{"id":734826,"date":"2025-11-07T16:20:44","date_gmt":"2025-11-08T00:20:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/?p=734826"},"modified":"2025-11-07T16:25:56","modified_gmt":"2025-11-08T00:25:56","slug":"iowa-student-arrested-after-being-caught-on-camera-flipping-over-turning-point-usa-table","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/newsroom\/iowa-student-arrested-after-being-caught-on-camera-flipping-over-turning-point-usa-table\/","title":{"rendered":"Iowa: Student arrested after being caught on camera flipping over Turning Point USA table"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=index-1023.html alt=\"The Turning Point USA logo is seen on the stage during an &quot;American Comeback Tour&quot; stop in Burruss Hall at Virgina Tech university in Blacksburg, Virginia, on September 24, 2025. The event is being held two weeks after the killing of right-wing activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA Charlie Kirk during an &quot;American Comeback Tour&quot; stop in Orem, Utah on September 10. (Photo by Alex WROBLEWSKI \/ AFP) (Photo by ALEX WROBLEWSKI\/AFP via Getty Images) \/ Justin Pham Calhoon\" class=\"wp-image-734832\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Featured-Images-6.png 800w, https:\/\/www.oann.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Featured-Images-6-400x267.png 400w, https:\/\/www.oann.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Featured-Images-6-768x513.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Background)The Turning Point USA logo is seen on the stage during an &#8220;American Comeback Tour&#8221; stop in Burruss Hall at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia, on September 24, 2025. (Photo by ALEX WROBLEWSKI\/AFP via Getty Images) \/ (R) Justin Pham Calhoon (Johnson County Iowa Jail)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>OAN Staff&nbsp;<a href=index-1024.html target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Katherine Mosack<\/a><br>4:20 PM \u2013 Friday, November 7, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A 19-year-old University of Iowa student named Justin Pham Calhoon was caught on video flipping over a promotional table set up by the campus chapter of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), leading to his arrest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Calhoon reportedly goes by the name &#8220;Niko&#8221; and uses she\/her pronouns, according to journalist and editor of <em>The Post Millennial<\/em> Andy Ngo, meaning that Calhoon identifies as a transgender woman. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The incident unraveled on Wednesday as he was offered free hot chocolate by TPUSA members holding a small event. The TPUSA event, called &#8220;Cocoa and Conservatives,&#8221; involved TPUSA members offering warm beverages and distributing promotional materials like buttons near the Tippie College of Business on T. Anne Cleary Walkway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cNo thanks,\u201d Calhoon says in the video, before grabbing the table. The video quickly went viral on social media, and it shows Calhoon approaching the table, declining the offer, then abruptly overturning it &#8212; scattering cups, buttons, and other items onto the ground &#8212; before laughing and walking away. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>TPUSA leaders described the all-women TPUSA group as being &#8220;visibly shaken&#8221; following the incident, and the disruption halted their event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This wasn&#8217;t an isolated act either, as court records have since revealed that Calhoon had allegedly done something similar just over a week earlier, on October 27<sup>th<\/sup>, when he flipped a table at a Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>University police later issued an arrest warrant for that prior incident on November 3<sup>rd<\/sup>, but Calhoon&#8217;s arrest on November 5<sup>th<\/sup> covered both cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">BREAKING: University of Iowa student who flipped over a TPUSA table has been ARRESTED<br><br>FAFO <a href=index-1025.html>https:\/\/t.co\/bH1oR9VgJ9<\/a> <a href=index-1026.html>pic.twitter.com\/RfqtyagtXu<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href=index50a7-4.html>November 6, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=index-1014.html charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>He now faces two misdemeanor cases in Johnson County, Iowa, according to Johnson County Jail court filings obtained by the Iowa Pulse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A second video, from the earlier October 27<sup>th<\/sup> incident, has also since surfaced online. In the footage, Calhoon &#8212; wearing a woman&#8217;s black dress &#8212; approaches the table set up by YAF and similarly flips it over. He then raises his middle finger to the camera before walking away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I love a story with a happy ending. Shout out to the student who tried to keep me and other conservatives from campus. <br><br>I\u2019ll come visit you in jail for my next event! Hope you can attend \u2764\ufe0f <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/YwJWB3yPTe\">pic.twitter.com\/YwJWB3yPTe<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Cabot Phillips (@cabot_phillips) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/cabot_phillips\/status\/1986485966014415278?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 6, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Calhoon faces two counts of Disorderly Conduct \u2014 Disturbing a Lawful Assembly or Meeting, two counts of 3<sup>rd<\/sup> Degree Harassment, and one count of 5<sup>th<\/sup> Degree Criminal Mischief across both cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Court documents indicate that the University of Iowa student was released without bond and is under no-contact orders in both cases. The student has two non-jury trials scheduled for March, according to the <em>Iowa Pulse<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cA trans person named Justin Pham Calhoon flipped over a TPUSA table after being unable to control himself. Mainstream trans activists encouraged trans people &amp; their allies to be violent to intimidate political opposition,\u201d Ngo posted on X.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">At the University of Iowa <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/uiowa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@uiowa<\/a>, a trans person named Justin Pham Calhoon flipped over a TPUSA table after being unable to control himself. Mainstream trans activists encouraged trans people &amp; their allies to be violent to intimidate political opposition. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/qgM0A3MnMB\">pic.twitter.com\/qgM0A3MnMB<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MrAndyNgo\/status\/1986547766525633019?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 6, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk was fatally shot at another college campus on November 10<sup>th<\/sup> while, notably, answering a question about transgender individuals who carry out mass shootings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His accused assassin, Tyler Robinson, also previously had a transgender romantic partner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, since Kirk\u2019s murder, applications for new TPUSA chapters have risen across the country, with the organization reporting that more than 120,000 students have inquired about starting chapters in high schools and colleges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/alerts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.oann.com\/alerts<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A 19-year-old University of Iowa student named Justin Pham Calhoon was caught on video flipping over a promotional table set up by the campus chapter of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), leading to his arrest. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":93,"featured_media":734832,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[33572,285081,285054,232281,8670,285051,285066,118734,285063,105156,144384,602,285072,2698,2839,285069,194850,285057,251322,285078,97404,267930,4048,92019,285048,285075,91164,285060,2320,370,1304,268506,177330],"class_list":["post-734826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsroom","tag-andy-ngo","tag-campus-activism","tag-campus-incident","tag-campus-violence","tag-charlie-kirk","tag-cocoa-and-conservatives","tag-college-politics","tag-conservative-group","tag-conservative-outreach","tag-criminal-mischief","tag-disorderly-conduct","tag-free-speech","tag-frontlines-tpusa","tag-harassment","tag-iowa","tag-iowa-pulse","tag-johnson-county","tag-justin-pham-calhoon","tag-katherine-mosack","tag-no-contact-order","tag-non-jury-trial","tag-political-tensions","tag-post-millennial","tag-social-media-video","tag-student-arrest","tag-student-behavior","tag-student-protest","tag-table-flipping","tag-tpusa","tag-transgender","tag-turning-point-usa","tag-tyler-robinson","tag-university-of-iowa"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Featured-Images-6.png","author_info":{"display_name":"Katherine Mosack","author_link":"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/author\/kmosack\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/734826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/93"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=734826"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/734826\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":734895,"href":"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/734826\/revisions\/734895"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/734832"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=734826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=734826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=734826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}