Turning Point USA’s “This is The Turning Point Tour” concluded its Spring leg at the University of Idaho on Tuesday, featuring Matt Walsh and Michael Knowles of the Daily Wire. 

The two discussed with each other recent political events, and explained what they believe is their cause. Walsh condemned moral relativism, which he finds to be one such cause. 

“It’s the ultimate middle finger to God, basically saying, ‘I am my own God.’ Reality is whatever I say it is,” he claimed of moral relativism. “And leftism, at the end of the day, is relativism. It is the rejection of objective truth. And so if they say, ‘never mind,’ we had that wrong. Well, they’re admitting that there is an objective truth out there that there’s some kind of reality that they have to acquiesce to, they have to assent to, and if they admit that, then pretty soon the whole project comes tumbling down so they can’t admit it.”

During Q&A, one student asked the two how to keep the political status of a small community intact.

“Well, I think I think you’re exactly right that… true that politics are local. I think one of the dangers these days is that we’re very focused on issues on a national scale,” Walsh responded. “We’re all on social media, so we’re very plugged in at the national level and even the international level, but when it comes down to it, if we’re going to make any kind of real changes in our community, it has to start at the community level and I mean, it’s an easy answer, but in order to do that, you need organization.” 

When asked about the many debates taking place throughout the nation – online and even in election campaigns –  over the direction US policies should be steered, Knowles commented on both the naturalness and the inevitability of debate over these “eternal political questions” as being a theme in US history. For instance, he discussed the politics of intervening and not intervening abroad. 

“These are questions that you know are constantly changing because of changing circumstances, but their eternal political questions,” Knowles said. “Every nation has interests. Every nation has interests around the world. We’re going to pursue those interests around the world. Sometimes we’re going to extend ourselves too much. Sometimes we’re not going to intervene enough. I mean, this is why politics is not some stupid abstraction like the left wants to believe, but politics is this practical art.”

The entire event at the University of Idaho can be watched on the TPUSA YouTube page.