Charlie Kirk, CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University. Social media videos show Kirk at a campus debate under a tent emblazoned with “The American Comeback” when a single shot struck him in the neck. He later died of his injuries, according to officials. President Trump called Kirk “a very, very good friend” and praised him as a “tremendous person.” Reactions poured in from across the aisle, with leaders from Ron DeSantis to Gavin Newsom condemning the killing and calling for an end to political violence.
The assassination comes amid a wave of political violence: Trump’s near-assassination in Butler, Pelosi’s husband attacked, and governors targeted in plots. Kirk’s death cements him not just as a conservative leader but as a martyr for a movement that’s long warned about the dangers of dehumanizing rhetoric.
The Bullet Point Brief
- Assassinated on campus. Kirk was shot while speaking at Utah Valley University; social media captured the chaos.
- Trump’s ally. Trump mourned Kirk as a “tremendous person” and close friend, calling for prayers.
- Bipartisan condemnation. Leaders from Pelosi to DeSantis, Netanyahu to JD Vance, called the attack “reprehensible” and decried political violence.
- Divisive figure, growing threat. To conservatives, Kirk was an inspiration; to much of the Left, he was demonized as dangerous – a decade-long target of smear campaigns.
- Martyrdom in motion. Kirk now stands in a tragic line stretching from St. Stephen to Lincoln to every man or woman murdered for refusing to bow to the mob.
My Bottom Line
Just like the last article I wrote about the school shooting in Evergreen, I wish I knew what to say. Really, I do. I wish I had words big enough to cover a loss this staggering. But I’ll still extend thoughts and prayers – again, mock me if you want – because my heart is with Charlie’s family, his friends, and the entire TPUSA community. And my prayers are to the Almighty, who hears, who heals, and who holds Charlie now.
Just like I said in the last article, this is not a “gun problem.” It is a spiritual sickness. We live in Romans 1 times, when truth is traded for lies, good is called evil, and evil is paraded as good. The devil is on the move, and this assassination is nothing less than evil incarnate.
Charlie Kirk was 31 years old. He built something the Left swore could not exist: a thriving conservative youth movement on hostile campuses. He gave hope to kids who were told to sit down and shut up. He spoke truth boldly, with wit and energy, and he never let cynicism kill his joy. For that, the Left demonized him relentlessly, painted him as a fascist, and mocked him as a threat. Is it really any surprise that eventually some lunatic took their caricature literally?
This is why Charlie Kirk is dead today.
They – the spirit of the age – are killing people for what they say and what they believe. I used to say that we are in a “cold civil war.” I don’t know if it’s so cold anymore, because they’re killing people. They’re killing conservatives. They’re killing Christians. They’re killing kids. And make no mistake, it’s not the gun that slaughters. It’s the evil that infests hearts. The evil MUST BE STOPPED!
The Left will issue the usual platitudes about rejecting violence – then tomorrow, they’ll go back to comparing conservatives to Nazis and calling Trump and Kirk existential threats to democracy – you can set your watch to it. Their addiction to dehumanizing rhetoric is gasoline on the fire. And then they clutch their pearls when someone strikes the match.
Charlie’s death is both a national tragedy and a call to arms – not of bullets, but of courage. Conservatives must keep speaking, keep standing, keep living out God’s truth even if it paints a target on their backs. Because silence is exactly what the bullies and the demons want.
Charlie Kirk is gone, but the movement he built will not be silenced. Like St. Stephen, he is now a martyr. And we will honor him not by cowering, but by carrying the torch he lit until the lies crumble and the truth prevails.
God Bless Charlie Kirk, a true follower of Christ, a good husband, father and a true leader of the fight against evil and leader in the fight for Freedom. Young adults of his generation should be very proud of what he accomplished in such a very shot time.
God Bless those at Evergreen High School. And prayers to them and their families. Very sad and shameful that our students, teachers and school staff cannot feel safe at school. Its been said many times. We need to do better.