U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds and conservative commentator Benny Johnson spoke to UF students Thursday night about immigration, home ownership and other issues at a Turning Point USA chapter event.
About 180 attendees gathered in the Reitz Union’s Grand Ballroom to hear Donalds and Johnson speak. Entry required a bag check, and a sign outside reminded community members protests are not allowed inside campus buildings.
Donalds, a Republican and former Florida state lawmaker, launched his 2026 gubernatorial bid soon after President Donald Trump endorsed him on Truth Social. Johnson, who was fired from BuzzFeed for plagiarism, has since amassed more than 6 million subscribers on YouTube.
Turning Point USA, founded in 2012 by Charlie Kirk and Bill Montgomery, is a national conservative organization. Kirk was shot and killed in September at a college debate event in Utah. UF Turning Point held a candlelight vigil in his honor.
Kerry Freeman drove an hour and half from Clay County with her youngest daughter to see the speakers. She owns a residential appraisal company in Orange Park and has two other daughters, one of whom is a UF student involved in Turning Point.
“My daughter being involved opened my eyes to what it was,” she said. “To me, it means free speech — conversation, talking about your innermost thoughts and feelings and being okay with it.”
The event opened with a prayer before Jennifer Garcia, a 21-year-old UF criminology senior and the president of UF Turning Point, took to the lectern. She said the event was the group’s largest since February, when Kirk visited campus to debate students.
“Charlie left an enormous impact on this campus and on each and every one of us,” Garcia said.
Alex Bruesewitz, a media adviser to Trump and CEO of the political consulting agency X Strategies LLC, spoke before Donalds and Johnson, saying he was honored to have been friends with Kirk.
“He was so passionate about helping the young people of our country,” Bruesewitz said. “He set on a mission, and he delivered on the mission. Not everybody can say that.”
Johnson, known for his comedic delivery, appeared near the stage door during Bruesewitz’s speech, drawing the audience’s attention. When Bruesewitz mentioned meeting him at age 19, Johnson joked that it was “right when he started his OnlyFans.”
After taking a seat, Johnson spoke about the American dream and criticized both political parties for the rising cost of housing, singling out H-1B visa holders.
Johnson called the Trump administration “the Home Ownership for America” administration, saying it will bring prices down, before introducing Donalds to the stage.
Seemingly inspired by Johnson’s humor, Donalds said his political critics are using his name to gain “clout” and “aura farm.” He faced criticism before: In 2023, Democrats condemned Donalds for comparing today’s Black culture with that of the Jim Crow era.
“You are the ones who are going to save this great republic for another 250 years,” Donalds said. “So everything we’re doing is laying that foundation for you to be successful in America.”
The night ended with a Q&A from audience members. Johnson and Donalds were asked about open carry on campus, tax policy, Social Security and more.
One student asked Donalds why he hasn’t signed the bipartisan discharge petition to release the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Donalds said he supports releasing the files and anticipates voting in favor of the measure but did not sign the petition because he believes the names of victims should be censored.
“The people who did wrong are going to be exposed, that's great,” Donalds said. “There are victims in those files who do not want to be exposed. We have to respect that as well.”
Celine Jaime, a 20-year-old UF computer science junior, said she enjoyed the event but wished there were more oppositional questions and debate. She and her mother, who are both Mexican immigrants, began following Johnson three years ago, and Jaime translated his videos for her mother.
“I definitely want to continue seeing him in more outspoken political positions,” Jaime said. “But his platform right now, it's perfect. I love that it works with the youth, with generations like my mom and me.”
Julianna Bendeck is a contributing writer for The Alligator. Contact her at jbendeck@ufl.edu.
Julianna Bendeck is a contributing writer for The Alligator.
