BLACKSBURG, Va. – Wednesday night, the Virginia Tech chapter of Turning Point USA hosted a stop of the American Comeback Tour in Burruss Hall Auditorium.
Nearly 3,000 people attended the event, which featured two prominent conservative figures.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin was in attendance and spoke about his kinship through shared faith with Turning Point USA’s late founder, Charlie Kirk. Journalist Megyn Kelly also spoke briefly and filled in for Kirk during a Q&A segment with members of the audience.
There was significant discussion leading up to the event about whether it should be canceled, following Kirk’s assassination in Utah.
“A lot of people were not very happy that it was hosted here at Virginia Tech,” said Connor Herr, a junior studying civil engineering. “But I saw some of the clips on the livestream, and I felt like it was a good event with people from both sides talking.”
Emily Sandt, also a junior in civil engineering, added, “A lot of them were upset with the nature of the mass shooting that we had at Virginia Tech, and how that reflects with Turning Point’s views on gun laws.”
Turning Point USA will be back in Utah on Sept. 30 for the next stop of the American Comeback Tour. The event is scheduled to be held at Utah State University, less than two hours from where Kirk was shot.