Charlie Kirk and Vivek Ramaswamy took the stage recently in downtown Atlanta, a decidedly liberal environment for two famous conservatives to hold court with college students.
Within minutes, Ramaswamy, the biotech entrepreneur who sought the Republican presidential nomination this year, and Kirk, the professional provocateur, were jousting with Georgia State University undergraduates over their choices in the Nov. 5 presidential election.
“What is Kamala Harris’ greatest accomplishment?” Kirk tersely asked two students who accused Donald Trump of being “un-American” and wanting to suspend the Constitution.
The 31-year-old Kirk has an outsize role in this year’s election, using his online presence and the organization he founded, Turning Point Action, to make himself one of the nation’s most recognizable conservatives and a central part of Trump’s operation. The former president has put a particular emphasis on courting younger men, the “bro vote,” trying to reach them through podcasts, social media and influencers such as Kirk.
Kirk hosts a rally on Wednesday for Trump in Duluth, Georgia, part of the wide swath of metro Atlanta where Trump underperformed four years ago in his reelection campaign, losing to Democrat Joe Biden. Kirk and Trump are scheduled to appear at a rally Thursday evening in Las Vegas.
Harris will be in Philadelphia for a town hall broadcast live Wednesday night on CNN.