Candace Owens, TPUSA fight over 'secret event' for Idaho school kids; Erika Kirk dragged in – here's all that happened

Candace Owens criticized a TPUSA event at a private Idaho school, calling it secretive and questioning student attendance. 

Published on: Sep 18, 2026, 09:46:26 IST

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A dispute between conservative commentator Candace Owens and Turning Point USA (TPUSA) erupted this week over an event at Nampa Christian School in Idaho featuring Erika Kirk, with Owens questioning whether students voluntarily attended and TPUSA’s Andrew Kolvet disputing her characterization of the gathering.

The controversy began after a post celebrating the event claimed that more than 500 high school students attended a TPUSA Club America tour stop at the school on September 18. The post said Erika Kirk delivered a message to students described as “America First leaders.”

Owens subsequently described the gathering as a “secret” event and said parents had contacted her about it.

“Parents have emailed me about another ‘secret’ event that Erika is doing today addressing middle schoolers and high schoolers in Idaho,” Owens wrote on X. She said the event was held during the day at a private Christian school and questioned why TPUSA was focusing on political messaging aimed at minors.

Candace Owens questions if students chose to attend

Owens later focused her criticism on whether students had actually opted into the event.

She argued that the gathering took place during the regular school day and was organized as a school assembly rather than as an optional Club America meeting. She also claimed parents were informed that they could not attend.

“The students were forced to attend this event as a school assembly,” Owens said in an X post, adding that parents were informed they could not attend alongside them.

Owens then directly challenged Kolvet, asking whether students had signed up to attend or whether the school administration had organized the event as part of the regular school day.

Andrew Kolvet pushes back on ‘secret’ claim

Kolvet, a TPUSA spokesperson, rejected Owens' description of the event and said it was not intended to be publicly marketed because of security concerns.

“Yeah we don't MARKET the event publicly for security reasons,” Kolvet wrote, according to posts shared on X. He said parents had been informed and had the option to opt their children out, adding that three students did so.

Kolvet also challenged Owens' characterization of the gathering as an unusual type of school event.

“Did you actually never attend a school assembly in high school?” he wrote, arguing that school assemblies are different from regular student chapter meetings.

Owens maintained that the distinction did not answer her central question: whether students voluntarily chose to attend.

Erika Kirk’s role and TPUSA’s youth outreach

The Idaho event comes as TPUSA continues expanding its student-focused activities under Erika Kirk's leadership.

TPUSA describes Club America as a high-school student movement, while its broader programming includes campus events featuring conservative speakers. The organization has also announced a nationwide fall 2026 university tour featuring Erika Kirk and other conservative figures.

The Nampa gathering was presented publicly as a Club America tour stop, with the reported turnout exceeding 500 students.

The disagreement between Owens and Kolvet has therefore shifted attention from the event itself to questions about how political organizations conduct outreach inside schools, whether students have a meaningful choice about attending and what information parents receive beforehand.

The clash also adds another chapter to the increasingly public disagreements surrounding TPUSA's direction and the handling of Charlie Kirk's political legacy after his death.

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