PHOENIX — In the aftermath of the tragic assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, members of the organization have faced a wave of hostility. Despite this, one student leader remains undeterred.
Amy Rose Lombardo, who serves as the event coordinator for the Northern Arizona University chapter of Turning Point USA, shared her experiences with Fox News Digital at the annual AmericaFest conference. According to Lombardo, she and her fellow chapter members have been subjected to increasing hostility since Kirk was fatally shot during a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University on September 10.
“We’ve definitely noticed an uptick in aggressive protest tactics,” Lombardo explained. “The first notable incident involved a woman who left a disturbing note at our table. It included a depiction of Charlie’s murder and comments like ‘free speech’ alongside ‘only a good Nazi is a dead Nazi.'”
The note also featured a graphic illustration of a person with blood flowing from their neck while holding a microphone.
In another alarming event, a woman was caught on video swiping items off the chapter’s table during a campus event, subsequently making off with a foam board that featured an image of Ronald Reagan.
In a second incident, a woman was caught on camera swiping the contents off of the chapter’s table during a tabling event, and then stealing a foam board depicting Ronald Reagan.
“With the table swiper, to be honest with you, that person just came out of nowhere. She was walking back from a direction that normally we wouldn’t see people, but she went and got food at some sort of area on the opposite side of where we were tabling, came around, and you’ll hear in the video my sister says, ‘hey, how’s it going?’” Lombardo recalled.
“And she smiles at us and swipes the table, and leaves,” Lombardo continued.
A student at Northern Arizona University clears a Turning Point USA table and walks off with a poster in September 2025. (Courtesy: @FrontlinesTPUSA)
Lombardo said the group contacted the Northern Arizona University Police Department, which prosecuted the offender. Court records indicate that the table swiper was charged with theft and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors.
Lombardo was complimentary of the police department and university administration for the handling of the various incidents.
She also remains undeterred, despite the hostility.
“To me, Turning Point means truth, and fighting for what you believe in,” Lombardo said. “Because if we lose all hope, and we just give up on everything, then there’s no way that we’d be able to have a future in America.“
She described the militance of those who oppose Turning Point as motivational, and said that she prays for her opponents because she feels badly for them.
Attendees pray during Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest 2025, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Phoenix. (Jon Cherry/AP)
“I hope they find their way out of the hatred that they let run their lives,” she said. “Because at the end of the day, even though I disagree with those people, and they may disagree with me, I believe they are just extremely misguided, and they have just been lied to.”
She encouraged others to step up and fight for what they believe.
“To those people who are not quite sure if they want to step into the movement yet, to those people, I would say if you can’t do it, if you won’t do it, then who else will?”
Since Kirk’s death, political leftists have opposed Turning Point with full force, as interest in the conservative organization has skyrocketed. Other right-leaning groups have also faced a barrage of hatred.
Charlie Kirk speaks at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025, in Orem, Utah, prior to his assassination. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)
In one such incident, a teaching assistant at Illinois State University was caught on camera flipping a TPUSA table. He had been arrested only days prior for a similar act. He was later arrested by the FBI for allegedly making online threats against President Donald Trump.
Another repeat offender was accused of flipping a TPUSA table at the University of Iowa, after doing the same to a Young America’s Foundation display prior.
Northern Arizona University declined to comment further.
