- Objectivist - https://www.objectivist.co -

Transgender Student Arrested After Flipping Turning Point Tables on Campus in Iowa [WATCH]

Posted By LifeZette Staff On In News | No Comments

A University of Iowa student was arrested [1] Wednesday after being caught on video flipping a Turning Point USA table during a campus event.

The student, identified as 19-year-old Justin Pham Calhoon, also known as Niko, now faces multiple misdemeanor charges in Johnson County, Iowa.

The incident took place during a Turning Point USA outreach event called “Cocoa and Conservatives,” where members of the organization were distributing hot chocolate and engaging students in conversation.

In video footage posted by Frontlines TPUSA — the organization’s official on-the-ground coverage account — Calhoon can be seen walking up to the table and declining an offer before saying, “No thanks,” and flipping the table over.

The contents of the display spilled across the ground as bystanders watched.

According to Johnson County court filings obtained by the Iowa Pulse, Calhoon faces charges related to two separate incidents.

The first occurred on October 27, when the student allegedly overturned another conservative group’s table on campus.

The second, on November 5, involved the Turning Point USA event.

In both cases, Calhoon was charged by the University of Iowa Department of Public Safety.

Footage of the October 27 incident shows Calhoon, dressed in a black outfit, approaching a conservative display table before forcefully knocking it over and making an obscene gesture toward the camera.

Both videos were circulated widely across social media and drew national attention from journalists and commentators.

Andy Ngo, a journalist and editor-at-large for The Post Millennial, identified the student as transgender in a social media post.

“A trans person named Justin Pham Calhoon flipped over a TPUSA table after being unable to control himself. Mainstream trans activists encouraged trans people & their allies to be violent to intimidate political opposition,” Ngo said.

Court records show that Calhoon faces two counts of Disorderly Conduct — Disturbing a Lawful Assembly or Meeting, two counts of Harassment in the Third Degree, and one count of Criminal Mischief in the Fifth Degree.

The Iowa Pulse reported that Calhoon was released without bond and is subject to no-contact orders related to the incidents.

Two non-jury trials are scheduled for March 2026.

The altercation marks the latest in a string of confrontations involving Turning Point USA chapters on college campuses following the assassination of the organization’s founder, Charlie Kirk, on September 10 at Utah Valley University.

Kirk was fatally shot during a campus event where he was taking questions from students.

Authorities later identified the suspected shooter, Tyler Robinson, who reportedly has a transgender partner.

The attack prompted a series of heightened security measures at conservative campus events nationwide.

Since Kirk’s death, Turning Point USA has reported an increase in harassment and vandalism directed at its chapters.

At the University of New Mexico, a man was arrested last week after allegedly attempting to steal TPUSA signs while shouting that Kirk “got shot in the neck for a reason.”

At the University of Arizona, another individual with pink hair was captured on video calling TPUSA activists “Nazis” and warning them to “watch your neck” while walking past their table.

Despite the rise in confrontations, Turning Point USA says student interest in forming new chapters has surged.

The organization reported receiving more than 120,000 inquiries from students at high schools and universities nationwide since September.