COLUMBUS, Ohio – Reality TV star Savannah Chrisley delivered a poignant tribute to the late Charlie Kirk at Ohio State University on Tuesday, telling a crowd of young conservatives that the Turning Point USA founder “would have been the greatest president of our time.”
The appearance was part of the “This Is the Turning Point Tour,” a national university circuit launched to honor Kirk’s legacy following his assassination last year during a campus event in Utah.
A Legacy Cut Short
Speaking to a packed audience before GOP gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy took the stage, Chrisley touched on the sense of loss permeating the movement since Kirk’s passing.
“I know some of you have attended Turning Point events since Charlie passed and felt lost, because I have too,” Chrisley said. She praised Kirk’s leadership, stating emphatically that his vision for the country was of presidential caliber.
Chrisley, known for the Lifetime docuseries “The Chrisleys: Back to Reality,” recalled Kirk’s signature brand of “confrontational civility”—specifically his habit of sitting at a folding table on hostile campuses with a sign reading, “Prove Me Wrong.”
Dialogue Amidst Division
A key highlight of Chrisley’s speech was her reflection on Kirk’s appearance on California Governor Gavin Newsom’s podcast, recorded just months before his death. Despite their polar opposite ideologies, she held the exchange up as a gold standard for political discourse.
- On the Divide: “It was essentially different gods, different families, different countries,” Chrisley noted.
- On the Discourse: “They talked for two hours. They pushed each other. They disagreed, but they respected one another.”
A Challenge to the Next Generation
Rather than calling for more volume, Chrisley challenged students to win through engagement and intellect. She urged the audience to seek out their most “liberal” peers for dialogue.
- Engagement: “Find the most liberal person on campus and buy them a cup of coffee.”
- Intellectual Rigor: “Sit down, listen, ask questions, and counter-argue. Earn their respect.”
- The Strategy for Victory: “That is how we win. Not by screaming louder than them, but by being the person they simply cannot ignore.”
The Road Ahead
The Ohio State stop is a cornerstone of Turning Point USA’s spring tour, which seeks to galvanize the conservative youth vote in honor of its fallen founder. The tour is scheduled to continue with high-profile stops at:
- George Washington University
- The University of Georgia
- Baylor University
- The University of Idaho
The event concluded with a clear message: while the face of the organization is gone, the mission to challenge the ideological status quo on American campuses remains in full force.