was Nick Cocca, Enterprise Director for Club America, who said, âThere are two types of high schools in this country: high schools that have Club America chapters and high schools that will soon have Club America chapters.â
Cocca confirmed that more than 1,500 new chapters have launched since Kirkâs murder. The group also reported receiving 120,000 total requests to start chapters across both high schools and college campuses as of late September.
Kolvet reiterated Kirkâs long-standing goal of placing a Club America chapter in every U.S. high school. âThe high school team has just informed me that weâve already STARTED over 1,500 new Club America chapters across the country,â he said. âFor context, we had around 1,200 before this, more than doubling our chapter total. We wonât stop until every HS has a Club America chapter.â
In the weeks since the assassination, some Christian leaders have also reported a noticeable rise in youth church attendance, calling it the âCharlie Kirk effect.â One Catholic campus ministry leader noted, âI have not talked to anyone who has not seen an increase in Mass attendance,â with some reporting as much as a 15 percent increase.
Despite the outpouring of support for TPUSA, the leftist Anti-Defamation League (ADL) continued to list TPUSA in its âGlossary of Extremismâ even after Kirkâs murder. The ADLâs position drew sharp criticism, particularly as it also defended Antifa as largely non-violent.
In response to the scandal, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel announced the bureau would sever ties with the ADL, citing concerns over political bias.
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