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Charlie Kirk Opens Student Action Summit in Palm Beach Declaring Freedom Cannot Be Shut Down Anymore
Charlie Kirk delivers a powerful opening address at the Student Action Summit in Palm Beach, Florida, challenging the lockdown policies that defined 2020. With thousands of students from across the country in attendance, Kirk frames the gathering itself as an act of resistance against government overreach, questioning the inconsistencies in shutdown orders that kept churches closed while allowing mass protests and other gatherings. He criticizes governors who implemented one-size-fits-all lockdowns, praises Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for protecting freedoms, and calls on young people to reclaim their constitutional rights and take responsibility for saving the country.
A Gathering That Defies the Lockdown Narrative
Charlie Kirk opened the Student Action Summit in Palm Beach, Florida, by emphasizing the significance of the event itself. In a year when nearly everything had been cancelled due to the pandemic, Turning Point USA made the bold decision to host an in-person gathering. Kirk explained that when planning began in August and September, the question was whether they should even attempt to host the event in the current climate. The overwhelming response from students across the country, with all 50 states represented, proved that young Americans were ready to reclaim their freedoms.
Kirk positioned the event as a statement about liberty and responsibility, noting that attendance was voluntary and that participants understood the situation in the country. He declared that the gathering represents freedom that cannot be shut down anymore, stating that Americans will no longer tolerate being locked down and silenced, and that constitutional rights given by God will no longer be taken away by governors acting as dictators.
The Cost of Lockdowns on Young People
Kirk addressed the severe impact that lockdown policies have had on young Americans throughout 2020. He emphasized that lockdowns have real-life consequences, pointing out that more young people died from suicide than from the Chinese coronavirus. He noted that an entire generation has been told to sit at home in quarantine, with schools shut down and important life experiences cancelled, including prom, graduation, and spring and summer sports. Some students even had their fall sports cancelled, and some remain shut down.
While acknowledging that there is responsibility in understanding what society was dealing with, Kirk argued that it is immoral to use the threat and power of government to ruin an entire generation. He expressed that once it became clear the lockdowns were increasingly one-size-fits-all, the response became unacceptable. The overwhelming enthusiasm at the event demonstrated that people are ready to take their country back and tell governors like Cuomo, Newsom, and JB Pritzker that they will not be locked down any longer.
Liberty Distinguishes America from Other Nations
Kirk emphasized that liberty is difficult and that there is a reason why America is different from other countries. He explained that the American flag represents something fundamentally different from any European flag, whether French or Italian. He clarified that his point was not anti-France or anti-Italy, but that he would expect those countries to shut down and lock down because their core ideas are not centered on liberty and freedom.
According to Kirk, liberty is hard and has costs. It means that if someone makes a poor decision, they must take responsibility for that decision. However, he stated he would never want to live in any other country that does not respect liberty and fundamental freedoms. He argued that a mature society understands risks and acts appropriately rather than locking everyone up and treating everyone the same.
The Hypocrisy of Selective Shutdowns
Kirk highlighted what he saw as massive inconsistencies in how lockdown orders were applied. He pointed out that if authorities had been consistent, they would have shut everything down, including the Black Lives Matter protests and riots. Instead, they declared those mass gatherings perfectly acceptable. Kirk jokingly suggested that all attendees needed to do was write "Black Lives Matter" on the back of their rally signs to be immune from the coronavirus.
He detailed specific examples of what he considered inconsistent policies:
- Weed dispensaries remained open while churches were closed
- Abortion facilities and strip clubs were deemed essential while places of worship were not
- Family members died without seeing their loved ones due to hospital visitation restrictions
- Basic rights and freedoms that Americans had always taken for granted were suspended
Kirk argued that these restrictions happened because Americans let it happen, stating that freedom is only as valuable as the people willing to contest for it. He noted that when Turning Point USA started speaking out against lockdowns in April and May, certain governors and leaders began to take notice.
Praising Governor Ron DeSantis's Leadership
Kirk gave significant praise to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, calling him one of the greatest governors in the entire country and thanking him for allowing the gathering to take place. He pointed out that DeSantis could have been like other governors but instead chose a different path. Kirk noted that Florida, the third most populous state in the country, had all election results in by 9:30 PM with no allegations of voter fraud, and that Donald Trump won the state by four points. He contrasted this with neighboring states to the north.
According to Kirk, DeSantis is a leader because he is not afraid of the names people call him and does not care about insults from the activist media. He delivers results for his citizens, trusts them to make good decisions, and has not presided over the complete erosion of small businesses and family-owned businesses. Kirk described Florida as a state that is getting things right with good and great leadership, contrasting it with California, New York, and Illinois.
