Riley Gaines details threats to conservatives on college campuses amid Charlie Kirk's death
Gaines recounts a 2023 San Francisco State incident and warns that conservative speakers face increased disinvites and security challenges on campuses
Riley Gaines has warned that threats to conservatives on U.S. college campuses have intensified in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, recounting a violent episode two years ago and outlining what she sees as a pattern of campus-hostile environments for speakers.
In 2023, at a Turning Point USA event at San Francisco State University, Gaines says radical transgender student activists attacked her and forced her to take refuge in a classroom for hours as campus police struggled to disperse the crowd. The mob disrupted the event with aggressive chants, and Gaines said the scene included flickering lights and people surrounding her as she tried to stay calm amid the chaos.
Gaines told Fox News Digital that a plainclothes police officer pulled her from the scrum and escorted her through a back exit into a hallway where more protesters were waiting. She then spent hours in a nearby classroom while demonstrators gathered outside. She recalled the protesters demanding money if she wanted to see her family again and said campus police “couldn’t be seen as antagonistic to the transgender community.” She added that she was scared for her life and finally freed when the San Francisco Police Department arrived. The former NCAA swimmer, who gained prominence in 2022 for her remarks about competing against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, said the experience left her with lasting concerns about campus security and accountability.
Gaines returned to the same campus in May as part of Charlie Kirk’s American Comeback Tour, joining him for a subsequent event. She said she was discouraged to see many of the same campus police who had assisted at her previous appearance still in place as her security detail. “There was no accountability, there was nothing done to the students, to the university administrators who enabled this, there was nothing done to the campus police who facilitated an environment where the students were able to get away with this. They were still there working… I was very shocked by that, but now I realize I really shouldn’t have been,” she told Fox News Digital. Gaines emphasized that she is pro-law enforcement but criticized the handling of the incident and the broader campus climate that she says enables harassment of conservative speakers.
Security at college campuses for conservative speakers has become an increasing concern in the aftermath of Kirk’s assassination. The Turning Point USA co-founder was killed Sept. 10 during an event at Utah Valley University after he took a question about transgender mass murderers. Gaines noted that her colleague’s alleged shooter, Tyler Robinson, had a transgender partner, and that Robinson was reportedly turned in to authorities by his father after the attack. Authorities said Robinson texted his partner with a message that read, “had enough of [Kirk’s] hatred,” according to public accounts cited in coverage surrounding the tragedy.
Gaines said that in the wake of Kirk’s death, colleges are likely to disinvite conservative speakers out of fear that their campus could become the next target. She added that she has ten college stops scheduled for the fall season, some of which were planned with Kirk, but her plans have shifted as she now contemplates a growing family. She is expecting a baby girl any day and said the decision to continue touring weighs heavily on her, given her personal responsibilities.
Speaking about the larger implications, Gaines said Kirk gave her her start as a speaker and often offered advice that helped her connect with audiences. “He had this ability to connect with people that very, very few people have. It is such a rare, underrated trait to be able to make people feel seen. It doesn’t matter if it was the president himself or an 18-year-old freshman in college. Charlie made them feel seen, and so I think his legacy will live on, but it’s going to require more and more people to be bold in the process,” she recalled.
Gaines also addressed the emotional toll of Kirk’s death and her ongoing advocacy for conservative voices on campuses. She stressed that while she values law enforcement, she believes universities must take greater responsibility for ensuring safety and preventing a repeat of the environment she described at San Francisco State. In her view, institutions should distinguish between free expression and conduct that endangers students and speakers, and they should implement measures that protect those who participate in campus dialogue without suppressing legitimate debate.
As Gaines continues to navigate a schedule that now includes family considerations, she urged colleges to consider security in a broader, more proactive way. She said the goal is not to chill speech but to ensure that students and speakers can engage in constructive, civil discourse even when opinions diverge sharply. She added that Kirk’s legacy—his ability to connect with people and to make them feel seen—should be carried forward by others who are willing to be bold and principled in defending open dialogue on campuses.