Chloe Moes and Marissa Aten drove more than 500 miles to see conservative commentators Matt Walsh and Michael Knowles at the University of Idaho, the final stop on Turning Point USA’s spring tour.
“I just listen to Michael Knowles. I love watching his stuff,” Moes, 20, said. “I’m really interested in just going to see different conversations.” Moes drove from California; Aten, 23, traveled from Nevada. Both described Turning Point USA content as a resource that helps them formulate arguments and engage others on issues like abortion and immigration.
“I’ve had conversations that were a lot of the frequent topics of Turning Point’s and learning different things to say and how to answer those questions better to try to change their minds on topics like abortion or immigration,” Aten said.
The rally drew a largely young crowd who lined up hours before the event outside the Idaho Central Credit Union Arena. Inside, volunteers handed out hats and small American flags, helped with voter registration and staffed merchandise tables. Although the arena normally seats more than 4,000, organizers heavily restricted seating for the event.
A University of Idaho employee who was not authorized to speak publicly said TPUSA requested repeated reductions in capacity: an initial 3,000 seats was cut to a little over 1,000 and ultimately settled at 869. Turning Point USA did not respond to questions about why it reduced the event’s capacity. As a result, more than 1,000 people who wanted to attend were turned away.
“I’m very sorry for the over 1,000 people who did not make it in the room tonight, but who wanted to be here,” Knowles said from the stage.
Headliners Walsh and Knowles, both podcasters with The Daily Wire, focused much of the two-hour program on audience questions and on-stage debates rather than delivering long prepared speeches. The stop in Moscow, Idaho, stood out from other tour dates that included high-profile political figures; here the pair leaned into unscripted exchanges with students and community members.
Two audience questions became extended debates: one challenged a graph Walsh had cited in a video that linked mass shooters to transgender identities, and another questioned the hosts’ defense of the Department of Justice and former President Trump over their handling of the Epstein files. Those exchanges echoed the confrontational campus debates that helped build Turning Point’s identity.
When not debating, Walsh and Knowles fielded questions about the Republican Party’s direction. A 17-year-old in the crowd said he believed a “right-wing civil war” is real and argued the GOP was moving toward an “America First” posture. The comment drew strong applause; the attendee said, “I’m sick of all foreign influences in our country, whether it be China, Mexico or Israel or any other nation.”
Knowles responded that generational shifts in political views are influencing how Republican politicians approach issues. “It’s actually very encouraging that especially young people are shaking up the way that the GOP talks about issues, whether we’re talking about foreign policy or whether we’re talking about economic policy,” he said.
Another attendee suggested MAGA was fading and asked what Republicans should stand for next. Walsh pushed back, saying while there may not be a single “MAGA movement” in a post-Trump GOP, now is the moment for conservatives to debate and define the party’s future.
“What’s going to define it for the next ten years?” Walsh asked. “Now’s the perfect time to get in that fight and get into the conversation about what the next ten years of the Republican Party’s going to look like.”
Overall, the Idaho stop delivered brisk, interactive exchanges between speakers and a mostly youthful audience, with the question-and-answer format and onstage debates driving much of the night’s energy. Turning Point USA events on the spring tour have produced mixed reactions at different campuses; in Idaho, however, Walsh and Knowles managed to draw a large, engaged crowd despite the venue’s reduced capacity.