Jesse Scheckner
Donald Trump will deliver the keynote address at a Christian conservative political conference this weekend in West Palm Beach.
Turning Point Action, the political arm of the influential Turning Point USA nonprofit, announced he will headline its “Believers’ Summit.”
The event is set to run Friday to Sunday at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. The former President will take the stage at 8 p.m. on the first night, Trump’s campaign said.
Other speakers include Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, former White House National Trade Council Director Peter Navarro, Orlando Magic player Jonathan Isaac and Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon, among many others.
Trump’s speech will come near the end of a historically tumultuous month in American politics that included a failed assassination attempt against the former Republican President.
In the past week, Trump accepted his party’s presidential nomination at the Republican National Committee in Milwaukee, President Joe Biden announced he will not seek a second term, and Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee.
In a statement, Kirk attributed Trump’s narrow evasion of a bullet meant for his head that instead grazed his ear on July 13 to divine intervention. Kirk offered no explanation for why retired volunteer Fire Chief Corey Comperatore, who was fatally shot during the assassination attempt, was not similarly spared.
“It’s clear to all who have watched and observed the events of the last few weeks that President Trump is only here by the Grace of Almighty God. The president acknowledges the same. Our nation was a quarter of an inch away from being thrown into unimaginable turmoil and chaos. But we have been spared that outcome,” Kirk said.
“Instead, we have a renewed opportunity to kneel before God, to pray, and to seek His guidance and wisdom in the coming weeks and months ahead. Believers’ Summit is an opportunity for the church to gather, to get equipped, and inspired as we recommit ourselves to Christ and bringing God’s eternal wisdom into the public square.”
Turning Point USA describes itself as an “organization whose mission is to identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote freedom.” Its YouTube page has more than 1.94 million subscribers and nearly 1.36 billion views.
Trump, his former chief strategist Stephen Bannon and former U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson spoke at the Turning Point Action Conference last month.
Turning Point Action was a sponsor of the Jan. 6, 2021, “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington that ended in a riot and an attack on the U.S. Capitol building. In a since-deleted post to X, Kirk, a vocal 2020 election denier, called the rally “likely one of the largest and most consequential in American history” and said his group was sending “80+ buses full of patriots to DC to fight for this president.”
The organization ultimately sent seven buses with roughly 350 protesters. Turning Point Action routed money to several of the rally’s speakers, including $650,000 from Publix heiress Julie Fancelli to Kimberly Guilfoyle, but did not organize or participate in the march and attack on the Capitol.
Turning Point spokesperson Andrew Kovlev said the organization “condemns political violence.”
According to its website, the Believers’ Summit is “a transformative event designed to unite Christians across America, equipping them with the biblical wisdom and practical strategies needed in today’s cultural landscape.
“This summit serves as a call to action for believers to embrace their faith with conviction, counteract prevailing ‘woke’ narratives with grace and truth, and make a meaningful impact in their communities and the nation.”
Tickets to the event are free for kids 10 and under. Rates otherwise range from $75 for student and general admission tickets and $700 for VIP tickets.
