As I stood there looking out at the crowd — hundreds of young patriots rising up in a place the Left said they owned — I couldn't help but think...

Nearly 13 years ago, all of this felt... impossible.

Back then, Turning Point USA wasn't the cultural phenomenon it is today.

It wasn't an office. It wasn't a team. It was just me.

No money. No connections. Just a desk and an old computer in a dusty garage in the Chicago suburbs.

But what I did have was a vision...

It was 2012. The Left controlled every classroom, every campus, and nearly every corner of our culture.

Their narrative was everywhere: America was evil... Faith was "oppressive"... Freedom was outdated... The Conservative movement was dead...

And most of all, young people belonged to the Left.

I didn't believe that. I couldn't accept that. I couldn't just stand by and watch the Left win.

Back then, it was no wonder WHY we were losing young people to the Left...

The Conservative movement felt stale... Conservative organizations felt like a snooze... And it felt like no one had an idea of how to reach America's youth...

I believed if we were ever going to win young people back for America, we needed excitement. Energy. Passion. And ZEAL for our ideas.

My dream was to launch a conservative youth movement that would inspire young people to stand for truth — and LOVE this country again.

I didn't know what I was going to call this dream... this feeling... this movement.

So, I picked up the phone, called my dad, and said, "I think I'm supposed to start something, but I don't have a name for it..."

He replied... "How about Turning Point?"

And just like that, a fire was lit. Turning Point USA was born. On the promise that we could TURN this country around, one young heart at a time.

The early days were brutal.

I remember driving across the Chicago suburbs to small Tea Party meetings talking about "generational theft"...

I remember my first Turning Point USA speaking event in Peoria, Illinois during the summer of 2012, where just six people showed up...

And I remember the look in their eyes — those early patriots —when I told them the vision:

"We're going to create a youth movement that LOVES America."

"We're going to go on campus and win hearts and minds."

"We're going to push back — and we're going to WIN."

They didn't laugh... They didn't walk out...

They believed. And John — so did patriots like you.

You see, this isn't my story. This is YOUR story.

Because without patriots like you… there is no Turning Point USA.

Without you… there is no American Comeback story.

Without you… there is no cultural shift happening right now in schools, churches, homes, and on every campus across our great nation.

You were there when the campus quads and halls were empty... stood by us when our signs got torn down.

You had our backs when the mob showed up — when they shouted, screamed, and tried to wipe us off the map.

You didn't give up. And neither did we.

But we were never supposed to be winning...

The Left thought they owned this generation. They thought their indoctrination had worked. But they were wrong.

I remember standing at tables on hostile campuses with nothing but flyers and hope, praying to have a conversation that would light a spark.

I went where I was told a young conservative didn't belong. And I kept going back.

John, praise God!

And you know what? This generation is just getting started.

But let me say this clearly: The battle is far from over.

The Left is on the ropes — but still dangerous.

They're doubling down with new tactics. They're more aggressive than ever in our schools, our media, our digital spaces.

They're coming after our students harder than ever before — because they know we're winning.

We cannot give them back an inch.

So now, as we look back on how far we've come... It's time to fight even harder.

We're going to press in. We're going to drive deeper into enemy territory.

We're going to reach more students, train more leaders, and destroy more strongholds of Leftist control.

Not with violence. Not with hate. But with truth. With courage. And with patriots like YOU standing shoulder-to-shoulder with us.

P.S. John, thank you for reading what was admittedly a long email.

But I wanted you to know how far we've come and how thankful I am for patriots like you!

And if this email stirred something in you... If you'd be proud to be a part of the movement that's going to save our GREAT nation...

If you want to see even MORE students come alive for truth, for God, and for America...

Then I have good news.

Right now, through the month of May, every single donation to Turning Point USA is being MATCHED, dollar-for-dollar, up to $2.5 MILLION.

Why? Because an extremely generous Turning Point USA supporter wanted to rally as many grassroots patriots as possible to DEFEAT the Left in our culture... for good.

That means your impact gets DOUBLED.

That means two times the students you'll reach. Two times the truth heard. Two times the hearts and minds you'll win over for AMERICA.

So, if you've been waiting for the right moment to take your stand — this is it. This is your chance to pour fuel on the fire that patriots like you helped start.

You just won't be supporting a cause anymore — you'll be powering a cultural REVOLUTION.

Let's carry the momentum through to every campus, every platform, every cultural stronghold until we WIN. Double the impact of your gift to Turning Point USA today.