Charlie Kirk wasn’t just a political activist; he was a fighter armed with words, ideas, and a relentless belief in freedom. On Wednesday, September 10th, the 31-year-old Turning Point USA co- founder was assassinated – shot in the neck while speaking at Utah Valley University. He died wearing a simple white T-shirt with one word on it: Freedom. It was the message of his life and, tragically, one of the last statement he made in this world.
Shooting Kirk was meant to send a message to all of us. But we are not afraid – the message we send back is louder: freedom will not be silenced.
Kirk built Turning Point USA into a nationwide force – hundreds of staff and activists, thousands of campus chapters, and hundreds of thousands of students who dared to challenge the Left’s monopoly on higher education.
His “American Comeback Tour” included a “Prove Me Wrong” opportunity for left-leaning students to challenge him on political and culture issues. Charlie, the “happy warrior,” walked straight into hostile territory, armed with logic, humor, and facts. That courage made him a target.
Pastor Rob McCoy, his longtime friend, pastor and co-chair of TPUSA Faith, who has been on tour with Kirk for years, put it plainly: “My friend Charlie Kirk was murdered today by a coward. His life will be remembered for many wonderful things. He built it all with the power of the spoken word. He never used violence but was threatened every day with violence by those who couldn’t contend with logic and truth and now they have done to my friend what evil always does; it takes away life. Charlie did not die however but instead he has begun to truly live. His life was secured eternally by his Savior Jesus Christ… This truth allowed Charlie to face every threat with courage because he didn’t fear death. All evil knows is death and they derive power from death. Charlie lived for life and will be remembered for this….Charlie called me his pastor but I prefer to be known as his friend and greatest fan.”
President Trump honored Kirk in a video statement:
President Trump said from the Oval Office in a video posted to Truth Social, “Charlie devoted his life to the cause of open debate and a country he loved so much, the United States of America. He fought for liberty, democracy, justice and the American people. He’s a martyr for truth and freedom. Charlie traveled the nation, joyfully engaging in everyone interested in good faith debate…He championed his ideas with courage, logic, humor and grace…”
Trump also reminded Americans of the climate that fueled the violence: “It’s long past time for all Americans and the media to confront the fact that violence and murder are the tragic consequence of demonizing those with whom you disagree day after day and year after year in the most hateful and despicable way possible. For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals. This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today. And it must stop right now… Radical left political violence has hurt too many innocent people and taken too many lives. Tonight, I ask all Americans to commit themselves to the American values for which Charlie Kirk lived and died. The values of free speech, citizenship, the rule of law and the patriotic devotion and love of God.”
Trump continued, “The monster who attacked him attacked our whole country…Together we will ensure that his (Kirk’s) voice, his message, his legacy will live on for countless generations to come.”
Fox News’ co-host of “The Five” Greg Gutfeld urged supporters not to retreat: “You still do what you always do but you do more of it. You stand up, you speak up, and you share the risk. Right now you are recoiling but you have to come back and return stronger, more fortified and more resilient.”
And perhaps the most haunting words came from Kirk himself, before his death when he said, “If we want things to change, it’s 100% necessary to politicize the senseless murder of Iryna Zarutska because it was politics that allowed a savage monster with 14 priors to be free on the streets to kill her.”
Now, those words echo in the wake of his own murder. Yes, we MUST politicize this and we MUST call out evil at every level. The assassin isn’t one lone lunatic. It’s a spectrum of hate. Maybe your brother is a “2,” spouting CNN soundbites over dinner. Your aunt’s a “5,” carrying protest signs about issues she doesn’t understand. The “10s” scream at you, shove you, dox you. The “20s” hold elected office and fuel the mob online. And then there’s the “100” – the assassin – pulling the trigger. But the whole group is to blame. They feed off each other. And we must continue to call them out every time they spew their hatred.
On this September 11th, when “We will never forget” rings out across the nation like it always does every year, we also promise never to forget Charlie – his values and the mission we must keep alive.
Charlie Kirk was a patriot, a happy warrior, and a champion of conservatism. He debated, he challenged, he inspired – and he wore Freedom on his chest until the very end.