Turning Point USA (TPUSA) has received the support of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to expand its Club America student groups into more Texas high schools in the coming years.
Texas is already home to around 500 active high school student clubs—of 3,000 total clubs nationwide—more than any other state, according to TPUSA.
The announcement was made at a Dec. 8 press conference at the governor’s mansion, featuring Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and TPUSA Senior Director Josh Thifault, all of whom spoke about the mission of TPUSA.
TPUSA was started by the late Charlie Kirk, who toured the nation debating students about morality and politics. He was assassinated at a campus event in Utah on Sept. 10 this year.
According to Thifault, Club America teaches students about the founding of the country, the value of marriage and family, and Christianity.
Abbott offered his support for the group’s presence in high schools, saying that “any school that stands in the way of a club America program in their school should be reported immediately to the Texas Education Agency, where I expect meaningful disciplinary action to be taking place for any stoppage of TPUSA in the great state of Texas.”
Abbott called the Turning Point USA students assembled at the governor’s mansion the “future leaders of the Lone Star state.”
Patrick relayed a personal anecdote regarding the expansion of TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk’s mission following his death, saying that his grandson, who is a freshman in high school, didn’t know about Kirk until he was assassinated.
Patrick said his grandson and friends are now involved in one of the biggest TPUSA chapters in the state.
Just weeks ago, Patrick donated $1 million of his campaign funds to TPUSA to help chapters of the group’s high school and college programs in Texas.
“Charlie was confident he could do that. Later, he brought his faith into his discussions on campus with boldness and conviction that only grew his following.”
Thifault spoke to the struggles some young people face when joining Club America, saying, “Our biggest problem is that as soon as that 15-, 16-year-old gets interested, they get bullied.”
According to the TPUSA official, high schoolers are told by teachers and administrators that if they continue with the group, they could get bad grades or not receive letters of recommendation to get into college.
“It’s pretty easy to bully a 14-, 15-year-old, and that disgusts me. That should not be the country we live in,” he said.
According to the group, “TPUSA specializes in creating viral moments and has demonstrated little interest in having good faith scholarly discussions about, say, feminism, migration, or trans rights.”
At the Dec. 8 press conference, Abbott spoke to other religious organizations that exist on high school campuses in response to a question, drawing attention to a group he was previously a part of, the Fellowship for Christian Athletes (FCA).
“FCA still exists today. You can have religious organizations ... that focus on those values, like that allowed in our schools, and this is just another more modern example of Fellowship of Christian Athletes.”
Abbott said, in support of the clubs, “We need combatants in this world to stand up for what’s right. We should not be ashamed to talk about the things we believe in; we should not be ashamed to talk about our faith.
“Charlie did that, and it cost him his life. So the least we can do for Charlie is to carry on his dream and his legacy. And I know, because of Turning Point and Charlie Kirk, Texas will be a greater state in the future than it ever would have been without him, and America will be a better place than it ever would have been if not for Charlie Kirk.”
