Up Next

Charlie Kirk on the Greatest Political Comeback in American History and What Comes Next

Charlie Kirk on the Greatest Political Comeback in American History and What Comes Next

24:40

Charlie Kirk Debates Young Turks Contributor Ben Carollo on Marxism in America and Communism's Historical Record

Charlie Kirk Debates Young Turks Contributor Ben Carollo on Marxism in America and Communism's Historical Record

52:52

Charlie Kirk Started Turning Point USA at 18 After Being Ridiculed for Believing in Capitalism

Charlie Kirk Started Turning Point USA at 18 After Being Ridiculed for Believing in Capitalism

8:33

MIT PhD Donor Challenges Americans to Match His Million-Dollar Commitment to Turning Point Action

July 11, 2024

Bob Shillman, a self-made tech entrepreneur with a PhD in computer science from MIT shares his journey from a lower-middle-class family to building a successful public company, crediting America's free enterprise system for his success. After supporting Charlie Kirk and Turning Point USA for a decade, he now issues an urgent call to action, offering to match donations up to $1 million for Turning Point Action. He warns that America stands at a critical juncture where the freedoms granted by the Founding Fathers could be lost, making this election unlike any other. His message emphasizes that while contributions to the C4 organization aren't tax-deductible, protecting American freedom is worth far more than any tax benefit.

From Humble Beginnings to Philanthropic Mission

A successful tech entrepreneur shares his remarkable American story, one that began in a lower-middle-class family where his father never owned a new car and sometimes had no car at all. Despite these modest beginnings, the freedoms afforded by the United States allowed him to pursue an education that culminated in a PhD in computer science from MIT. This educational foundation enabled him to start a high-tech company that eventually went public, generating substantial wealth.

Rather than simply celebrating his personal success, he attributes his achievements entirely to the opportunities provided by America's free enterprise system. He now jokes that his PhD stands for "Doctor of Philanthropy," reflecting his commitment to giving back to the country that made his success possible. His philosophy is simple: the capitalist system has lifted more people out of poverty around the world than any other system, and it represents one of the greatest gifts from America's Founders.

A Decade of Supporting Charlie Kirk and Turning Point USA

Ten years ago, this philanthropist took an unusual approach to charitable giving. Rather than waiting for organizations to solicit his help, he actively sought out people and causes deserving of support. That's when he discovered Charlie Kirk and Turning Point USA. His decision to reach out and offer assistance stemmed from a profound sense of obligation—America had helped him succeed, and now he wanted to help America.

Over the past decade, he has watched Turning Point USA grow from a small organization into a significant force dedicated to supporting the American way of life. He has been particularly impressed by the organization's expansion and its various programs designed to educate young people about the blessings of freedom. His support has extended to multiple Turning Point initiatives, including:

  • The pastor program
  • Blexit
  • Educational programs targeting high school and college students
  • Various other initiatives aimed at preserving American values

America at a Critical Turning Point

The philanthropist's message takes on added urgency as he addresses what he sees as an existential threat to American freedom. He warns that the country stands at both a turning point and a tipping point—a moment where the blessings granted by the Founding Fathers could be lost. This concern has motivated him to expand his support beyond Turning Point USA's educational efforts to include Turning Point Action, the organization's political engagement arm.

He emphasizes that this election represents something different, something more consequential than previous electoral contests. In his view, losing this election would mean losing the freedoms Americans have long enjoyed. This stark assessment drives his willingness to commit significant personal resources to electoral efforts.

The Million-Dollar Challenge

Demonstrating the depth of his commitment, the donor issues a direct challenge to fellow Americans who share his concerns. He announces that he will match donations to Turning Point Action up to $1 million. This commitment comes with full acknowledgment that Turning Point Action operates as a C4 organization, meaning contributions are not tax-deductible—a fact that might deter some donors.

However, he frames this limitation in stark terms: if Americans don't use their money appropriately now to preserve their freedoms, and if the election is lost, that money will be gone anyway. The tax deduction becomes irrelevant when weighed against the potential loss of the American system that allowed people to earn that money in the first place.

Turning Point Action's Ground Game Strategy

The philanthropist expresses particular enthusiasm for Turning Point Action's voter engagement strategy. He highlights the organization's plan to chase votes by getting people out of their homes and ensuring their votes are counted. The focus is on reaching Americans who believe in constitutional principles and free enterprise but who haven't consistently voted in the past.