The False Promise of Safety Over Freedom
Kirk criticized governors in states like California, New York, and Illinois for resorting to what he called "safetyism" - a false promise that government can always keep people safe at all times. He argued that until the people, who are the sovereign in America, tell their leaders they will not tolerate strip clubs being called essential while churches are not, nothing will change.
He pointed out additional inconsistencies, such as tens of thousands of people being allowed to gather in the streets celebrating the Los Angeles Lakers winning the NBA finals while people were not allowed to have six people at a restaurant. Kirk also questioned why people could travel four hours on an airplane sitting right next to each other and eating, but then the restaurants were closed for indoor dining at both their departure and arrival locations.
Kirk suggested that the reason for these inconsistencies is that airlines are a very powerful lobby with significant political clout and carefully selected political contributions that give them carve-outs. Meanwhile, 100,000 small businesses have been lost along with countless lives.
An Impressive Roster and a Call to Action
Kirk outlined the impressive lineup of speakers scheduled for the conference, describing it as the best roster in the history of the conservative movement. He mentioned that the first night alone included Dr. Sebastian Gorka, Dennis Prager, Donald Trump Jr., Kimberly Guilfoyle, and Tucker Carlson. He noted that attendees would hear from the top thinkers and leaders in the movement over the coming days.
However, Kirk framed the entire conference around the concept that attendance was voluntary and that it took boldness for both the Turning Point USA staff and the students to make this happen. He commended both groups, noting that students had made the event a priority because they want to save their country and are tired of seeing it torn apart.
Kirk previewed that the conference would address topics including big tech tyranny, the Great Reset, voter fraud, and everything people are not supposed to be talking about. He emphasized that the conference would also focus on how students can fight back on campus and win.
A Blessing and a Mission
Kirk concluded by reminding attendees that thousands of people wished they could be present at the event. Due to the incredible interest and growth of Turning Point USA, many could not make the trip because they were worried about mandatory quarantine orders in their states. He told attendees to understand that being there is a blessing and a gift, and that they are very lucky to hear from the impressive roster of speakers.
He urged students to use the conference as an opportunity to learn and then to plan, because there is a country to save. Kirk emphasized that regardless of what happens, the current generation needs dramatic and bold action. He pointed out how many young people are misinformed, uninformed, and motivated toward what he described as malevolent political interests.
Kirk closed by declaring that America is the greatest country ever, that parents and grandparents sacrificed so much for current freedoms, and that 2020 was a year unlike any other in American history where freedom started to disappear. He ended with a declaration that the gathering marked the beginning of taking those freedoms back.
Video Transcript
[00:21] thank you
[00:24] thank you guys
[00:31] [Applause]
[00:35] thank you thank you everybody it is
[00:38] awesome to be with all of you here
[00:40] in palm beach florida in person am i
[00:42] right
[00:49] the this event here
[00:52] is truly special and we've had people
[00:54] come from all across the country
[00:56] truly i think we have all 50 states
[00:57] represented here
[01:01] and look this year has been one unlike
[01:05] any other
[01:06] and when we were planning back in august
[01:08] and september
[01:09] we asked ourselves will should we host
[01:13] the student action summit in palm beach
[01:15] is everyone
[01:16] it's 2020 is the year where everything
[01:19] got cancelled
[01:21] and by not forcing anyone to attend
[01:24] when everyone here knows exactly what's
[01:26] going on in our country
[01:27] but believing in liberty and
[01:30] responsibility
[01:31] we've had the most unbelievable
[01:33] overwhelming response
[01:35] thousands and thousands and thousands of
[01:37] students across the country
[01:39] so you know what this event represents
[01:41] this event represents freedom
[01:43] that you can't shut down the country
[01:45] anymore
[01:49] this event represents that you're not
[01:52] going to lock us down
[01:54] and shut us up any longer
[01:57] that our rights our constitutional
[02:00] rights
[02:01] given to us by god
[02:05] they will no longer be taken away by
[02:08] governors and dictators and while of
[02:11] course
[02:12] understanding that when you have liberty
[02:15] you must have responsibility you know
[02:17] the risks
[02:18] you act appropriately that's what a
[02:20] mature society does you don't lock
[02:22] everyone up
[02:23] and act like everyone is the same
[02:27] that lockdowns have real life
[02:29] consequences
[02:30] where we lost more young people this
