Who was Charlie Kirk, the assassinated conservative activist?

Charlie Kirk, shot and killed during an appearance at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, was a conservative youth organizer and founder of Turning Point USA , a highly rated podcaster and frequent guest on Fox News.

“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie,” Trump posted on Truth Social late Wednesday.

The shooting drew  reaction from lawmakers and politicians from both parties , who condemned it and sent prayers to Kirk and his family.

Among them was Democratic Senator for Connecticut, Chris Murphy who said on the Senate floor: “We are all horrified watching the images and following the news out of Utah, and we are sending all of our thoughts to Mr. Kirk, to his family, to survivors there.”

Republican Senate Leader John Thune of South Dakota said: “There is no place in our country for political violence. Period, full stop.”

Kirk, 31, was the founder and president of Turning Point USA.

The organization is described as “a national student movement dedicated to identifying, organizing, and empowering young people to promote the principles of free markets, and limited government.”

He was at the Utah university kicking off his “ The American Comeback Tour, ” where he was hosting his now infamous “prove me wrong” table. During that event, audience members are invited to debate Kirk in a public setting.

According to Deseret News , more than 6,000 people signed a petition, asking Utah State University to bar Kirk from coming to its campus. A similar petition was circulated at Utah Valley University, but obtained less than 1,000 signatures.

In 2024, Kirk spoke at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where he gave a speech focusing on what he said heard from young people around the U.S.

Turning Point USA has reportedly raised tens of millions of dollars to push pro-Trump campaigns across college campuses. The Arizona-based organization, jumpstarted in 2012 by a then 18-year-old Kirk, has grown in reputation. The group now says it is active on over 3,500 college and high school campuses in America.

According to June 2023 tax filings , Turning Point’s revenue leapt to $81.7 million in 2023 from $4.3 million in 2016.

Kirk’s work with Turning Point also landed him on the 2018 Forbes “30 under 30” list , and has led to frequent guest spots on Fox News.

And he also built a large following with his podcast, The Charlie Kirk Show. Over 750 episodes later, the show is ranked 7th in Apple news podcasts and 10th in Spotify news.

In January 2024, he came under fire for stating on the podcast: “If I see a Black pilot, I’m gonna be like ‘boy, I hope he is qualified.’” Those comments prompted strong responses from many, including Black pilots.

First reported by RealClearPolitics, Kirk’s comments made him enemies within the Republican National Convention, including previous RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel, who in 2023 Kirk said was planted by the Democrats to “infiltrate” the Republican party.

However, President Donald Trump was a supporter . “Charlie Kirk is helping. He’s got his army of young people. These are young patriots,” Trump said while speaking at the Turning Point Action Conference in Detroit in June 2024.

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