Charlie Kirk’s visit proves conservatism is loud and proud at the University of Tennessee

If there’s strength in numbers, the state of the conservative movement at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville is strong.

MAGA leader Charlie Kirk’s visit to Knoxville on March 13 was a celebration for college conservatives asserting their influence at UT and campuses across the country. Students who showed up to hear Kirk told Knox News they once felt ostracized for their beliefs, even in decidedly Republican Tennessee.

“I feel like conservatives feel like they can voice their opinions now more than ever just because of the real red wave that happened in the election,” UT student Ella Williams, a freshman from Memphis, told Knox News.

The University of Tennessee Humanities amphitheater served as an arena for thousands of students to cheer on Kirk, especially as he took on challengers as part of a public debate he incorporates into all his campus appearances. Students lined the benches to hear Kirk speak and debate.

Dozens of students who disagreed with him took the bait. They walked away with varying levels of satisfaction.

The “ask me anything” event is part of the his American Comeback Tour. Kirk’s organization, Turning Point USA, is going to five other universities this year, and it’s expected to announce more soon.

Kirk’s entrance into the outdoor amphitheater resembled that of a rock star. Men in fraternity gear worked their way to the front to be near him while women in MAGA hats gushed and took videos as he passed by. Both liberal and conservative voters told Knox News before the November election they want a fighter to speak for them, and conservative students have found their champion in Kirk.

Dozens of dissenters lined up to pose questions to Kirk about topics from abortion to DEI to homelessness in Knoxville, and the audience of Kirk’s likeminded thinkers “boo’d” and heckled them as they made their points. Camps of students protesting Kirk came and went around the open lawn, though none held a candle to Kirk’s supporters.

The goal was to challenge the notion that college campuses are liberal, and UT students used Kirk, who frequently takes aim at the country’s higher education system, to do it.

“Obviously, you’re going to have people on either side that are loudly voicing their opinions, but there’s definitely a…