Utah Governor Spencer Cox reflected on the day Charlie Kirk was killed, marking a significant moment for Turning Point USA. He emphasized that the assassination of the group’s founder had a profound impact, stating, “we all changed.”
“It was a political assassination, and people were afraid to say it,” Cox remarked from Utah State.
He recounted receiving a call from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was already in the situation room shortly after Kirk, 31, was shot at Utah Valley University on September 10th.
“It changed us all,” Cox added.
Cox expressed confidence in the legal system to hold accountable those responsible for Kirk’s death.
“This was more than just an attack on Charlie Kirk. It represented an assault on free speech in America—an attack on a fundamental American ideal,” he noted.
The revised speaker panel on Tuesday also included Senator Mike Lee, who offered a pre-recorded address, along with Representative Andy Biggs and former Congressman Jason Chaffetz.
The event featured Alex Clark, host of TPUSA’s health and wellness podcast, Culture Apothecary.
Just four hours before the panel began, around 2:45 PM, a school administration building was evacuated due to suspicious packages being reported. The package was later determined to be “a non-explosive device” and was destroyed by a bomb squad already present on campus, which had increased its security measures ahead of the TPUSA event.
There was an armed law enforcement presence at the USU campus on Tuesday. Subsequent discussions, like other TPUSA events since Kirk’s assassination, were held indoors to effectively screen ticketed attendees.
