Charlie Kirk, an influential American right-wing political activist, was shot dead while addressing a large crowd at a university campus in Utah
Charlie Kirk, an American right-wing political activist, was shot dead while addressing a large crowd at a university campus in Utah on Wednesday.
The appearance was typical of the 31-year-old, who made his name touring US campuses, pushing a pro-Trump agenda in public debates with liberal students.
In 2012, Kirk dropped out of university to found Turning Point USA, a Conservative student group, becoming a rising star in the Republican Party and prominent media figure.
Paying tribute to Kirk on Wednesday, President Donald Trump described him as a “patriot who devoted his life to the cause of open debate and the country that he loves so much, the United States of America.”
Who was Charlie Kirk?
Kirk was born in 1993, growing up in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. He first made a name for himself in 2012, appearing on Fox Business after writing a piece for the right-wing outlet Breitbart News about alleged liberal bias in school text books.
Later that year, with financial support from Republican backers, he founded Turning Point USA, an organisation dedicated to advancing conservative causes on college campuses.
Kirk was the face of the organisation, chairing events across left-leaning universities where he engaged directly with students in a series of “prove me wrong” events.
Recorded live and shared on social media, the combative debates – in atmosphere a mix between political rally and wrestling match – centred on culture war issues, such as abortion, critical race theory and transgender rights.
The event on Wednesday at Utah Valley University was the first of a Turning Point tour, at which students were invited to debate Kirk about similar topics.
Kirk developed a huge media profile over the years, with 5.3 million followers on X and an audience of more than 500,000 monthly listeners to podcasts of his radio program, The Charlie Kirk Show. He also authored or contributed to several books, including Time for a Turning Point and The College Scam.
What were Kirk’s views?
Kirk was a loyal Trump supporter, backing his successful campaign for the White House in 2016 and driving youth support for Trump in last year’s presidential election.
He loyally promoted pro-Trump talking points, backing the President’s false claims of voter fraud after his 2020 election loss.
Under the banner of free speech, Kirk – an evangelical Christian – pushed controversial views on race, religion and gender. He opposed gay marriage and diversity programmes, and argued that abortion was murder.
He described George Floyd, whose murder at the hands of police in Minneapolis triggered the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, as a “scumbag”.
Last month, Kirk accused Democratic lawmaker Jasmine Crockett, who is Black, of being part of an attempt to eliminate the white population in the country.
Kirk also expressed xenophobic views of the Islamic world and culture, pointing to Europe to make his case.
“Islam has conquest values,” he said in April. “They seek to take over land and territory, and Europe is now a conquered continent.”
He was also a staunch opponent of gun control measures. “It’s worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment,” he said earlier this year.
How close was he to the Trump family?
Kirk has visited the White House regularly during both of Trump’s terms in office, and attended the President’s inauguration earlier this year.
He was a close friend of Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. The pair travelled to Greenland earlier this year to promote Trump Sr’s claim that the US should own the Arctic territory.
During the 2024 presidential campaign, he worked with Trump Jr, Eric Trump and Lara Trump on the trail, assisting them with their social media outreach.
“I love you brother,” Trump Jr posted on social media after Kirk’s death. “You gave so many people the courage to speak up and we will not ever be silenced.
