Exploring the man considered the voice of young conservatism
On Sept. 10, political influencer Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at an event at Utah Valley University. Kirk was a 31-year-old political activist and influencer who founded the activism company Turning Point USA. In an X post, Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) said, “He inspired countless young people to get involved in politics and passionately believed in the right to free speech. His legacy will live on through every freedom-loving American.”
Kirk was also an ally and friend of president Donald Trump. He started Turning Point USA in 2012 and has attracted nearly 23 million followers on Instagram and TikTok. He is often associated with the wave of young conservatism that has been described as an extreme right-wing, populist, Christian nationalist and even white nationalist lane of the conservative mindset, labeled as such due to his critiques of things such as the Civil Rights Act and Juneteenth’s place as a national holiday. He spent time as a debater; he was a guest on podcasts such as Gavin Newsom’s podcast, the “PBD” Podcast and hosted “The Charlie Kirk” show. He also made an appearance on the YouTube channel Jubilee, in the video, “Can 25 Liberal College Students Outsmart 1 Conservative?” as the featured conservative. The video has accumulated 36 million views in the past year and put his debating on display by visiting college campuses to debate students.
VHS US History teacher Aaron Torres said, “[Kirk] was a big part of Donald Trump getting elected the second time.”
While on air, Former MSNBC Analyst Matthew Dowd said, “He’s been one of the most divisive, especially divisive younger figures in this, who is constantly sort of pushing this sort of hate speech or sort of aimed at certain groups.”
Ryan Simpson ‘27 said, “I didn’t like [Kirk] a lot ‘cause of a lot of stuff he said, but like, you don’t get to just kill someone if you don’t like them.”
During a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University, Charlie Kirk was fatally shot while answering a question on stage. According to authorities, a single rifle shot rang out from a rooftop location around 160 yards away and struck Kirk in the neck. The man charged with the killing is Tyler James Robinson, a white, 22-year-old from a conservative Mormon family in St. George, Utah. He is currently facing counts including aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice, witness tampering and a violent offense in the presence of a child. Utah officials are also seeking the death penalty.
In the aftermath of the shooting, rumors and unverified theories began circulating online. There was a rumor that Robinson was in a romantic relationship with his roommate who was transitioning genders. Law enforcement has dispelled this rumor due to a lack of evidence on both sides of the rumor, and instead has focused on the fact that Robinson texted his roommate a confession
Another is that Kirk’s family was in attendance at the event at Utah Valley University. Despite rumors spreading online, there is no evidence that Kirk’s wife, Erika or their children were at the Utah Valley University Turning Point USA event. Police reports, prosecutors and local outlets such as the “Deseret News” made no mention of the Kirk family being present. Snopes, a fact-checking website, fact-checked the claim and found it to be false, tracing it back to unverified posts on social media. Kirk’s family was not in attendance when the shooting occurred.
Some social media posts and online threads have suggested that the shooting could have involved foreign intelligence agencies, including Israel, speculating that political disagreements or Kirk’s public statements might have made him a target. While these claims have circulated widely in certain online communities, no evidence has emerged to substantiate them and law enforcement officials have not indicated any foreign involvement. Analysts note that such theories tend to spread quickly in the absence of confirmed information, but as of now, they remain unverified.
