Charlie Kirk and Vivek Ramaswamy host an “interactive tabletop event” and attract spectators and protesters

Charlie Kirk, conservative political commentator and founder of Turning point USAPitt students debated at an “interactive table event” in the Schenley Quadrangle.

The event was part of his “You're Being Brainwashed Tour,” in which Kirk travels to universities across the United States to speak to “young voters of this country.” Kirk invited Vivek Ramaswamy, a former Republican presidential candidate, to be a guest speaker at the event.

Daniel Yoho, a sophomore who had not yet registered, first heard about the event last week through flyers distributed by members of the local Turning Point chapter. Yoho said they were familiar with Kirk's online presence.

“Personally, I'm not a big fan of Charlie Kirk, but I thought, you know what, I'll watch it and see what stupid things he has to say,” Yoho said.

Patrick Griffin, a sophomore without a place, heard about the event through word of mouth from his friends.

“I'm not a huge fan of Charlie Kirk. I would even go so far as to say I don't like him at all, but I just want to see if there are any hecklers,” Griffin said.

When Kirk arrived at the event, he began by tossing red “Make America Great Again” hats to spectators. According to Austin Lane, president of Pitt's Turning Point chapter, the hats were provided by the national Turning Point organization.

“Turning Point headquarters told us [Kirk] wanted to come to campus, and it took about three months to find a large event space and make sure it was safe and would generate interest,” said Lane, a senior majoring in business information systems. “I thought it was really good for campus to have the opportunity to share and discuss policy issues. It makes everyone smarter, and I think sharing ideas is beneficial to the betterment of our community here.”

Outside the event, demonstrators with Transaction building PGH stood in the back of the quad. The organization has various Turning Point Protests in the past.

“We are protesting against the presence of Charlie Kirk. We do not agree with his presence and do not agree with him or the other fascists here,” said an anonymous protester.

The protester said the group stayed in the back courtyard to avoid giving Kirk “clicks.”

“We decided we don't want to give him the views he wants. We know he's posting 'Best of Charlie Kirk' videos and we don't want anyone, especially those who agree with us, to give him the views to help him,” the protester said.

People were able to ask Kirk and Ramaswamy questions through a microphone aimed at the two. A speaker who described himself as a “right winger” asked Kirk and Ramaswamy about their thoughts on the Social Security bankruptcy, referring to Kirk's earlier statement: “I don't believe retirement is biblical.“According to a report According to the Social Security Board of Trustees' publication, the Old Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund could be exhausted by 2033.

“I understand that other people want to retire, but Moses didn’t retire,” Kirk said.

During this “thought exchange,” a speaker named Julia took the microphone and asked Kirk and Ramaswamy if they thought women should assume traditional gender roles in society.

“I think most women are being led to believe that they should pursue careers and not have families, and that comes at a high price. I think we should be strengthening the nuclear family first and foremost,” Kirk said. “Almost every woman in this audience believes that young women are being pressured to delay having a family at the expense of a career.”

Amid the crowd of red MAGA hats, some spectators also held up “Harris-Walz” campaign signs.

“People were just handing out the signs, so I got them,” said Vivian, a freshman student. “I think it's cool to argue with people, but I think he doesn't let them have their say and it's very uncontrolled.”

At the end of the event, Kirk and Ramaswamy signed autographs as they were escorted to their cars by security guards. Before leaving, Kirk addressed the crowd with a few parting words.

“Thank you, vote for Trump,” Kirk said.