Ben Shapiro speaks at UT on Israel-Hamas war and November elections

October 8, 2026

Turning Point USA's University of Texas chapter hosted conservative commentator Ben Shapiro Wednesday at the Lady Bird Johnson Auditorium, drawing nearly 1,000 attendees.

Shapiro is a conservative commentator, author and co-founder of The Daily Wire. He reaches large audiences through social media and his podcast, and he identifies as an Orthodox Jew, a factor he says shapes some of his political views. He is known for his positions opposing transgender policies, opposing censorship, and supporting Israel.

He told the audience he planned to focus on two items: the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and Texas Senate nominee James Talarico. The speech coincided with the third anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack, and Shapiro criticized Americans who support Palestine as emblematic of left-wing and radical movements.

Shapiro warned that an ideological rejection of founding Western principles threatens the country, and he framed that trend as a wider danger to American stability. He argued that the political shifts he described could imperil the United States and the West if they continue.

Shapiro singled out James Talarico, the Democratic nominee challenging incumbent Ken Paxton for the U.S. Senate in Texas. He said Democrats like Talarico weaken what he called the foundations of Americanism and warned that they have a real chance of winning in November. He urged attendees to vote to prevent Democratic control of Congress, and he cited a passage from Genesis when telling the audience that their choices will shape the future.

During a question and answer session, a student asked Shapiro about controversies surrounding left-wing streamer Hasan Piker, who visited campus last week. Piker's event was moved several times and ultimately held in a smaller venue than planned, an outcome that caused University Democrats to decline more than 2,000 RSVPs. Local reporting has also raised questions about whether the Office of the University President reserved the LBJ auditorium for Turning Point but did not provide the same accommodation to University Democrats.

Shapiro said that if the university discriminated against Piker on the basis of speech, that would constitute a First Amendment violation and should not occur. The event concluded after the Q&A session.