Charlie Kirk Closes AmericaFest with Straw Poll Results and Call to Action for Conservative Movement
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Charlie Kirk Closes AmericaFest with Straw Poll Results and Call to Action for Conservative Movement
Charlie Kirk wraps up Turning Point USA's AmericaFest with groundbreaking straw poll results and recognition of the movement's most impactful student activists. From Tucker Carlson leading the vice presidential preference poll at 35% to Donald Trump commanding 82% support for the Republican nomination, the results reveal where the conservative base stands heading into 2024. Kirk honors top high school and college chapter leaders, including students who fought to restore the Pledge of Allegiance and hosted Riley Gaines and Candace Owens on campus. With 87% calling for RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel to step down and securing the southern border ranked as the top priority, Kirk challenges attendees to transform their enthusiasm into concrete action and grassroots activism.
Charlie Kirk opened the closing session of AmericaFest by recognizing Turning Point USA's most outstanding student activists. For the first time ever at AmericaFest, Kirk presented the Student Patriot Awards to honor the top performers from among 1,800 chapters and 600,000 student activists nationwide.
The high school award recipients included Diane Jimenez from TPUSA at Barbara Goleman Senior High School in Miami, who hosted a 300-person rally at his majority-Hispanic high school, and Hannah Falkner, president of the Rutherford County Activism Hub, who brought Chloe Cole to Nashville for an event opposing the mutilation of children and faced serious backlash for standing against transgender ideology.
For college students, Lily Orosco, president of University of Pittsburgh TPUSA, earned recognition for bringing Riley Gaines, James O'Keefe, and Brandon Tatum to campus despite significant opposition. Landon Alex from North Dakota State University was honored for hosting Candace Owens and organizing multiple massive events on campus.
Legacy Chapter Awards Celebrate Top Performing Groups
Kirk highlighted TPUSA at John's Creek High School in Georgia as the best high school chapter of the year, praising the young men for their energy and commitment. The chapter successfully fought to restore the Pledge of Allegiance at their school after it had been removed. Auburn University received the Legacy Chapter Award for college, recognized as the number one college chapter in the country for hosting some of the biggest events in the movement.
Kirk emphasized that these students represent the hope for the future, noting that the boys of Gen Z are the most conservative generation seen in 50 years. He encouraged other students to get involved by starting high school or college chapters and visiting the Turning Point USA booth to sign up.
Straw Poll Results Reveal Conservative Base Priorities
The AmericaFest straw poll results, conducted by Turning Point Action, delivered several significant findings heading into 2024. When asked who Donald Trump should choose as his running mate if he wins the Republican nomination, Tucker Carlson led with 35% of the vote, followed by Vivek Ramaswamy at 25%. Nikki Haley received only 2.4% support for vice president.
On whether Joe Biden will be the Democrat nominee for president, 47% said no, 30% said yes, and 22.4% were unsure. Regarding the vote to expel George Santos from Congress, a majority disapproved of the expulsion, with 37% approving and 21.1% unsure.
Foreign Policy and Ukraine Aid Faces Overwhelming Opposition
The poll revealed stark divisions on foreign aid. Approximately 95% of attendees opposed sending weapons to Ukraine, while a majority supported aid to Israel. However, 80% firmly opposed sending US troops on the ground to either Israel or Ukraine, demonstrating the America First stance of the conservative base.
Border Security Tops Issue Priority List
When asked about the most important issues facing the country, AmericaFest attendees ranked their priorities as follows:
Securing the southern border and deporting people in the country illegally
Election integrity and ensuring safe and secure elections
Dismantling and defunding the Deep State
Reducing the national debt and cutting government spending
Defunding foreign wars
Eliminating DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs from government departments
RNC Leadership Crisis Highlighted by Overwhelming Numbers
Perhaps one of the most striking results came regarding RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel. A massive 87% said she should step down as chair of the RNC, with only 2.8% supporting her continued leadership and 10% unsure. Even more significant, 56% said that if McDaniel stepped down, they would consider donating to the RNC again, proving that her leadership represents a major obstacle to fundraising efforts. Another 42% said they would never donate to the RNC regardless of who leads it.
Trump Dominates Presidential Preference Poll
In the Republican primary preference poll, Donald Trump commanded overwhelming support with 82.6% of the vote. Ron DeSantis came in second with 7%, followed by Vivek Ramaswamy at 5.8%, Nikki Haley at 1.1%, and Chris Christie at 0.1%. The results demonstrate Trump's iron grip on the conservative base heading into the 2024 primary season.
Call to Action and Movement Building
Kirk concluded with a powerful call to action, urging attendees not to let their enthusiasm fade once they leave AmericaFest. He challenged everyone to write down specific commitments and New Year's resolutions directly connected to the activism and dedication they experienced over the previous days. Kirk emphasized following through on commitments made at various booths, whether becoming a precinct committeeman, starting a TPUSA chapter, or getting involved with TPUSA Faith, Turning Point Academy, or Turning Point Action.
He announced that Turning Point Action will host the People's Convention in June, designed to give ordinary citizens a convention experience rather than just lobbyists and oligarchs. Kirk stressed that while AmericaFest represents a significant undertaking, it constitutes only a small part of what Turning Point USA accomplishes through boots-on-the-ground activism and chapter building across the country.
Gratitude and Financial Sustainability
Kirk expressed deep gratitude to the Turning Point USA staff members who worked tirelessly on minimal sleep to create a transformative experience for attendees. He encouraged everyone to thank staff members on their way out. He also thanked the 300,000 donors who support Turning Point USA financially, acknowledging that contributions of $10 or $20 from hundreds of thousands of people make events like AmericaFest possible. Kirk emphasized that for those squeezed by inflation, support through prayer, fasting, and activism matters just as much.
From Garage Startup to Conservative Movement Powerhouse
Reflecting on Turning Point USA's journey, Kirk shared that just 11 years ago, he was sitting in a garage in Lamont, Illinois, with no money, no connections, and no idea what he was doing. Today, Turning Point USA has grown into the largest movement of its kind in the country. He challenged someone in the room to take a similar leap of faith, suggesting that their vision could grow into something equally impactful over the next 11 years.
Kirk emphasized that it would have been a shame if 11 years ago he had abandoned the idea for Turning Point USA because someone told him it wasn't worth it. He urged attendees to take risks, take leaps of faith, stay involved, trust God, and act obediently. He declared this AmericaFest the best, greatest, biggest, and most impactful event in both Turning Point USA history and conservative movement history, with nothing else coming close.
Kirk framed this event as just the beginning of attendees' action and their step forward into meaningful impact. Through all of Turning Point USA's programming and Turning Point Action's efforts, the organization exists to help individuals make a difference as students on campus, in their neighborhoods, and in holding elected leaders accountable. The closing message emphasized that every person in attendance played a part in this historic gathering and must now carry that momentum forward into 2024.
