Overview

• The SPLC’s 2024 Year in Hate and Extremism report brands TPUSA a “well-funded, hard-right” organization linked to identified extremists and promoting Christian nationalism.
• Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk called the listing a “cheap smear” and accused the SPLC of running a fundraising grift that pressures banks and schools to cut ties with his group.
• Elon Musk backed Kirk’s attack on X, branding the SPLC a “scam organization” and aligning with conservatives who view the designation as illegitimate.
• The report places TPUSA alongside Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazi chapters on the SPLC’s “Hate Map,” sparking debate over where mainstream activism ends and extremism begins.
• The SPLC has not responded publicly to the backlash or explained any revisions to its criteria for designating hate groups.