Will Witt, a content creator for PragerU, is set to speak at the University of New Mexico on April 23. He was invited to speak by the UNM chapter of Turning Point USA at a talk called “Leftism is Destroying America.”
Turning Point USA is a national 501(c)3, non-profit organization that describes its mission as, “to identify, educate, train and organize students to promote the principles of freedom, free markets and limited government.”
“He’s a little bit of a lesser known speaker. So I thought he would be a good speaker to get the ball rolling,” said Christian Portilla, president of the UNM chapter of Turning Point.
Witt is described as a “Social Media Influencer” by PragerU. He was born in Colorado and left the University of Colorado Boulder after two years. “(It was a) decision he made based on the relentless indoctrination the universities in America constantly push,” according to his biography on PragerU’s website.
Witt also creates videos for PragerU’s YouTube channel. In the videos, Witt interviews people, often on college campuses, asking them questions regarding issues that range from current affairs to historical trivia. The videos have provocative titles such as “Americans Don’t Know Their Own History,” “Do College Students Support Abortion Or Life” and “Will Witt Debates a ‘Progressive’ Muslim.”
Portilla said he expects Witt to shoot such a video at UNM.
The Associated Students of UNM approved a $500 appropriation request for Turning Point to bring Witt to UNM. Portilla said the rest of the money would likely be self-generated or received from the national Turning Point organization. ASUNM knocked off about $4000 from the original request because the student government’s standing rules prevent them from giving any group more than $500 at their first request.
The UNM chapter of Turning Point USA has been in the news before.
In 2017, the group set up a bake sale that charged by race in the Student Union Building Mall. Several individuals protested the event, including two individuals who called the tablers racist and threatened to flip the table, according to a previous Daily Lobo article. Portilla said he wasn’t interested in Witt’s talk turning into another affirmative action bake sale.
“I learned my lesson about doing edgier stuff like that,” Portilla said. He added that he wanted anyone interested in politics to come.
The event is free and open to the public. It’s set to be hosted in the SUB 3rd floor in Lobo A and B.
Justin Garcia is a staff reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers student government. He can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Just516garc.
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