Tennessee officials announced a partnership with Turning Point USA on Friday to establish chapters of its high school affiliate, Club America, at every high school in the state. Nearly 100 students gathered at the State Capitol in Nashville for the event, which supporters say is aimed at promoting conservative values among teenagers.
On Friday morning, nearly 100 students gathered at the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville, with some traveling overnight to attend, according to The Daily Wire.
In a room of young conservatives, a group of Tennessee officials — including U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn — announced a partnership with Turning Point USA (TPUSA) to expand Club America, the organization’s high school affiliate, to every high school in the state. Blackburn was joined by women’s sports advocate Riley Gaines and Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson for the announcement.
Club America, like TPUSA more broadly, is intended to promote conservative principles such as the nation’s founding, the Constitution and capitalism, as described in coverage by The Daily Wire. TPUSA Senior Director Josh Thifault said the program is designed to appeal to a broad range of students. “The branding is meant to feel like it’s something that everybody wants to be part of because I mean, who doesn’t want to be part of Club America? We wanted to create a presentation to high schools that would be very tough to say no to,” he told the outlet.
The Volunteer State is following the lead of Texas and Florida, which have also taken steps to launch Club America chapters throughout their states, according to TPUSA and recent news reports on statewide partnerships.
Thifault said that one of his last in-depth conversations with TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk before Kirk was assassinated in September focused on expanding Club America, with an eventual goal of 20,000 chapters nationwide. He argued that with Republican-led states backing the mission, the organization can move closer to that target. (Kirk’s death and the surge in interest in TPUSA chapters afterward have been widely reported by conservative and mainstream outlets.)
“I’m very thankful for all the commitments that Tennessee made,” Thifault said, crediting state leaders and activists for helping bring the agreement together. He also praised Gaines, saying she helped publicize the effort once it became clear that a partnership with Tennessee was in the works.
After the announcement, Gaines spent nearly an hour talking with students and posing for photos. She urged them to bring five friends to future Club America events to keep the movement growing. Reflecting on Tennessee’s political climate, she cautioned students not to assume the state is insulated from broader national cultural debates. “I think we’ve now understood that Tennessee, especially with the recent congressional race here in this district, is not immune,” she said, according to The Daily Wire. “I think so many of us almost develop a sense of complacency because we think it can’t happen to me. Nobody is immune to the cultural chaos that is plaguing this nation and even plaguing this state.”
One student in attendance, Riley Belt, a junior from Providence Christian Academy in Johnson City who helped start her school’s Club America chapter in November, said she was encouraged by the state’s partnership with TPUSA. “Our generation is definitely a turning point,” Belt said. “We just want to be able to help teach kids like us how to help change our nation and lead us back to conservative values and back to Christ. That’s what it’s all about.”
Since Kirk’s assassination, the number of Club America chapters in Tennessee has grown from 30 to 104, The Daily Wire reported. Belt said she sees that growth as part of a broader effort to carry forward Kirk’s vision for the country. “One person can’t do it on their own, but we’re surrounded by people who also share these values and want to make America what Charlie wanted it to be,” she said.
