The University of North Texas Turning Point USA chapter hosted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and conservative commentator Sara Gonzalez for an event focused on what speakers described as rising political violence from the Left.
Gonzalez opened the program by recounting the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. She described the moment as a shift in how she viewed the current political climate.
The Dallas Express previously reported that several UNT-affiliated groups and anonymous online accounts reacted to Kirk’s death with celebratory posts and extremist rhetoric.
“A man that I knew was publicly executed by a radical leftist and it was quite a clarifying moment for me. I assume it was quite a clarifying moment for a lot of you, specifically on this campus, to watch the reaction that it got,” Gonzalez told the audience. “And since then, it really has never been more clear that we are still very much in a battle of good vs evil.”
Gonzalez referenced polling data on political violence and noted that many respondents on the Left supported the idea of harm against political opponents. “Forty-four percent of leftists said they would be happy about the death of a public figure they disagree with, and 18 percent were unsure,” she said. She said Kirk’s killing showed how normalized political violence has become and cited a Democrat candidate in Virginia who won despite using inflammatory rhetoric.
“How do you share a country with people like that?” Gonzalez asked. She ended her remarks by saying that the worldview supporting political violence “must be defeated.”
Paxton echoed her concerns and told the audience that Kirk’s death would be a turning point for the entire country.
“His death would be the turning point for the entire country,” Paxton told the crowd. “Even though it cost his life, he does not regret naming it Turning Point, nor does he regret anything he did making this organization something that would be significant for the entire country.”
TPUSA UNT President Anthony Vita also addressed the audience and criticized what he described as the Left’s reaction to Kirk’s assassination. Several attendees heckled him when he began speaking, but Vita continued without stopping.
“Two months ago the life of Charlie Kirk was cut short by a coward’s bullet. Two months ago a wife lost a husband and two children lost a father,” Vita said.
“It is not too early or too late to learn to defend our basic principles,” Vita said while encouraging students to stay engaged despite challenges.
A packed audience filled the venue and delivered a standing ovation at the end of the event. Speakers urged young conservatives to stay united and refuse to remain silent.
The investigation into Kirk’s assassination remains ongoing. Authorities have identified Tyler James Robinson as the primary suspect, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.