An Arkansas college chapter of the late Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA abruptly cut ties with the conservative organization—less than a week after Erika Kirk visited the state.
The University of Arkansas’s TPUSA chapter released a statement Tuesday disavowing the organization and its use of Charlie Kirk’s name since he was fatally shot at a campus event in Utah on September 10.
“We have many grievances with Turning Point USA, but I will share only one,” wrote Dino Fantegrossi, the former chapter president at UA. “We are generally put off by how Charlie Kirk has been used by TPUSA since his assassination. Statements like’Charlie would have said….’ and ‘Charlie would have wanted…’ have felt in many instances disingenuous and manipulative. Charlie Kirk cannot speak for himself anymore, and we do not recognize the way others have attempted to speak for him.”
Fantegrossi, who has been a member of TPUSA since his freshman year, said the chapter unanimously voted to rebrand and rename the organization “Young American Revival,” with a renewed mission of “advocating for Christian conservative values and policy” and supporting right-wing political candidates. He did not respond to a request for comment.
Just days prior, Erika Kirk, the newly installed CEO of TPUSA, traveled to Arkansas for a joint press conference with Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, where they announced a partnership between the state and the organization to bring TPUSA to high school and college campuses across the state.
“We are here to welcome one of the conservative movement’s most talented, most outspoken, and most faithful leaders, Erika Kirk, to our great state. We’re so proud to have her,” Sanders said in a video posted on X on March 11.
Fantegrossi did not address the joint press conference or statewide initiative in his statement. Instead, he wrote: “We do not want to start this next chapter of our journey in conflict, so we will not make any more public statements on Turning Point USA going forward.”
After Charlie Kirk’s death, there was an initial outpouring of support for Erika Kirk. But the mood quickly shifted after she was installed at the helm of TPUSA.
Since then, the 37-year-old has been subjected to an onslaught of speculation and conspiracy theories from far-right figures, none more prominent than Candace Owens. The commentator is currently releasing a multi-part documentary monetized on YouTube focused on Erika Kirk, titled “Bride of Charlie.” Another recent video, “Did Erika Kirk Know Jeffrey Epstein?” has been viewed 1.9 million times.
The White House has stood firmly behind Erika Kirk. Last week, she was appointed by President Donald Trump to fill a seat on the United States Air Force Academy’s Board of Visitors, according to the academy’s website.
Trump, 79, has frequently highlighted his close relationship with the widow, most recently honoring her during his State of the Union address last month. “Last year, Charlie was violently murdered by an assassin and martyred, really, martyred for his beliefs,” the president said before introducing a tearful Kirk.
Vice President JD Vance will also headline the “This Is The Turning Point” tour at the University of Georgia in April alongside Erika Kirk, where he will debate college students as Trump wages a war in the Middle East.
The Daily Beast has reached out to TPUSA for comment.
