How Turning Point, once spurned by the RNC, is becoming Trump’s ‘force multiplier’ in battleground states
The organization has become a powerful ally of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.
DETROIT — When Donald Trump takes the stage in Detroit on Saturday, it will mark the second time in two weeks that he has headlined an event organized by Turning Point Action — a group known for its growing political heft as well as its pugilistic founder, Charlie Kirk.
It’s a longstanding partnership tying Trump to a lightning-rod commentator who’s made headlines this year for saying women in their 30s are “not at their prime” for dating, and volunteering that he now thinks twice about flying with Black pilots because of diversity, equity and inclusion targets.
But it has also armed Trump’s presidential campaign, lagging in fundraising and organization in the battleground states, with a powerful operational ally.
Once spurned by top officials at the Republican National Committee, Turning Point’s stature has rapidly grown from a controversial student movement into one of the most active organizations in conservative politics.
Now, Turning Point is pouring tens of millions of dollars into an ambitious get-out-the-vote operation in three battleground states, making the 2024 election a major test of the organization’s operations — with ramifications not only for Kirk and his organization, but for Trump and the GOP at large.
“They’re very influential,” said Jay Shepard, the RNC committee member from Vermont. “Effective? That depends on what your measurement is. They are certainly a messaging juggernaut and fundraising juggernaut.”
While lauding the organization’s large number of “boots on the ground,” he said, “The real test is always the day after the election, and who wins and who loses.”
www.politico.com/news/2024/06/15/turning-point-trump-battleground-states-00163563