[02:33] year to suicide
[02:35] than to the chinese coronavirus and
[02:36] that's correct we will call it
[02:38] the chinese coronavirus the next couple
[02:41] days
[02:43] that our generation this year has been
[02:46] told to
[02:47] sit at home in quarantine and while we
[02:50] were still trying to figure out exactly
[02:51] what we were dealing with
[02:52] we understood when we realized that
[02:55] these lockdowns were increasingly one
[02:57] size fits all
[03:00] they shut down our schools they
[03:01] cancelled prom graduation
[03:03] summer and spring sports some of you
[03:04] fall sports some of you are still shut
[03:06] down
[03:08] and these are opportunities these are
[03:10] experiences and memories you will never
[03:12] get back
[03:13] and while we understand that there is
[03:15] responsibility for all of us here
[03:18] to make sure that we know what we're
[03:19] dealing with it is not moral in the
[03:21] least sense at all
[03:23] to use the threat and the power of
[03:26] government
[03:26] to ruin an entire generation
[03:37] and we didn't know the response we were
[03:38] going to get we said we're not sure how
[03:41] many people are going to want to show up
[03:42] but we found
[03:43] as you can see by the overwhelming
[03:45] amount of enthusiasm in this room i have
[03:47] to say it's pretty incredible
[03:51] is that people are ready to take their
[03:53] country back is that people
[03:54] are ready to tell cuomo and newsom and
[03:57] jb
[03:58] pritzker that we are not going to be
[04:00] locked down any longer
[04:04] liberty is hard there's a reason why
[04:08] our country is different we need to talk
[04:11] about this more
[04:13] we need to talk about what that flag
[04:14] represents versus
[04:17] any european country you can pick the
[04:19] french flag
[04:20] and that's it's not anti-anti-france or
[04:23] anti-italy but
[04:24] i would expect them to shut down and
[04:26] lock down because
[04:28] in their core ideas it's not liberty
[04:32] it's not freedom liberty's hard liberty
[04:35] has
[04:35] costs liberty means that if you make a
[04:38] dumb decision you've got to take
[04:39] responsibility for that decision
[04:42] but i would rather i would never want to
[04:44] live in any other country
[04:47] that doesn't respect liberty or first
[04:54] freedoms
[04:56] [Applause]
[05:01] and it would be one thing if they were
[05:04] consistent
[05:06] it would be one thing if they shut
[05:08] everything down
[05:12] and when blm incorporated came on the
[05:15] scene
[05:19] they said stop rioting which would have
[05:21] been nice
[05:22] but instead they said the mass gathering
[05:25] is perfectly okay so because of that
[05:28] all you have to do tonight is take out
[05:31] your rally sign
[05:32] and write black lives matter on the back
[05:34] of your rally sign and none of you will
[05:36] get the chinese coronavirus tonight
[05:38] [Applause]
[05:44] and this is how they treated us for the
[05:45] last nine months they kept
[05:47] weed dispensaries open and churches
[05:50] closed
[05:52] they said abortion factories and strip
[05:54] clubs are essential
[05:56] yet they said places of worship are not
[06:00] family members died without
[06:03] ever seeing their loved ones hospitals
[06:07] being
[06:07] completely and totally shut down from
[06:09] family visitations
[06:11] basic rights and basic things that we've
[06:13] always taken for granted in our country
[06:15] and quite honestly it's because we let
[06:17] it happen
[06:18] freedom is only as valuable as the
[06:22] people
[06:22] willing to contest for it as soon as
[06:28] we started speaking out against these
[06:30] lockdowns
[06:31] back in april and may you started to see
[06:33] certain governors and leaders
[06:35] take notice and i think it is more than
[06:39] deserving that we think one of the
[06:41] greatest governors in the entire country
[06:43] the governor of this state
[06:44] ron desantis for letting us have this
[06:47] gathering
[06:48] tonight
[06:56] because ron desantis very well could
[06:58] have been like other governors
[06:59] now mind you ron desantis we can learn a
[07:01] lot from ron desantis amazingly the
[07:03] third most populous
[07:04] state in the country had all their
[07:06] election results in by 9 30
[07:08] no allegations of voter fraud and donald
[07:11] trump won by four points it's pretty
[07:12] amazing how that works
[07:16] you contrast that with a certain
[07:18] governor to a neighboring state to the
[07:19] north
[07:20] and that's all i have to say about that
[07:22] [Applause]
[07:26] ron desantis is a leader you know why
[07:29] and this is a great lesson for all of
[07:30] you on campus
[07:31] he's not afraid of the names that they
[07:33] call him he doesn't care about all the
[07:35] nasty insults
[07:37] from the activist media delivers results
[07:39] for his citizens
[07:40] he trusts you to make good decisions
[07:41] he's not going to oversee
[07:43] a complete and total erosion of small
[07:46] businesses
[07:47] family-owned businesses he's not going
[07:49] to let that happen
[07:51] and it is fitting we're here in florida
[07:53] because this is a state that's getting
[07:54] things right
