The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has added conservative youth organization Turning Point USA (TPUSA) to its controversial “Hate Map,” grouping the group founded by Charlie Kirk with extremist organizations like the KKK. In its 2024 Year in Hate and Extremism report, the SPLC labeled TPUSA as an “anti-government extremist group,” joining conservative nonprofit PragerU on the same list.
The SPLC’s report described TPUSA as a “well-funded, hard-right organization with links to SPLC-identified extremists and a tremendous amount of influence in conservative politics.” The group noted that President Donald Trump spoke at multiple TPUSA-hosted events in 2024. The SPLC further claimed that TPUSA promotes “authoritarian, patriarchal Christian supremacy” and works to undermine democracy and public institutions.
The report accuses TPUSA of framing Christianity as “superior and dominant,” and of using this belief to “justify an extreme, authoritarian vision for the country.” The SPLC claims TPUSA spreads fear among white Christian Americans, warning of threats from immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals, and civil rights activists. The SPLC asserts that this fear-mongering is designed to “mobilize support to revive and maintain a white-dominated, male supremacist, Christian social order.”
The SPLC’s Hate Map now lists 1,371 so-called “hate and anti-government extremist groups” in 2024, although the organization claims overall numbers have declined by 5 percent. Despite this, the SPLC insists the groups are gaining more influence.
The SPLC’s list has long faced criticism, including lawsuits alleging defamation and concerns that the Hate Map inspires violence. In 2012, a domestic terrorist used the map to target the Family Research Council. While the SPLC condemned the attack, it refused to remove the group from the list.