This ground game approach—identifying sympathetic non-voters and mobilizing them to the polls—represents a different strategy from traditional political advertising. The donor's confidence in this methodology has convinced him to dedicate resources specifically to Turning Point Action, separate from his ongoing support for Turning Point USA's educational mission.

A Call to Protect the American Dream

In his closing appeal, the donor frames his challenge in personal terms: help America, help Charlie Kirk, and ultimately help yourself to keep the country free and safe. His message carries the weight of someone who has directly benefited from American freedom and who recognizes that such freedom cannot be taken for granted.

His journey from a family of modest means to tech industry success embodies the American Dream that he now fears could slip away. By offering to match contributions up to $1 million, he puts his money where his convictions are, challenging others to do the same. For him, this isn't just about supporting a political organization—it's about preserving the system that transformed his life and continues to offer opportunity to countless others.

Comments

Be the first to comment on this video.

Video Transcript

[00:02] I don't wait for people to call me for

[00:05] help I hear about people one way or

[00:08] another who deserve my support and I

[00:11] reach out to them and that happened with

[00:13] Charlie Kirk about 10 years

[00:21] ago I was able to help

[00:24] Charlie because America helped me I was

[00:28] born in a lower middle class economic

[00:32] family with modest means my father never

[00:36] had a new car and occasionally never had

[00:38] a car but because of the upbringing that

[00:42] I had and because of the freedom to

[00:46] pursue an education in a in a great

[00:49] career I was able to start a company

[00:52] Hightech company which after many years

[00:55] brought public and brought me a lot of a

[00:58] lot of liquidity

[01:00] and people congratulate me and I say it

[01:03] couldn't happen without the freedoms in

[01:06] the United States of

[01:10] America the free enterprise system the

[01:13] capitalist system has risen so many

[01:17] people around the world from poverty

[01:20] it's the greatest thing that our

[01:22] Founders have given us and I feel

[01:26] obliged to continue to support that

[01:29] system to make sure that other people

[01:32] can benefit the same way that I did I

[01:36] have a PhD in computer science from MIT

[01:40] and I tell people now my PhD stands for

[01:43] Doctor of

[01:45] philanthropy and that's what I do I find

[01:48] worthy causes like turning point and I

[01:52] help them to help us continue the

[01:55] American tradition of free

[01:58] enterprise and I'm so impressed with how

[02:02] Turning Point has grown from those 10 12

[02:06] years ago to what it is now a force to

[02:10] support the American way of life and the

[02:13] things the blessings that freedom has

[02:16] brought to us I'm especially concerned

[02:20] now we are at a turning point in this

[02:22] country we're at a Tipping Point we

[02:25] could lose this blessing that the

[02:28] founding fathers have given us so I

[02:32] continue to support the efforts to

[02:34] educate kids in high school and college

[02:38] whether it's through the pastor program

[02:41] or blexit or all of the other

[02:44] programs that Turning Point has

[02:46] initiated and

[02:48] supports I continue to do that but in

[02:51] addition we have to be worried about

[02:54] this coming election if we lose this

[02:57] election we will lose the freedoms that

[03:00] we have enjoyed and in that regard

[03:03] Turning Point action is so important for

[03:08] all of us all of us who love the way of

[03:11] life that we've been living and it's

[03:13] important to step up to use your Capital

[03:18] to use the money that you've earned so

[03:21] hard and paid taxes on to contribute I

[03:25] know it's a C4 it means you don't get a

[03:28] tax deduction

[03:30] but if you don't use your money

[03:32] appropriately now if we lose this

[03:36] election the money will be gone

[03:40] anyway I'm so concerned about this

[03:44] coming election and I'm so impressed

[03:47] with what Turning Point action has

[03:50] planned and is now doing to chase the

[03:52] votes to to get people out of their

[03:55] homes to get their votes counted these

[03:58] people who believe in what we believe in

[04:00] but they haven't voted in the past to

[04:03] get them to vote I'm so worried about

[04:06] this that I am going to help Turning

[04:11] Point action in addition to helping

[04:12] turning point and I ask you to help too

[04:18] so tonight I'm challenging you I am now

[04:22] committing to match your donation up to

[04:26] $1 million

[04:31] please help America help Charlie help

[04:37] yourself to keep this country free and

[04:40] safe thank you

Link copied to clipboard!