[07:55] it's a state with good leaders great
[07:57] leadership
[07:59] you contrast that with california new
[08:02] yorker illinois
[08:03] instead of being brave or being wise
[08:07] instead of being brave or being wise
[08:10] these states are resorting to a form of
[08:13] safety ism
[08:15] this false promise that government can
[08:17] always keep you safe at all times
[08:24] and until until we the people which is
[08:27] is the sovereign in this country
[08:29] tell our leaders we're not going to
[08:31] tolerate
[08:33] strip clubs being called essential and
[08:35] church is not it's not going to happen
[08:37] anymore
[08:37] we are not going to tolerate
[08:44] all of a sudden they're out in the
[08:45] streets celebrating the los angeles
[08:47] lakers
[08:48] winning the nba finals tens of thousands
[08:50] of people
[08:51] but you're not even allowed to have six
[08:53] people
[08:55] go to a restaurant explain this to me
[08:57] how many of you flew here
[08:59] to the student action summit welcome by
[09:01] the way who here
[09:02] who here traveled the longest distance
[09:04] we have any alaska activists
[09:08] alaska you're from
[09:14] i don't think arizona is the furthest
[09:18] i'm here in a lot of different states
[09:19] let's just say a lot of distance
[09:21] so kids could someone explain this to me
[09:24] why is it
[09:25] that you're able to travel four hours in
[09:28] an
[09:28] airplane sitting right next to each
[09:30] other
[09:31] breathing all over each other you're
[09:32] allowed to eat on that airplane
[09:35] but then from the place that you go from
[09:37] and the place you go to
[09:39] while you eat the restaurants are closed
[09:41] for indoor dining
[09:43] makes no sense the reason
[09:46] the reason more than anything else is
[09:48] that the airlines are a very very
[09:49] powerful lobby
[09:51] the airlines have a lot of political
[09:52] clouts the airlines have
[09:55] they have nicely selected political
[09:58] contributions and donors
[10:00] that give them the opportunity to have
[10:01] those carve outs meanwhile we've lost
[10:03] 100 000 small businesses
[10:05] we've lost countless lives and that kind
[10:08] of ties back to why we're here right now
[10:11] the next couple days you're going to
[10:13] hear from i believe the best roster of
[10:15] speakers in the history of the
[10:16] conservative movement i really believe
[10:18] that
[10:21] tonight alone by the way if we just
[10:23] ended the conference tonight
[10:25] it'd be pretty impressive we got dr
[10:26] sebastian gork we got dennis prager
[10:28] we got donald trump jr kimberly
[10:30] guilfoyle tucker carlson
[10:38] and throughout the next couple days
[10:39] you're gonna hear from
[10:41] the top thinkers and the top leaders in
[10:43] this movement but understand this
[10:46] is how we want to frame this entire
[10:47] conference is that
[10:49] you don't have to be here and we didn't
[10:50] have to be doing this it took a step of
[10:53] boldness for our staff our amazing
[10:55] turning point usa staff
[10:57] who deserves a round of applause
[11:03] and you deserve to be commended you
[11:05] deserve to be commended for traveling
[11:07] the distances
[11:08] and putting a priority is saying i want
[11:10] to save my country and i'm tired of
[11:12] seeing it getting torn to shreds
[11:16] everywhere i turn we're going to talk
[11:19] about
[11:20] big tech tyranny we're going to talk
[11:23] about the great reset we're going to
[11:24] talk about voter fraud we're going to
[11:26] talk about everything you're not
[11:27] supposed to be talking about
[11:28] we're going to talk about how you can
[11:30] fight back on campus
[11:32] and win on campus
[11:36] i want to leave you with this which is
[11:39] there are thousands and thousands of
[11:41] people because of the incredible
[11:43] interest and the growth we've had at
[11:44] turning point usa
[11:46] that wish they could be where you are
[11:47] right now there are people that couldn't
[11:49] make the trip because
[11:50] they were worried about mandatory
[11:52] quarantine orders in the state some of
[11:53] you probably are going to have to figure
[11:54] out some way to figure that one out
[11:57] understand that you being here
[12:00] is a blessing and a gift that you're
[12:02] very lucky to be here
[12:04] to hear from this roster and from these
[12:05] people
[12:07] and use this as an opportunity to learn
[12:10] and then to plan because we got a
[12:12] country to save no matter what ends up
[12:14] happening
[12:16] i could tell you this that our
[12:18] generation needs dramatic
[12:20] and bold action and you see exactly what
[12:23] i'm talking about
[12:24] how many young people are misinformed
[12:26] uninformed
[12:27] and motivated towards malevolent
[12:30] political interests
[12:32] this is the greatest country ever our
[12:35] parents and grandparents sacrifice so
[12:38] much
[12:39] so that we can have our freedoms and
[12:42] this year more than any other year in
[12:44] american history
[12:45] our freedom started to disappear tonight
[12:48] we take them back
[12:49] god bless you guys thank you
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