LARAMIE – Conservative political activist Charlie Kirk implored an audience of around 1,800 people at the University of Wyoming Arts and Sciences Auditorium in Laramie to cast aside woke ideologies and other liberal beliefs he sees pervading America’s youth.
Kirk said a belief that a traditional, four-year education is the only viable option for success has stunted America’s growth. There was a slight bit of irony in Kirk’s message in that he was telling this to an audience made up of a majority of college students, on a college campus.
Kirk, a college dropout, frequently visits college campuses around the country, expressing conservative viewpoints that are often in the minority or almost non-existent there.
Thursday was no different, however as the vast majority of those in attendance made it verbally clear that they agreed with what Kirk had to say. This is a testament to Kirk’s goal of bringing more conservative viewpoints to younger generations, one of the main reasons he founded Turning Point USA.
Kirk was in Laramie for a stop on his American Comeback Tour. During these events, Kirk openly engages with those that disagree with him and disputes with them on hot button issues. Thursday was no different, however aside from a handful of detractors, those who rose to the mic did so to compliment Kirk or ask him a softball question.
Pro-Trump Agenda
Kirk painted a picture during the event of an America tainted by poor economic practices and immoral behavior, even making the argument at one point that the country was a better place to raise a child in the 1980s than it is today. He also made it clear he believes President Donald Trump’s administration is the answer to these problems.
Wearing an “American Lives Matter” shirt, Kirk started the evening giving an endorsement for President Donald Trump’s policies, which he sees as picking up the fight for American civilization. He also used the phrase “we” to describe actions made by the administration.
Kirk lists getting rid of the four topics of Critical Race Theory, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), affirmative action. disparate impact, all topics Trump has signed executive orders abolishing in various forms within federal institutions. He calls these four concepts together “the four horsemen of the anti-racism monster.”
“This is a monumental step forward for the country because we’re getting rid of this monstrosity,” Kirk said.
Kirk firmly stands behind Trump’s tariffs, which he sees as a negotiation tactic to bring other countries to the table to get better deals for the country. He says Wyoming should be able to sell its natural gas to Japan than at a better rate than Iran sells theirs.
“The tariffs are a message and a signal that we want to become a self-sufficient country and that we will not be a vassal state to the Chinese Communist Party,” he said.
UW student Allie Edwards, who’s studying range land management, expressed concern about federal cuts to staffing, mentioning how she lost her seasonal firefighting job with the U.S. Forest Service.
Kirk expressed sympathy for Edwards but said he’d prefer an administration that makes significant cuts rather than the opposite.
Race In America
Kirk believes “woke” perspectives will ruin America. As a whole, he believes race should be deemphasized in society.
“Because in God’s economy, skin color actually doesn’t matter to God,” he said.
Kirk doesn’t believe Critical Race Theory allows for racism against white people and that anti-white racism has significantly grown in recent years. He also said minorities should want to get rid of DEI practices as well for the sake of self-fulfillment.
“We want to value grit, hustle and character above just what you look like,” he said.
The Trades
Kirk is a major advocate for people pursuing education and careers in the trades rather than pursuing a traditional four-year college education.
“We need to not look down on people who don’t have a four-year degree,” he said.
He sees college campuses as a festering ground of demoralization and regret and even wrote about this concept called “The College Scam.” Kirk believes the traditional college model needs to be revamped and that there are more options than four-year colleges.
“If we are thinking about going up against China, do we want more universities that are of the liberal arts direction, or more that are doing artificial intelligence preparedness, astrophysics, engineering, of which of course I totally support,” Kirk said. “But that’s less than 12% of (what) all students that go to college studies for.”
Gabby Mendoza, a UW track athlete, said she didn’t find it ironic that Kirk was preaching this to an audience that had mostly already done the opposite, even though she hasn’t found her speech pathology degree a waste of time.
“I think it’s good for college students to see different viewpoints.
UW student Matthew O’Malley questioned Kirk why he’s discouraging people to gain certain skills as well as speaking out against immigration while he simultaneous says he wants a stronger American economy.
“How does this make America more competitive?” O’Malley questioned.
Kirk said this isn’t the case but finds it laughable that people are studying subjects that won’t necessarily help with their careers like American poetry. He sees the teaching of humanities as a whole flawed by liberal biases ingrained into the studies.
O’Malley told Cowboy State Daily after he was surprised how much Kirk brought up race during his speech rather than more present-day topics like transgender people.
Immigration
Kirk doesn’t believe America should accept immigrants just because they possess a high level of education.
“If they PhD in Islamic studies, what are you going to bring to our country that’s good?” he said.
A man named Nate questioned Kirk about Kilmar Abrego Garcia. The two disagreed about whether the man was in the MS-13 gang.
Kirk questioned why Garcia’s girlfriend edited out one of his tattoos and all of his photos.
Nate then said even if Garcia was in a gang, this shouldn’t automatically result in his deportation.
“Because I care that everyone under the United States is afforded the rights under the Constitution, and if we bypass that for him, what’s stopping us from bypassing that for literally everybody else,” Nate said.
Although Kirk admitted the Trump administration made an error in deporting Garica to El Salvador, he said that doesn’t negate his view that illegal immigrants should be deported back to their home country under all circumstances.
A woman named Madison, who said she was grateful to grow up in a conservative community, asked Kirk what he would like to see of the Hispanic community. Madison said she has a friend who was brought into the country illegally who feels threatened by Trump’s policies.
Kirk expressed empathy for Madison and her friend, but said he sees no room for compromise on illegal immigration and believes the woman she be deported with her parents.
“I’m a blind justice guy, if you’re not here illegally, we’ll return you to your country of origin,” he said.
Other Thoughts
Kirk also infused his Christian beliefs throughout his messages, imploring the audience to infuse their daily work in God’s glory. He encouraged one young man studying to be an electrician to pray with his customers when they’re in times of need.
Cheyenne resident Abra Shipley and her son Josh Shipley said Kirk’s views were the primary reason they attended Thursday. Josh Shipley, 14, said it’s Kirk’s religious views he sees most eye-to-eye with.
“He says what he thinks,” Abra Shipley said.
Kirk also believes story selection is a huge form of bias in American media, which is the choice to cover certain stories over others in order to protect certain groups.
“The reader should never know your politics,” he said. “If the reader is left in mystery in how you vote, you’re a good journalist.”
Kirk’s final message to the audience was to get involved in their local politics and said he’s thrilled Wyoming voted former Congresswoman Liz Cheney out of office.
The family of fallen Wyoming Marine Rylee McCollum was in attendance, who Kirk expressed his condolences to.
