Secretary McMahon's Remarks to 1,000 High School Students at Turning Point USA's Chapter Leadership Summit

Thank you for being here. I know you have traveled far and wide to participate in this gathering and I am excited to join you today.

How fitting it is to be here with you - the future leaders of America - in our nation's capital on the heels of celebrating the 250th anniversary of our nation's founding.

And as I look around this room today, I am filled with immense hope for the next 250 years.

All Americans enjoy our freedoms. But only some commit to understanding the sacrifices that secured them and the principles that sustain them. And an even smaller group devote their high-school years to defending those principles at a moment when their generation needs their bravery most.

With President Trump in office, it is such a hopeful time to be an American - and I know many of you would agree that the reach of the conservative movement, which this organization has done so much to support, is remarkable.

But we must also acknowledge that we face a formidable challenge: too many young Americans - especially your age - are not proud to be citizens of this exceptional country. Worse, they see the values that shaped America as sources of shame and oppression rather than the foundations of opportunity and freedom. The battle of ideas is ongoing, and we need you to be active participants.

By leading Turning Point USA Chapters and taking part in this Summit, each of you has demonstrated real courage - and, at a young age, discovered something important about yourselves: that convincing people of the beauty of America is important to you, and that you want to make this mission a defining part of your lives.

Of course, this involves speaking up for your values, pushing back against the distorted narratives in your classrooms, and honing your command of facts as you debate your peers.

But as you look ahead to your bright futures and consider the ways that you can best serve our extraordinary country, the greatest lesson you can take with you comes from the founder of this very organization, who should be here with us today.

Charlie taught us that the most effective way to spread American values is to embody them.

Charlie was the greatest defender of the American Dream because he was the American Dream.

At 18 years old, Charlie knew that in this country, a fancy degree or a prestigious job title is not what determines your success - it is your hard work, your resilience, and your drive to make something of yourself.

He had the courage to cultivate those qualities, seize the freedom this great nation offers to put them to use, and take the risk of becoming an entrepreneur.

Much like the Founders we all revere, Charlie was a relentless self-teacher and pursuer of truth, beauty, and wisdom. He sought out mentors, spent late nights tutoring himself and taking online courses in a variety of subjects, and he read voraciously - he did anything he could to stretch the boundaries of his knowledge. He proved that education takes many different forms, and that it's a lifelong endeavor.

He was an unwavering believer in human potential - that every person can rise higher, do more, and improve any part of themselves with discipline and determination.

He never saw anyone else's success as a diminution of his own. Those of us who were fortunate to know Charlie personally knew that in the public eye and behind closed doors, he was the same person, all the time, to everyone.

It didn't matter if your name was well known or not known at all - he would remember it.

With each person he met, he would seek out their gifts, encourage them, and help them contribute where their talents could be put to the best use.

And Charlie did not just espouse the importance of freedom of speech, he practiced its defense: inviting those who challenged his ideas to the front of the line at events and urging crowds to let them speak without disruption. He was fierce towards arguments, and charitable toward arguers.

Charlie would be so proud and so energized by the commitment of all of you in this room to carry on the torch of this movement and build lives of purpose. His life was so effective - and he won so many people over - because he understood this truth: people form convictions not only through arguments, but through examples. The greatest endorsement of any principles is the kind of people they produce.

We don't believe in hard work and merit simply because they're celebrated - we believe in them when we witness someone transform themselves through perseverance and earn what they achieve.

We don't come to believe in the First Amendment only because we're told it matters - we believe in it because we've seen how a single voice can change the trajectory of history, and how silencing speech has led to humanity's gravest calamities and suffering.

And we are drawn to faith in God not solely because of the many compelling arguments for it, but because we witness the genuine happiness and generosity that emanate from those who place that belief at the center of their lives.

Each of you stands at the beginning of a future filled with possibility - a future where you will shape the culture of your campuses, the character of your communities, and the confidence your generation has in this country.

In every interaction, you can embody the character shaped by America's ideals, and through the way you live, you can make visible the extraordinary promise of this nation.

So, when you return to your classes in the fall, speak with courtesy; work with integrity; invite others to engage in dialogue; and in your clubs and classrooms, encourage your peers and help them use their gifts well. And every day, look for opportunities to show the best of what it means to be an American.

Thank you, Chapter Leaders. God bless you and God bless the United States of America!