Turning Point USA is reportedly “livid” about the Republican Party’s Trump-a-Palooza.
The movement, founded by late activist Charlie Kirk, pulled vast swathes of young voters into the MAGA orbit and is widely credited with playing a major role in putting Donald Trump, 80, in the White House in 2024.
But two people close to the group told Politico that its leaders are furious over the timing of Trump’s first-of-its-kind midterm convention in Dallas.
The president staged the event to fire up Republicans with just 54 days until the midterms, but it falls on the first anniversary of Kirk’s assassination on Sept. 10, 2025.
It has led several members of TPUSA’s leadership to abandon the Texas event, including Kirk’s top lieutenant, Andrew Kolvet.
“I personally made the decision,” Kolvet told Politico. “I want to remember Charlie here, inside his studio and on the campus that he built. I want our influencers and our contributors to come here and be a part of remembering Charlie.”
Some in the White House are said to be unimpressed by the timing of the two-day convention, which kicked off Wednesday.
“It’s a huge missed opportunity,” someone familiar with the White House told Politico. “This week we should be laser-focused on two things: commemorating the run-up to Charlie Kirk’s assassination, and hammering the Democrats in the run-up to 9/11… not a half-assed convention.”
Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance, who was a close friend of Kirk’s, said he plans to call The Charlie Kirk Show on Thursday to honor the anniversary of the day he was shot by a sniper at Utah Valley University.
The Daily Beast has contacted the Republican Party and TPUSA for comment.
Trump’s big convention comes as he tries to heal the wounds his abysmal approval ratings have inflicted on the Republican Party.
The midterms are largely expected to be a referendum on the commander-in-chief, with some polling putting his favorability as low as 33 percent amid an affordability crisis and a war in the Middle East.
That, coupled with the fact that his name will not be on the ballot, effectively robbing GOP candidates of his ability to get people out to vote, has sparked deep concern amongst Republicans.
Trump appears to be aware of the delicate balance too, telling voters during one of his two speeches in Dallas to “pretend I’m on the ballot… When I’m on the ticket, Republicans always do very well.”
Still images of empty seats have prevailed online, while Politico reported on Wednesday that some Republican candidates attending the event were unsure how much to engage with Trump.
