Last night, nearly 10,000 attendees packed the Sandy and John Black Pavilion in Oxford as Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk and U.S. Vice President JD Vance headlined TPUSA’s “This is the Turning Point Tour.” Here are scenes from the event.
5:04 p.m. – Volunteers guide students into the pavilion. Many stood in line for hours as rain and low temperatures plagued Oxford. (Ivy Rose Ball)
5:05 p.m. – Security was heavy at the event as secret service police were spread throughout the pavilion. (Ivy Rose Ball)
5:08 p.m. – A memorial for Charlie Kirk is set up in the lobby of the Sandy and John Black Pavilion. Kirk, the founder of TPUSA, was originally slated to speak at the event before he was assassinated on Sept. 10 in Utah.
5:36 p.m. – Attendees cheer as Benny Johnson runs through the crowd prior to the event. (Ivy Rose Ball)
5:13 p.m. – Conservative Political Commentator Benny Johnson poses for a photo with a fan at the TPUSA event. (Ivy Rose Ball)
5:42 p.m. – Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves smiles for a photo with an attendee at the TPUSA event. (Ivy Rose Ball)
5:45 p.m. – University of Mississippi Glenn Boyce and wife, Emily, stand looking at the stage. (Ivy Rose Ball)
6:10 p.m. – Gov. Tate Reeves stands alongside Chancellor Glenn Boyce during the national anthem on Wednesday. (Ivy Rose Ball)
6:28 p.m. – TPUSA chapter president Lesley Lachman speaks on the importance of being heard at the event on Wednesday. (Ivy Rose Ball)
6:40 p.m. – An attendee listens closely as TPUSA CEO Erika Kirk speaks. (Ivy Rose Ball)
6:42 p.m. – Erika Kirk speaks about her husband, Charlie Kirk’s, legacy to the crowd of nearly 10,000 on Wednesday night. (Ivy Rose Ball)
6:43 p.m. – Young Turning Point followers wear “Make America Great Again” caps as they listen to Erika Kirk speak. (Ivy Rose Ball)
6:52 p.m. – Erika Kirk encourages young followers to use her husband’s legacy as a motivator to be bold in their political beliefs. (Ivy Rose Ball)
6:56 p.m. – An attendee sports two American flags and cross earrings during the event. (Ivy Rose Ball)
7:02 p.m. – Vice President JD Vance smiles as excited TPUSA event attendees film the beginning of his speech Wednesday night. (Ivy Rose Ball)
6:56 p.m. – The floor of the pavilion was a sea of red and white caps in support of the MAGA campaign. (Ivy Rose Ball)
7:18 p.m. – JD Vance answers questions from the audience on Wednesday. (Ivy Rose Ball)
7:34 p.m. – An attendee asks JD Vance questions about immigration policies. Their interaction has since gone viral online. (Ivy Rose Ball)
7:56 p.m. – Student Jeffrey Jordan asks a question during Vice President JD Vance’s set on Wednesday. (Ivy Rose Ball)
7:58 p.m. – An enthusiastic TPUSA member asks JD Vance a question during the event. (Ivy Rose Ball)
8:04 p.m. – Students in the crowd during the TPUSA event look at their phones while listening to JD Vance’s responses during the Q&A. (Ivy Rose Ball)
8:06 p.m. – Oxford Mayor Robyn Tannehill sits front row alongside her daughter, Molly Tannehill, a student at Mississippi State University. (Ivy Rose Ball)
8:09 p.m. – Vice President JD Vance thanks the crowd at the close of the event. (Ivy Rose Ball)
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