Turning Point USA continues its “This is The Turning Point Tour,” with the latest stop taking place at Virginia Tech on Wednesday evening. The featured speakers were Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and Megyn Kelly, who conducted the event’s Q&A session.
Governor Youngkin approached the crowd buoyantly and provided words of encouragement and advice to the audience. He also related his life journey through Christianity and marriage.
“We’re here to reflect: but we’re also here to go,” Youngkin said, remarking the necessity of simultaneously reflecting and moving forward with carrying out the mission set forth by Charlie Kirk.
“I am thrilled to be here with you guys tonight, and of course my only sadness is that it is not with Charlie,” Youngkin greeted the crowd. “He was so looking forward to this, he so wanted to be here with you. I think we all came for the same reason. The reason is to send a message that we will not be silenced by an assassin’s bullet, by a heckler’s veto, by a left-wing woke professor or anyone who tries to silence us for what we really believe.”
During Kelly’s Q&A session, questioners asked a variety of questions. Some of these were as mild as what Kelly’s workout routine or coffee order is; others asked about the influence of Israel on the US government.
One of the main themes of Kelly’s commentary during the event was not being afraid to embrace one’s views and express them around people who are either favorable, neutral, or unfavorable to them.
A student asked, “How can I, as a Christian conservative woman on a college campus, show love and show compassion to people who don’t agree with me and, quite frankly, hate me, because it’s scary to walk around and feel secure in my beliefs when I know that people want me to die for what I believe in?”
Kelly’s response was based on her own approach with friends of hers who are liberal.
“I do actually have a real life approach to dealing with hardcore liberals with whom we disagree: Be with them: have dinner, have lunch, have coffee, have a drink, whatever–and don’t talk about politics, at all… I think you should keep leftists in your life: I don’t think you should talk about politics. If you really love each other… then introduce it. Debating them with each other is likely not to convince either one of you,” she said.
Another questioner, who identified himself as a “huge lefty,” asked Kelly her thoughts on former President Barack Obama. “It was really nice to see a beautiful black man in the [Oval] Office,” he said, “where would you rank him among modern US presidents?
Kelly complimented the questioner for being brave to ask such a question. She then proceeded to explain how, over time, she realized that Obama was “divisive” as a president, citing Obamacare, “which the American people did not want and did not have majority support.” She also accused the former president “getting ahead of the evidence and dividing us on,” race-related issues.
A woman asked how she should manage a situation with a colleague who posted negative social media comments about the passing of Charlie Kirk.
“As a conservative, I don’t really think it’s our jam to run around getting people canceled even for hateful thoughts,” Kelly replied. “In this life you’re going to deal with bad people, if it’s the majority at your place and they’re actually your employees, you have to rethink where you’re working.”
“I’m so grateful to you,” said Kelly as she closed the event. “You’re very brave, you’re very courageous, keep saying yes!”
