Conservative political commentator Michael Knowles took to the stage for Turning Point USA’s very first event in Minnesota on Monday, the first visit in a planned tour of campuses since the assassination of fellow conservative commentator Charlie Kirk in Utah on Sept. 10. 

Over 1,600 people gathered to see the event  at Northrop Auditorium, according to MPR News, with Knowles taking the place of Kirk.

As people were waiting in line to get into the event, protestors chanted “F—Trump”. People in line chanted “USA” as a counter. 

Minneapolis City Council member Robin Wonsley said in a newsletter that people in the surrounding community were concerned about the event still taking place on Monday, due to hate speech. 

“There is widespread documentation of the hate speech Charlie Kirk and Turning Point espoused,” Wonsley’s newsletter said. “Members of the community had safety concerns about the presence of TPU supporters on campus and whether they would wander into our surrounding communities, such as Cedar Riverside, which is largely Somali.” 

During the event, Knowles called attention to Minnesota’s Somali population, claiming they have committed crimes, including immigration fraud.  

“The Somalis who are here, for instance, who are committing all sorts of crimes, they need to be arrested, they need to be punished for those crimes,” Knowles said. “The Somalis who have committed immigration fraud, not naming names, they need to be let go from their places of employment.” 

His criticism of Minnesota did not end there.

When Knowles was asked if Minnesota is worth investing in politically, he said Minnesota had problems, including immigration and the aftermath of the George Floyd Protests. 

“There are recent problems with Minnesota that have created, obviously, the influx of mass migration, which has brought crime and all of the rioting and looting in the year of our Floyd some five years ago,” Knowles said. 

University President Rebecca Cunningham said in a Sept. 19 email statement that the University community had concerns about the scheduled event. 

“I also want to acknowledge the anxiety about Monday evening’s Turning Point event on our campus,” The statement read. “We recognize those concerns and have updated our safety protocols to take every precaution warranted to ensure safety for all.” 

What Conservatives Think

Saint John’s University student and Turning Point America volunteer Quentin Hayes said he chose to volunteer because he wants to see the younger generation of conservatives stand up for what they believe. 

Hayes said he felt a calling to do more as a conservative and support changes for policies he believed in after Kirk was killed. Hayes said the main policy he supports is on immigration status, a frequent centerpiece of Kirk’s debates.

“Immigrants, I love them, but they have to come in here legally,” Hayes said. “If you look at some of the people that they have arrested, it’s violent people who’ve committed violent crimes, such as sexual like assault, rape and murder.” 

Beliefs like that are widely held among Republicans, but according to deportation data, these beliefs are inaccurate. More than half of the 56,000 detainees held in ICE custody had no criminal convictions and have never been charged with a crime, according to an NPR report from July 2025. 

Kirk’s beliefs continue to be carried on beyond his death, especially in young Republicans such as Hayes.

Along with standing up for his principles, Hayes advocated for others to do the same. Hayes said he believed the event should have gone on despite Kirk’s death, and advised people who agreed with Kirk to come to events like these. 

“He left behind his wife and his two kids fighting for his policies peacefully, and someone took him away,” Hayes said. “I think that people need to realize that and rise up.” 

Event attendee Zayne Horakho said he attended because he has been a fan of Knowles and Turning Point’s events. 

Horakho said he hoped people who attended would share a different perspective from those who do not support Turning Point’s sentiments. He added he also did not believe the event should have been postponed due to Kirk’s killing.

“I don’t think canceling events like this is the answer,” Horakho said. “We need people to start seeing these viewpoints for what they are, instead of seeing it as political hate speech or saying things as words are violence, see it more as just another perspective.” 

A More Liberal View 

Graduate student Elizabeth Quillen showed up to protest the event. Standing outside, Quillen, a history Ph.D. candidate, held a sign that said, “Historian here, we’ve done this all before, and it f–king sucked. Stop being bigots.” 

Quillen said she decided to protest the event, as she felt like it was important to express her opinion in the current political climate. 

“There are a lot of strong feelings, especially now,” Quillen said. “People on the right are gonna cling to each other even closer in their community, and they are gonna want events like this. I think it’s unfortunate that it’s being hosted by a public institution that claims to be objective.” 

Quillen added she hopes the University brings important political figures from the Left to do similar presentations and events on campus. 

Quillen said, though Kirk did not use slurs, she believed his speech and final words mirrored hate speech. She added that his words were anti-transgender and deflected shooting violence, with racially coded language. 

“We all know that he did not like these people,” Quillen said. “He did not want these people to continue kind of existing or having a place in society, so in that way, I think it was hate speech.” 

Doctor Eric Nelson also showed up to the event in protest of Kirk’s and TPUSA’s ideals. At the event, he held a sign that said, “Hate Speech is unhealthy for all.”

Nelson said he did not agree with the assassination of Kirk, but does not believe Kirk deserves the Presidential Medal of Freedom. 

“I think during his lifetime, he said many hateful things,” Nelson said. “He was racially insensitive, he said things against trans people and I feel that he wasn’t a uniting figure.” 

Nelson said, though he does not believe Kirk’s speech should have resulted in his assassination, he believes his life should be mourned and not celebrated. 

Nelson said he decided to protest because he wanted to make sure the other perspective was provided, and not just Turning Point’s.