Kyle Rittenhouse Is Coming To Phoenix For Conservative Conference

PHOENIX, AZ — Kyle Rittenhouse is coming to Phoenix.

Rittenhouse, 18, was set to be one of a slew of speakers at conservative nonprofit Turning Point USA's AmericaFest 2021, set to begin Saturday at the Phoenix Convention Center.

Rittenhouse was acquitted of all charges in November in the shooting of three people, two of whom died, during a protest against police violence in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last year.

Rittenhouse will join a who's who of controversial conservative commentators and legislators, including Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, Donald Trump Jr., U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida), U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes (R-California) and U.S. Rep. Majorie Taylor Green (R-Georgia), just to name a few.

AmericaFest was described on its website as "the largest celebration of our constitutional rights and freedoms — featuring the best and brightest speakers in the country, dozens of like minded sponsoring organizations, thousands of freedom loving patriots, and the introduction of musical talent with a number of very special concerts."

AmericaFest 2021 will run Saturday through Tuesday, with tickets ranging from $40 to $750.

Some of the conference's sponsors include Fox Nation, The Heritage Foundation and Young Americans for Liberty.

Turning Point USA described as its mission "to identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of freedom, free markets, and limited government. Turning Point USA believes that every young person can be enlightened to true free market values."

Some conservatives — including some in Arizona — lauded Rittenhouse as a hero for coming to Kenosha in what he said was an effort to help protect businesses from looting.

Rittenhouse shot three men during protests and riots that followed the Kenosha police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was left partially paralyzed.

"Start building statues to Kyle Rittenhouse and learn from him how to properly use the 2nd Amendment for self defense," Arizona state Republican Sen. Wendy Rogers said in a tweet shortly after Rittenhouse's not guilty verdict was announced.

But many on the left condemned Rittenhouse for his actions.

Rittenhouse said during his trial that he enrolled in online nursing courses at Arizona State University as a nondegree-seeking student. An ASU spokesperson confirmed that Rittenhouse enrolled in classes starting Oct. 13, just weeks before the start of his trial on Nov. 2, according to a report from the Phoenix New Times. But after the trial concluded, ASU said he was no longer a student and never completed the application process.

Several ASU student groups protested Rittenhouse's plans to re-enroll at the university, saying in flyers for the event that, "even with a not-guilty verdict from a flawed 'justice' system — Kyle Rittenhouse is still guilty to his victims and the families of those victims."