Tucker Carlson, Gov. Mike Braun speak out at Turning Point USA event at IU

A sea of red hats made for an unusual sight in solid-blue Bloomington on Tuesday evening. Conservative media personality Tucker Carlson’s presentation, organized by Turning Point USA, drew campus conservatives and attendees from neighboring states.

The IU Auditorium, which seats about 3,000 people, was nearly full.

The event was originally scheduled to feature Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk. He became a leading figure for young conservatives and was seen as instrumental in President Donald Trump winning the 2024 election. Kirk was shot and killed last month during an event at Utah Valley University. 

Maddy Dawson, a junior at IU, said she’s excited to see Carlson but went to support Turning Point and remember Kirk.

“He was a light in this world,” she said. “I mean, he tried to not persuade people differently. He just tried to talk to people in general and just try to get his point of view out there and wanted to hear the other point of view.”

Sandy Kuzniar drove down from Franklin. She originally bought tickets to see Kirk with her son.

“Frankly, I'm a huge Tucker fan,” Kuzniar said.

Carlson took audience questions and spoke on a range of topics including the war in Ukraine, abortion, immigration, aliens and ritual human sacrifice.

MORE No Indiana teachers lost licenses over Charlie Kirk comments — so far

Twelve audience members spoke, representing a range of political viewpoints.

Carlson was also asked about how to keep the MAGA movement united after Kirk’s passing.

“I think there a lot of us – including me – are more divisive or hotheaded than we need to be,” Carlson said. “Charlie had a lot of emotional self-control. He was 20 years younger than me, and I admired that openly.”

Gov. Mike Braun also addressed college students, telling them to speak out on conservatism and make Kirk proud.

“The other side controls the media. They're going to spend more money on campaigns against you. They'll try to wear you out. But they don't have the winning message,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Braun proclaimed Turning Point USA Civic Engagement Day in honor of Kirk.

Aside from a few hecklers and small number of protesters outside, the event went smoothly with a heavy police presence.

WFYI editor Eric Weddle contributed to this report.

Ethan Sandweiss is a multimedia journalist for WFIU and WTIU.