Last month, the Turning Point USA chapter at the University of Mississippi hosted James Fishback, a far-right political figure espousing the beliefs of a white supremacist. With conservative influencer Nick Shirley arriving to speak for the chapter on Oct. 27, the questions the chapter left unanswered about Fishback matter even more.
Ole Miss Turning Point USA assembled in the Gertrude C. Ford Ole Miss Student Union ballroom on Sept. 29 to hear Fishback’s vision on “What’s Next for America.” The audience greeted Fishback with a round of applause, which would be echoed repeatedly as he spoke against abortion, international students, gay marriage and H-1B work visas.
After his speech, Fishback answered three questions regarding monetary policy, foreign policy and bringing the older generation into his vision for the future (Fishback’s advice: turn off Fox News, turn on Nick Fuentes).
Kent Tonos, junior political science major from Lake Village, Ark., serves as Ole Miss Turning Point USA chapter president. He issued a statement that creates more questions than it answers.
“This year, our chapter decided to invite James Fishback to campus because we strongly believe college students deserve the opportunity to use their voices and engage with a variety of political viewpoints,” Tonos said. “We are also aware that some of Mr. Fishback’s past comments have been subject to differing interpretations and controversy. However, our decision to invite him is not an endorsement of him, his personal views or every statement he has made.”
Everyone has the First Amendment right to freedom of speech, but inviting someone to a campus political organization’s speaker series is not simply a matter of the First Amendment. These events, dubbed as “conversations,” are meant to promote dialogue about various political perspectives. But, TPUSA has shown a trend of only inviting individuals whose viewpoints align with its own. Conversations are meant to be two-way. How can the views of the speakers be challenged if no one is asking questions that truly challenge speakers’ views?
One can hardly imagine Turning Point USA hosting Zohran Mamdani or Gavin Newsom, nor the UM College Democrats hosting Fishback. Every organization has a set of beliefs upon which it will not compromise. While TPUSA may not endorse Fishback, it must have weighed its agreements against his white nationalist rhetoric and made its choice.
Fishback has claimed that conspiracy theories regarding the genocide of white people and their replacement with other races are real. He called his Black opponent in the Florida gubernatorial primary a “slave” and a “DEI hire.” When a Black man asked Fishback at a campaign stop about allegations that he had sexual relations with a minor, Fishback said the man “should be lynched.”
Whatever TPUSA’s beliefs may be, none of those provocative statements kept Fishback off its stage. We must ask what comments Fishback has made that this chapter sees as “subject to differing interpretations.”
The chapter’s next event, “The State of Fraud” with Shirley, promises “bold conversations” and “hard-hitting questions.” Shirley should be judged on his own record, not Fishback’s. But, the chapter can be judged on its promise: Will any of those hard-hitting questions be aimed at Shirley?
A series earns the term “variety” by whom it puts on stage and what questions are asked. After Fishback shared his vision without challenge, this next event gives the chapter another chance to prove it has earned that label. A chapter willing to host and advertise a speaker, but unwilling to say whether it stands by his words, has already decided where its line stands.
College students deserve the opportunity to engage with a variety of political viewpoints. Let’s add conversations to the schedule that fulfill that commitment.
Will Vernon, an opinion contributor to The Daily Mississippian, is a junior chemical engineering major from Parker, Colo.
