All articles tagged with #turning point usa
Critics charge that Linda McMahon’s ostensibly apolitical History Rocks! tour, tied to the America 250 Civics Education Coalition and funded by pro‑Trump groups, aims to shape how U.S. history is taught ahead of the 250th anniversary, prompting school cancellations and protests while McMahon defends the program as nonpolitical.
Jeff Webb, longtime president of the International Cheer Union and founder of modern cheerleading, died at 76 after complications from an accident, with tributes from Turning Point USA noting his mentorship of Charlie Kirk.
Comedian Conan O'Brien quipped about Turning Point USA’s alternative halftime show led by Kid Rock during his Oscars monologue, referencing TPUSA and the political twists surrounding the ceremony.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed a bill to create a Charlie Kirk memorial license plate, arguing it would politicize government and fail to bring people together, despite the bill’s approval in the Senate (16-2) and House (31-23); the plate would have directed a portion of the $25 fee and $17 annual donation to the Conservative Grassroots Network Special Plate Fund tied to Turning Point USA.
Erika Kirk faces online backlash after a recent video of Charlie Kirk’s office shows a wedding photo of Erika and Charlie missing from the bookshelf (and her wedding ring not visible). A Turning Point USA spokesperson says the photo was moved to a lower shelf for Erika’s daughter to view. Critics accuse her of erasing her husband’s memory, while some supporters urge understanding. The piece also references past controversies surrounding Erika and comments from Candace Owens on those matters.
Elizabeth Lane's viral post arguing Erika Kirk may be a psychopath drew about 6 million views in 24 hours and sparked a heated debate over Kirk's authenticity after TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk's death, highlighting moments like her rapid rise to CEO, a leaked staff Zoom call, and other public appearances—while Lane says it's opinion, not a diagnosis, the post underscored public discomfort with perceived engineered emotion but produced no conclusive proof.
Kid Rock added a Jesus-themed verse to Cody Johnson’s 2021 hit Til You Cant and performed it at Turning Point USA’s All-American Halftime Show, a conservative alternative to Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl, after which the cover jumped to No. 1 on the all-genre iTunes chart (Johnson’s original was No. 2). The track isn’t Kid Rock’s original, and the event was reportedly pre-recorded; reactions included lip-sync accusations about the opener and debates about the significance of an iTunes spike versus mainstream charts.
Jimmy Kimmel mocked Donald Trump’s critique of Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance, calling out Trump’s hypocrisy and contrasting it with Turning Point USA’s flawed alternative show featuring Kid Rock, which he described as a disaster with streaming and lip-sync issues.
Jon Stewart used his Daily Show moment to mock Kid Rock’s lip‑synced Turning Point USA halftime performance and the MAGA backlash to Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl set, calling the outrage a shallow, power‑driven ‘pity party’ while also noting Meghan McCain’s praise of Bad Bunny and lampooning conservative culture‑war theatrics.
During Turning Point USA’s All-American Halftime Show, Kid Rock closed with a verse urging Americans to dust off their Bibles and turn to Jesus, ending with Isaiah 6:8. The moment framed a faith-forward message as a counterpoint to Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl act, but it’s tempered by Kid Rock’s long history of controversies that complicate the message.
TPUSA’s All-American Halftime Show, pitched as culture-war counterprogramming to Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance, featured MAGA-country acts led by Kid Rock but came off as dull and lacking provocation. Erika Kirk’s absence, mixed promotion by Trump allies, and licensing issues preventing air on X underscored the show’s rocky reception, even as streams claimed millions of views and the event highlighted the era’s politicized entertainment dynamics.
Kid Rock’s 35-minute All-American Halftime Show at Super Bowl LX was notably low on politics and largely pre-recorded, mixing a retro country vibe with a few on-mic remarks; the set featured Brantley Gilbert, Gabby Barrett and Lee Brice before Kid Rock closed with “Till You Can’t,” including a spoken verse and a montage of TPUSA imagery. Social attention focused more on lip-sync than mic moments, and TPUSA posted an alternate feed that drew millions online, though overall cross-platform viewership details remained unclear.
Kid Rock headlined Turning Point USA's MAGA-friendly All American Halftime Show alongside Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett, opening with a guitar-driven Star-Spangled Banner and closing with Cody Johnson's Til You Can't—a patriotic, religiously charged country set described as cringe by some and as a counterpoint to Bad Bunny's Super Bowl appearance; the live stream reportedly drew near 5 million viewers.
TPUSA staged an All-American halftime show at Super Bowl LX featuring Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice and Gabby Barrett as counterprogramming to Bad Bunny, mixing rock- and country-set performances with political nods. Kid Rock delivered a high-energy set including a remake of Cody Johnson’s “Til You Can’t,” Gilbert performed “Real American” and “Dirt Road Anthem,” Barrett sang “I Hope” and “The Good Ones,” and Brice closed with “Drinking Class,” with a post-show tribute video to Charlie Kirk; the 15-minute segment was described as respectful and targeted at conservative audiences.
Super Bowl 60 will feature two halftime performances: Bad Bunny headlining the main show at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, while Turning Point USA teams with Kid Rock for an alternate “All-American Halftime Show” that will stream on YouTube and other outlets. The alt show is unlikely to draw a large audience since viewers can’t switch channels to watch it on the main feed, making accessibility a key hurdle.