A student at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) drew criticism for reciting a poem that appeared to celebrate the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and for making a comment that suggested a threat to speaker Christian Collins. The incident occurred on September 23 during Collins' "Prove Me Wrong/ Pick Up the Mic" event.
The unidentified student, who referred to herself as "pamper baby," stepped up to the microphone and announced she had written a poem about Kirk's assassination. Kirk was fatally shot in the neck on September 10, 2025, while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University. His alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, 22, is awaiting trial.
The student recited a poem that mimicked "Twas the Night Before Christmas," with lines including "The flags were hung proudly, the memes all on deck as we solemnly remembered a shot to the neck." Following the poem, she told Collins, "You're brave for being out here, I mean, no protection, no nothing, no, like, neck brace." Collins responded by saying, "I'll pray for you."
Collins, a conservative activist who works with Turning Point USA's campus initiative, later shared a clip of the interaction. He captioned the post, "At @utsa for Pick Up the Mic, a student read a poem celebrating the assassination of Charlie Kirk with such glee, then told me I was brave to be out here without my neck covered. I told her I’d pray for her. This is the climate. We pick up the mic anyway."
The student's comments sparked immediate backlash. Political commentator Meghan McCain described the student as "so poisoned" and "filled with so much evil and hate." Conservative activist Riley Gaines expressed disgust, stating, "The fact that other students cheered for her after she finished her poem about an assassination is sickening."
Other social media users and organizations, including Libs of TikTok, also voiced their dismay. The Daily Mail has contacted UTSA, Collins, and Turning Point USA for comment.