AUSTIN, TX – Last night, Attorney General and Senate Candidate Ken Paxton visited the University of Texas at Austin campus to deliver a speech to students. The event is part of Turning Point USA’s (TPUSA) campus tours after the assassination of Charlie Kirk. In his speech, he discussed his experience as Attorney General fighting “the left” by suing President Obama and taking on major corporations. He also encouraged students to “keep fighting” and “save America.”
“Charlie Kirk would not want you to quit. He would want you to keep fighting…Let’s not let down the memory of Charlie Kirk. Let’s save America,” Mr. Paxton said.
The event was hosted by UT’s TPUSA Chapter, and Mr. Paxton was joined by Aaron Reitz, a candidate for Attorney General and former Trump DOJ appointee, and Savanah Hernandez, an online conservative journalist.
Andrew McKiernan, President of UT’s TPUSA chapter, kicked off the event by sharing how Charlie Kirk was an inspiration for everything he does in politics. Local pastor Stephen Martin then gave a brief speech, encouraging students to cultivate gratitude and a hunger for God’s Word.
Savanah Hernandez then took the stage and emphasized the importance for conservatives to persevere through adversity.
Aaron Reitz spoke about the responsibility of young conservatives to equip themselves for the existential, ideological battles facing America today, emphasizing faith, courage, and preparation for leadership rooted in Christian values.
“This is a Christian country founded on Christian values. And yet, now, 250 years after the founding of this country by faithful Christians, we’re now having to relitigate the fundamental questions that provide us with the bedrock of our civilization,” Reitz said.
Mr. Reitz also recommended that students read Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics.
“You see that virtue, Aristotle says, is the golden mean. And in any direction, you can habituate yourself toward vices—cowardice in one direction, recklessness in the other. Courage is that golden mean. Habituation to one or the other can lead to those extremes, and it’s important to learn how to live virtuously, to be joyful, and to shine forth Christ in your teenage years so you don’t build a lifetime habit of compromise,” Reitz said.
Paxton’s speech followed, then a short period for question and answer. The event was attended by both UT students and college students from other universities, as well as high schoolers and non-students. About 120 people were in attendance.
